Fall in Love with this Cozy Red Velvet Latte

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Cooking With Anadi

12K subscribers · condensed milk, cocoa and red swirled into hot milk

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Love is in the air, and what better way is there to show love than to prepare this lovely drink?

I kid you not that this really is an easy special latte recipe, as you’ll soon see below! This incredible latte brings the goodness of your favorite cake into a warm cup! If you adore red velvet and want more Valentine’s Day recipe inspiration, then you gotta try out my Red Velvet Pancakes recipe!

Our latte totally ticks off all the boxes! It’s simple and delicious and you won’t need too many ingredients! As we approach the big day of love, you may want a theme of romantic recipes to think of how to pamper your special someone! I know it’s called Valentine’s DAY, but I think it’s always a good time to express your love with food and drink! If you want more details on how having a theme can spark your creativity, check out my top 5 tips to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun, This delicious and romantic latte recipe is the perfect occasion to put your heart in a cup as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started on your cooking journey for free by signing up for my newsletter so you never miss a recipe and get these useful resources!

Check out the video to see how this romantic and cozy drink comes together in a flash! If you’re not already, I’d appreciate it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel! Please hit the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes go live to complement the written ones. Let’s get brewing!

What You’ll Love About This Valentine’s Day Latte!

• Simple: It’s such a beautiful drink that you wouldn’t think it’s really easy to make! All you need is to brew coffee and combine your red velvet sauce (which I’ll get to soon!), garnish, and there you go!
• Fast: When I first made this I couldn’t believe how speedy it is! As mentioned in the previous point, it’s a pretty simple process to get the drink together, but simple isn’t always quick! However, in this case we have the best of both worlds!
• Few ingredients: Only a handful of ingredients are needed to make it! You probably have most of them already, and they should all be easy to find!
• Valentine’s Favorite: Valentine’s Day will be two weeks away at the time of writing this! I don’t know about you, but I love seeing all the red when Valentine’s Day rolls around. If your significant other is a latte lover, then save your money and a trip to the coffee shop and surprise them with this latte to start the special day!

Tips for a Delightful Romantic Latte

• If you can find Red Velvet Oreos for this recipe, that will be the best pair for this latte.
• The best alternative to a freshly made espresso is to prepare coffee using a French press. This results in a richer, stronger coffee since the coffee has the chance to steep and release more flavor, when compared to coffee made from a filtered method.
• If you want the pretty whipped cream swirls, then you need to serve this immediately after topping or let the drink cool slightly. The heat would cause the whipped cream to start to melt.

Tools Needed

• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Measuring spoons
• Frother
• French press
• Cup

Ingredients

Get the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe instructions for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many servings you want to make! By default, this will make enough for two 16 oz (grande size at Starbucks) glasses. If you have smaller or larger cups or want to make this for a crowd, then you can scale the recipe with the card, and all individual quantities will automatically adjust for you!

• Milk: I’m using whole cow’s milk for this recipe. If you want to make it authentic like Starbucks Asia, then you can use oat milk. Feel free to use whatever milk you like, keeping in mind that taste and texture will differ. Whole cow’s milk makes the drink nice and creamy.
• Sweetened condensed milk: You can use a store-bought canned one or use your homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk (this recipe is lactose-free for those who are lactose-intolerant!). Don’t substitute with evaporated milk because you won’t get a thick and sweet syrup.
• Cocoa powder: Chocolate is an essential ingredient for a red velvet cake. A little bit really goes a long way in this drink, and it adds a little more body to your drink! When I first tested the recipe, I actually forgot the cocoa powder. I really noticed the difference adding it makes! Don’t worry about ruining the red color of your drink, the amount we’ll use is so small that it shouldn’t take away from the gorgeous pink color.
• Red food coloring: Pretty essential for a red velvet drink! You’ll just need a few drops to get the desired color! Of course, add as much or as little as you’d like!
• Whipped cream: Gotta have whipped cream to make this a truly special latte! I love using the canned whipped cream for a sturdy and fluffy effect. If you want to replicate the thick texture of Starbucks’ whipped cream, you’ll want to make Homemade Whipped Cream in a whipped cream dispenser. I would like to invest in one some day, but for now I’m without it. If you would like this drink to be dairy-free, then go ahead and use a dairy-free whipped cream.
• Coffee: Your favorite coffee will work well in this recipe. I’m using a Dulce de Leche ground coffee here. It smells incredible and the flavor nicely complements the cocoa and red velvet goodness we’re going for!
• Water: Enough water to brew your coffee.
• Red velvet Oreo: This is for the red velvet cookie topping that is part of the Starbucks’ Asia red velvet latte. Fun fact is that I actually brought these over from the Philippines! I really liked these cookies because their cream filling is actually a cream cheese filling, and that really adds to the authenticity of a red velvet drink! I don’t think you can regularly buy red velvet Oreos unless it’s a special edition. That’s no problem! Feel free to use any red velvet cookie. If you have leftover red velvet cupcakes, pancakes, or a cake, then you can crumble it up and use those pieces for garnish!

