This homemade iced caramel latte is one of my favorite coffee drinks — especially on a hot summer day. It's cold and refreshing and has a touch of sweetness, a bold espresso flavor, and a smooth, buttery texture.
It looks as decadent as it tastes but takes less than 10 minutes to make — including a homemade caramel sauce.
If you enjoy cold coffee drinks, learn how to make this Starbucks copycat vanilla sweet cream cold foam to add to your favorite cold brew.
If you're into iced drinks but matcha is more your thing, this iced matcha latte is a great coffee alternative. For another espresso-free milk and coffee drink, try a smooth and creamy dalgano coffee that uses instant coffee.
When faced with the choice between an iced latte vs iced coffee, it all comes down to personal preference, and I promise you'll want to choose this latte every time.
The combination of nutty caramel flavor, creamy milk, and bold espresso is the ideal morning coffee trio.
Why You'll Love this Iced Caramel Latte Recipe
- Economical - Instead of heading to Dunkin Donuts or your local coffee shop each day, have your own iced caramel lattes at home. The homemade version tastes just as good and is a fraction of the price!
- Customizable: This delicious latte can be made any way you like it. You can control the amount of sugar, use any milk alternatives, and make it with your favorite type of coffee.
- Quick & easy: It's an easy recipe that uses basic ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to whip together.
- Perfect on hot days: It's fun swapping out hot coffees with iced drinks once summer arrives.
- Feels indulgent: Although it's easy to make, this is not just your usual pot of coffee or cold coffee drink. It's more like a sweet treat with the added bonus of a caffeine boost.
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this iced caramel latte recipe. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in the grocery store. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar or coconut sugar will both work. Or find another coconut sugar substitute. The first time I tested this, the caramel crystallized, so we tested it again. It was likely because we stirred it too much, so we tried it again and it worked well. We also tested it with coconut sugar which caramelized well.
- Water: Helps to tame that strong coffee flavor of the espresso shots.
- Vanilla: Adds a creamy taste to the caramel syrup.
- Ice: Add as much or as little as you like.
- Espresso: this recipe calls for espresso, like all lattes. However, you can use a strong cold brew or iced coffee.
- Milk: You can go with the traditional whole milk or 2%, or non-dairy milk like soy milk, coconut milk, or unsweetened almond milk. You could even make your own homemade oat milk!
- Toppings: Go for whipped cream, dairy-free whipped cream, a sprinkle of brown sugar, chocolate syrup, or extra caramel drizzle to take this drink to the next level.
How to Make This Iced Caramel Latte
The full recipe is below, but let’s walk through the easy steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This iced caramel latte recipe is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure it turns out every time.
VIDEO: Watch How to Make It
Make the Caramel Simple Syrup
Combine ¼ cup of the water with ½ cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir for 2 minutes or until dissolved.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir consistently until the mixture is a light amber color.
Remove it from the heat immediately, then carefully stir in the remaining ¼ cup of water and the vanilla. If desired, add a pinch of salt to make it a salted caramel syrup.
Make the Latte
Pour 1-3 tablespoons of caramel syrup into a liquid measuring cup with any cold milk of your choice. Use a hand frother to blend it together until frothy. (A spoon works too it just won’t be frothy.)
Add ice cubes to a tall glass then pour the milk and caramel mixture on top, making sure to leave enough room for the espresso.
Finish by pouring the shot of espresso (or coffee) on top and stir well to combine.
Top with whipped cream, if desired, then add a little more cinnamon, a sprinkle of brown sugar, chocolate syrup, or extra caramel drizzle.
Recipe FAQS
The largest difference is one uses espresso and one uses brewed coffee. Our blog post on the difference between an iced latte and iced coffee goes into more detail on the difference between the two types of beverages. The caramel version of both just adds caramel syrup.
The Starbucks iced caramel latte mixes espresso, milk, ice, and caramel brulée sauce and is topped with whipped cream. So this recipe really is a homemade version!
