Iced Vanilla Latte

What You’ll Need

The iced vanilla latte is a Starbucks drink that combines espresso, vanilla syrup, ice, and cold milk. It’s a spin on the iced latte, a cold version of a latte (espresso plus steamed milk). An iced latte at Starbucks usually uses straight milk, but to simulate the steamed milk in a latte, you can lightly froth it before adding it to the drink.

Here’s what you’ll need to make an iced vanilla latte at home:

• 1 double shot espresso
• ¼ cup whole milk or oat milk
• 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla syrup, homemade or purchased
• Ice

How to Make a Vanilla Iced Latte: Basic Steps

A vanilla iced latte is simpler to make at home than the hot vanilla latte, since you don’t have to steam or froth milk. Instead, you can shake the milk in a jar to add a bit of froth, or simply use cold milk. Here is an overview of the steps to make an iced latte (or jump to the recipe below):

• Step 1: Make the vanilla syrup.
• Step 2: Make a double shot of espresso.
• Step 3: Froth ¼ cup whole milk by shaking it in a covered jar or whisking until frothy.
• Step 4: Pour the espresso and 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla syrup over ice. Add milk and serve.

How to Make the Espresso

The trickiest part of making an iced vanilla latte at home? Finding the best espresso method. The optimal method is an espresso machine, but they’re expensive and not accessible for most home baristas. There are several methods for how to make espresso without a machine that I’ll share below.

Before you start, make sure to use espresso roast coffee beans. It’s important to get the right dark, bitter flavor. Use a fine grind on the espresso beans. Some brands I recommend: Illy, Starbucks, or Intelligentsia. The best methods for making espresso at home are:

• Espresso machine: An espresso machine is the best option. It makes incredible espresso, but it’s pricy.
• Portable espresso maker: A manual espresso maker is a great, affordable option that makes very good espresso.
• French press: French press espresso works well if you have this coffee tool on hand.
• Moka Pot: Or, make very strong espresso-like coffee in a Moka Pot (Bialetti). It works impressively well!

Making Vanilla Syrup at Home

It’s not worth buying store-bought vanilla syrup for your vanilla iced latte when it takes just minutes to make and uses ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Here’s how to make vanilla syrup:

• Combine sugar and water: Place ½ cup each of granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove.
• Heat until dissolved: Heat over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until fully dissolved. Do not simmer!
• Stir in vanilla: Remove from the heat and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Cool to room temperature before using.

That’s it! You can store it refrigerated for up to 1 month, though the flavor is best in the first few weeks.

More Iced Coffee and Teas to Try

• Iced Cappuccino
• Iced Matcha Latte
• Iced Espresso
• Iced Americano
• Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso
• Iced Chai Latte
• Vanilla Iced Coffee