How to Make Decadent Red Velvet Latte

On the stovetop or microwave, heat up the milk, mix often and make sure you don't bring the milk mixture to a boil. Just heat gently until it is steaming.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, a splash of milk, red food coloring and cocoa powder. Whisk well until you have a smooth red mixture.

Add to the milk and whisk well to combine.

Once the milk is steaming, use a frother to froth up the milk, alternatively, you can whisk aggressively to froth.

In the meanwhile prepare the espresso in your coffee/espresso machine. If you don't a machine, you can use a french press to prepare the coffee. For the French press, add 4 Tbsp of your favorite coffee and then add a splash of water, heated to around 200°F.

Let the coffee bloom for 30 seconds and then add the rest of the water. Cover the french press with the included lid and let the coffee steep for 3-4 minutes. Then, push the plunger for the french press down halfway, before lift it back up, and then gently all the way back down.

Crush the red velvet cookies until crumbly and set aside for now.

Once the milk is heated through and the coffee/espresso is ready, pour the milk in your serving cup, filling it about halfway and then pour in the coffee to fill up the cup. Top with the whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed red velvet cookies.

Other Incredible Hot Drink Recipes!

• Starbucks Eggnog Latte
• Starbucks White Hot Chocolate
• Starbucks Cafe Mocha
• Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha
• Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Tim Horton’s French Vanilla Cappuccino
• S’mores Hot Chocolate

What Makes It Taste Like Classic Red Velvet (It Is Not Cake in a Cup)

Classic red velvet is cocoa, buttermilk, vinegar and a cream cheese frosting. None of those are in this red velvet latte recipe, and it would be a strange drink if they were. What you have instead is 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk, whisked with a splash of milk and 1 to 2 teaspoons of red food coloring until the mixture is smooth and properly red, then stirred into the hot milk. The cocoa carries the faint chocolate note, the condensed milk does the sweetness and most of the body, and the red velvet coffee color comes from the coloring rather than from anything you can taste.

If you would rather skip the food coloring, the recipe card names two swaps: beetroot powder at the same 1 to 2 teaspoons, natural and a little earthy, or 1 tablespoon of a pomegranate juice reduction, also natural but noticeably less vibrant. Beet juice out of a bottle is what most people reach for first, and it is worth noticing that the card points at beet powder instead, which keeps the liquid in the mixture where it needs to be. The red velvet flavor itself, such as it is, arrives at the very end with the 2 to 3 red velvet cookies you crush over the whipped cream.

Whole Milk, a Small Saucepan, and 1 1/2 Cups of Strong Coffee

The card asks for 1 cup of milk and leaves the type to you. Whole milk is what I use, because the froth holds up best with the fat in it and this is a drink finished with whipped cream, so it is not the place to hold back. Heat it in a small saucepan on the stovetop, or in the microwave, stirring often, and stop the moment it steams. The milk mixture should never come to a boil. Then froth it, or whisk it hard if you have no frother, and it will still work.