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This week marks the first snowfall of the year: October 30th, 2023 - right before Halloween! With that, it’s time to get excited for the winter joy!
While we’re still enjoying the fall goodies, my Starbucks app gave me an exciting message on November 1st:
I’m sure you all feel the same: when there’s snow and the temperatures are below 0 degrees Celsius, I really crave a good hot drink! I don’t think I’ve ever admitted it on the blog before, but Starbucks actually is only a matter of steps and crossing the street to get in my cravings! However, sometimes you just don’t want to get dressed up and walk out the door. When you can master replicating your coffee shop favorites at home, you don’t have to wait for a seasonal menu to drop or to feel sad that your seasonal favorites are over - you can make whatever you want, whenever you want!
That being said, on the morning of November 2nd, I definitely did jump on the occasion to pick up my first winter drink of 2023 and I also had my own Caramel Latte (though to be honest, a bit disappointed about the cream melting even though it was quite a cold morning!).
Now, this latte is much anticipated for the winter menu, and if you’ve got a caramel lover, then this is the perfect opportunity to put your heart in a cup as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! You can sign up to my free newsletter to get started on your cooking journey today!
For a visual representation of how to prepare all of our elements from scratch and how to assemble this rich and comforting winter themed latte be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! It would mean a lot to me if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s get brewing!
What Is a Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte?
This is probably my favourite winter drink on the Starbucks menu. As you may know from my other recipes, I sure love my chocolate. However, caramel has a special place in my heart (the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino is absolutely delicious!) and this drink does not skimp out on the caramel! As I always do with my Starbucks at home recipes, let’s first see how Starbucks officially defines this drink item:
Our signature espresso, steamed milk and rich caramel brulée sauce finished with whipped cream and a supreme topping of even more caramel brulée bits.
source: Starbucks.com
I agree that the topping sure is supreme! But let’s get into more details.
Is This Caramel Brulee Latte Seasonal?▼
Yes, as mentioned earlier this latte is part of the holiday Starbucks menu. For the year of 2023, it launched on November 2nd, and it should be available until mid-January.
What Goes in This Caramel Brulee Latte?
MILK, CARAMEL BRULEE SAUCE [SUGARS (INVERT SUGAR, SUGAR, FRUCTOSE), WATER, SKIM MILK POWDER, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT, PRESERVATIVE: POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM BICARBONATE], BREWED ESPRESSO, WHIPPED CREAM [CREAM (CREAM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CARAGEENAN), VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)], CARAMEL BRULEE TOPPING [SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, NATURAL FLAVOR, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE COLORS (APPLE, PURPLE CARROT, HIBISCUS)]
source: Starbucks.com
This is quite long and extensive, but trust me your homemade version will be way more natural without all the funky ingredients! Not to knock the Starbucks drink, though: it is freaking good and tastes very similar to the homemade drink!
What’s a Latte?▼
Now, what exactly is a latte? By definition, a latte is a coffee drink (hot or cold) that consists of 1/3 part espresso and 2/3 parts milk. You can add sweetener if desired (it’s always desired in my case!). With that being said, the blueprint for this wintery latte recipe is that the sweetener is the brûlée sauce, we’ve got the coffee or espresso, milk foam, then cream and topping to bring the drink together!
At Starbucks, you can have this latte hot or iced. As the name suggests, the “iced” version is exactly our formula described above but served over ice!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Caramel Brulee Latte!
- Saves you money: I ordered a grande today to compare the taste of it with mine and it cost $6.25 CAD, for a total of $7.06 CAD with tax! I remember you could get two grandes would cost around this much! I’m sure the net cost of one of these homemade lattes is probably a dollar at most!
- Easy: The process to make our latte is so easy! Depending on what equipment you have, it can be even easier! This is the first coffee recipe I’m making with my Ninja DualBrew Pro coffee maker and this made the process even smoother than when I had a French press and handheld frother.
- Quick: Have you ever been to the Starbucks drive-thru? What about even ordering for pick-up when it’s peak hours? Or you didn’t get the chance to mobile order and you’re standing in a long line. The turnaround time can be over 10 minutes, but if you’ve got your caramel sauce and vanilla syrup made in advance, then the whole process of making your very own latte will only take about 5 minutes!