A caramel latte can be made with either espresso or coffee. You can make it with decaf coffee or decaf espresso if you prefer non-caffeinated.
Our Favorite Latte Products
Make yourself a little at-home barista setup with some of our favorite tools and products. Here's a fun list to get you started so you can make more coffee shop favorites in your kitchen. (This section contains affiliate links).
- A moka pot is an espresso maker on the cheap. Or a full-blown espresso machine and milk frother combo for a fancier setup.
- A large mason jar with a lid and some cheesecloth (if you're making a cold brew coffee).
- A French press if you're looking for just a regular cup of coffee that has a rich, full-bodied flavor.
- The cutest little nugget ice molds for next-level iced coffee. Or you guessed it, a full-blown nugget ice maker for a fancy setup (again).
- A coffee bean grinder. Grinding your coffee beans just before brewing your coffee ensures the freshest flavor.
- Iced coffee tumblers with glass straws.
- Handheld milk frother or a larger milk frother for hot or cold milk foam.
What to Serve with Your Iced Caramel Latte
If you want to go full coffee shop style with your breakfast, enjoy your latte with a pastry. This almond flour banana bread would taste so delicious with a caramel iced latte. These gluten-free morning glory muffins are another favorite breakfast treat of ours.
Especially in those hot summer months, like your drink, you might be looking to stick to something cold for breakfast. Our tropical kale smoothie and mango spinach smoothie are both packed with plenty of good vitamins, fiber, and protein.
Protein bowls like this mocha or green smoothie bowl are another perfect way to sneak in your daily values of nutrients.
Storage Instructions
Make-ahead: make a batch (or a double batch) of the caramel syrup and store it in the fridge for up to a week. All you have to do is blend the milk and make your espresso when you're ready to whip up a latte.
Storage: store any leftover latte in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend removing any ice from the latte before placing it in the fridge so it doesn't melt and water it down. You could also blend the caramel syrup and milk together and store that separately before mixing in with the coffee.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Other Coffee Recipes You'll Love
Love iced lattes? If you're a chocolate fan, give the mocha coconut iced coffee a try. This iced cinnamon dolce latte is a year-round favorite that tastes like cinnamon toast crunch cereal.
If you're not into lattes but still want something cold to help wake you up, our pumpkin cream cold brew is a viral recipe everyone loves. Or add this vanilla sweet cream cold foam to your favorite cold brew.
Iced Caramel Latte
Ingredients
Caramel Simple Syrup (makes 6-8 servings)
- ½ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar (Note 1)
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Iced Caramel Latte
- 1 cup ice
- 1-2 shots of espresso (Note 2 Coffee Options)
- 1-3 tablespoons caramel syrup above
- 1 cup milk of choice whole milk, 2%, coconut, almond milk, oat milk etc.
- Optional: whipped cream dairy-free whipped cream and caramel
Recommended Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Milk frother, hand frother, or spoon
Instructions
- Combine ¼ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until dissolved, about 2 minutes
- Cover and boil for 2- 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir consistently until the mixture is a light amber color.
- Remove from heat immediately, then carefully stir in remaining ¼ cup water and vanilla.
- If desired, add a pinch of salt for salted caramel syrup.
- - Pour 1-3 tablespoons of caramel syrup into a liquid measuring cup with your choice of milk. Use a hand frother to blend it together until frothy (a spoon works as well, it just won’t be frothy).
- - Add ice cubes to a tall glass then pour the caramel syrup and milk mixture on top. Finish by pouring the espresso (or coffee) on top and stir to combine. Top with whipped cream, if desired, then sprinkle with a little more cinnamon.
Notes
- Espresso: use a fancy espresso machine or grab a cheap one on Amazon you can use on the stovetop.
- Cold brew coffee: store-bought or your own cold brew coffee are both great options.
- Very strong coffee: brew the strongest coffee you can for a latte
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