- Made from scratch: All of our components here (except the toffee and butterscotch chips!) are homemade. This includes the vanilla syrup, the caramel sauce, and the whipped cream. Of course, if you don’t feel like making these you can buy them, but I find it more rewarding and more flavorful if you make the components yourself!
- Customizable: While I’ll give it to Starbucks that I believe that their app allows you to customize drinks more than anywhere else, you still can’t do EXACTLY what you want… this is because YOU’RE not making it! You’ll always get some sort of variance due to other employees, which is the nature of the service industry and the human touch. However, if you want to do exactly what you want when you want it and HOW you want it, then making this yourself is the way to go!
- Creme brûlée in a cup: This sure is a satisfying drink! You’ve got so much caramel goodness, and I just love the nice cream on top and the combination of butterscotch and toffee chips! Guaranteed some cozy winter vibes right here to make you feel warm on even the coldest days!
Can I make This Caramel Brulee latte without An espresso Maker?▼
While a latte is typically made with espresso, and an espresso machine will be the ultimate piece of equipment for this recipe (go for it if you have it!), that shouldn’t stop you from making this delicious beverage! I give more details about using what you already have on hand to create some deliciousness in my free motivational guide, Make Cooking Fun!. While in that text I refer to ingredients that are already in your household that would be acceptable substitutes, in this case the tools that you have are key too!
You’ve got a couple of options. For the longest time, I would brew strong coffee using a French press. This gives you a rich flavour because of the time the coffee is steeping in the machine. However, now I have a coffee maker that can brew “specialty” coffee that will be concentrated and strong, and this can be even more or less depending on the type of ground coffee you’re using.
If nothing else, then you can use a standard coffee maker - it’ll do the basic job you need!
What Milk Should I use?▼
Well, technically you can use whatever milk you want and/or already have on hand! My go-to choice for any coffee drink is good old fashioned whole milk. You’ll get the thickest and richest texture and taste. However, if you want a great plant-based milk, then oat milk will give you a creamy drink. However, I personally don’t like oat milk because I find the “oat” taste too overbearing with the other flavours I’m looking for. My recommendations for a thick plant-based drink with more neutral flavours would be coconut milk and soy milk.
If you want to lighten up the calories, then almond milk is a high-calcium choice. However, keep in mind that almond milk is very thin and quite bland unless you buy the sweetened varieties (which are higher in calories). If you want to be very ambitious and still use your almond milk while keeping everything homemade, then try making your own almond milk!
However, if you still want to keep the drink vegan, then are other milk options that will be perfect for this latte recipe.
Equipment Needed
- Saucepan: To make the caramel sauce and vanilla syrup.
- Whisk: To mix the ingredients for our two sweeteners.
- Mason jar: To store your caramel sauce and vanilla syrup.
- Spatula: Helpful in transferring our sauce and syrup from the saucepan into the mason jar.
- Latte cup: For serving your beverage. I like my double-walled cups by Zwilling because they retain heat, though your hands won’t burn holding the handle!
- French press and frother: Use this combination if you don’t have a coffee maker with a frother or an espresso machine.
- Measuring cups: To measure the amount of sugar and milk you’ll need.
- Measuring spoons: Helpful in measuring vanilla syrup for the caramel sauce and vanilla syrup.
- Whipped cream dispenser: If making your own whipped cream, this is going to give you a professional-level application and taste.
- Nitrous oxide chargers: If using a whipped cream dispenser, you need these to produce the nitrous oxide gas that makes whipped cream fluffy and airy!
Ingredients for Caramel Brulee Latte
Be sure to see the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the“Jump to Recipe” button for all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how many glasses of the latte you want to make! By default, this will make one grande (16 fluid ounce or 473 mL) cup.
For the Vanilla Syrup
- vanilla extract
- sugar
- water
For the Caramel Sauce
- heavy cream
- butter
- sugar
- water
- vanilla extract
For the Latte
- Milk: By definition, a latte has milk! I’m using full fat cow’s milk, but use whatever you have or want to use.
- Espresso or strong coffee: To have some extra caramel goodness, I’m using a caramel-flavoured coffee!
- Water: You’ll need boiling water to brew your coffee or espresso.
- Vanilla syrup: For our sweetener here, we’ll be adding a couple of spoonfuls of the vanilla syrup. You can use a store-bought one if you feel like it.
- Caramel sauce: Made from earlier, we’ll use it to rim the cup and to top over our whipped cream. Again, if you don’t feel like making your own caramel sauce, then feel free to use a store-bought one.
- Whipped cream: While you can always use whipped from an aerosol can, I find that using a dispenser gives you the thick texture that you find at Starbucks! Therefore, I recommend my homemade whipped cream recipe! If you need help with picking the right whipped cream dispenser to you and how to use one, then be sure to check out my guide on whipped cream dispensers!
- Butterscotch chips and toffee bits: You can use just one of these if you want for garnish, but I liked the combination of both for extra caramel goodness! The toffee bits are a good classic sticky and the butterscotch chips give you a nice sweetness.
How to Make a Better Than Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte
For the Vanilla Syrup
In a saucepan, add the water and sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Once dissolved, add the vanilla extract, turn off the heat and pour out the vanilla syrup into a mason jar for storage.
For the Caramel Sauce
In a pan, add the sugar and water and whisk well to combine.
Turn the heat to medium-high heat and leave the sugar-water mixture alone. The mixture will start to simmer, and eventually the colour will change from white to amber. Keep a close eye and don't stir or shake the pan until the colour changes.
Then, remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cream gently, while whisking well. Add the butter as well.
Once the mixture has stopped bubbling and has turned into a rich caramel colour, add the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
Set aside to cool down.
For the Latte
If using Ninja Dual Brew, add ground coffee to the machine and select "specialty" brew style. Set the amount to 4 oz.
If using French Press, pour 4 Tbsp of ground coffee (2 servings) to the jug and then add boiling hot water to the french press. Cover the french press with the included lid and allow the coffee to steep for 4 minutes
If using an espresso maker, make a strong shot of espresso for each serving.
Add the vanilla syrup and caramel syrup to the cup.
Then brew/pour the coffee directly in the prepared cup. Steam the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute and then use a frother to froth the milk. Stir the coffee with the sweeteners, then pour the steamed milk into your coffee.
Top with whipped cream, drizzle some more caramel over the top and scatter butterscotch chips and toffee bits for topping.
Enjoy!
Variations
- Mocha: Combine caramel goodness with my Mocha Sauce For Coffee to make a Mocha Brûlée latte!
- Pumpkin: Don’t want winter to leave yet? Pumpkin Sauce will be epic with your caramel!
- Extra cozy: Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and/or bring in the gingerbread vibes by combining your vanilla syrup with Brown Sugar Syrup.
Tips for the Best Cup of Coffee
- If making your own caramel sauce, when the water and sugar mixture is boiling, be sure to LEAVE IT ALONE until the mixture turns amber. If you mix it as it is boiling, the sugar-water mixture can crystallize, and unfortunately you will have to start over.
- The best part of making this drink at home is that you can adjust the strength of the coffee, the amount of sweetness, and the amount of toppings. Feel free to add more or less syrup and caramel sauce depending on your preference.
- You don’t need to bring the milk to a boil before frothing - steaming is enough. If heating your milk in the microwave, look for steam coming out.
- Whether you heat your milk in the microwave or over the stove, be sure to closely watch it so it won’t boil over!
- If frothing milk by hand, make sure you do not froth the surface, otherwise it will cause a big splatter and mess! Place the frother down the middle and then froth until the milk is foaming.
- If you don’t have a handheld frother, espresso machine, or coffee maker with a frother, you can froth your milk by using a French press or simply adding the steamed milk in a mason jar and shaking it up until it is foamy!
Treats to Serve with This Caramel Brûlée Latte?
- Air Fryer Crescent Roll Baby Cinnamon Rolls smell and taste amazing, plus they’re super simple to make!
- Gluten-Free Banana Fudgy Brownies are so moist and full of chocolatey goodness!
- For more winter goodness, you’ll love these Apple Spiced Caramelized Bananas!
Can I make this Latte Iced?▼
As mentioned earlier, the Starbucks winter menu has the hot and iced versions of the latte, so you definitely can make it iced! Simply follow the steps of adding the vanilla syrup at the bottom of the cup, lining the cup with the caramel sauce, and brewing your espresso into the cup. Once your espresso is in, simply add ice, then proceed with the rest of the instructions as described!
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