Skip the trip to Starbucks and make their Blonde Vanilla Latte at home with just 3 ingredients using a Nespresso or espresso machine.
CONTENTS
Recipe Highlights
- Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte is a hot drink made with light roast blonde espresso, milk, and vanilla syrup.
- Blonde espresso is smoother and slightly sweeter than Starbucks signature espresso, a dark roast that’s used to make their Vanilla Latte.
- A Nespresso or an espresso machine is essential in making this drink at home. A drink can’t be called a latte unless it’s made with espresso.
- This Starbucks copycat recipe makes a grande size (16 ounces) Blonde Vanilla Latte.
RELATED: Starbucks Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte Copycat
Blonde Vanilla Latte at Starbucks
The only difference between a Blonde Vanilla Latte and a Vanilla Latte is the type of espresso that’s in the drink. Blonde Vanilla Latte contains blonde espresso, a light roast, and Vanilla Latte has dark roasted espresso.
With 170 mg of caffeine in a grande, Blonde Vanilla Latte has a little bit more caffeine than a Vanilla Latte, which has 150 mg.
Blonde Vanilla Latte comes in 4 sizes at Starbucks.
Short
Blonde espresso: 1 shot
Vanilla syrup: 2 pumps
Tall
Blonde espresso: 1 shot
Vanilla syrup: 3 pumps
Grande
Blonde espresso: 2 shots
Vanilla syrup: 4 pumps
Venti
Blonde espresso: 2 shots
Vanilla syrup: 5 pumps
RELATED: Starbucks Vanilla Latte Copycat
Using a Nespresso
Espresso is the base of all lattes and the easiest way to make espresso at home is with a Nespresso machine.
In a 16 ounce Blonde Vanilla Latte (a grande size at Starbucks), 2 Starbucks Blonde Espresso pods are needed since the drink contains 2 espresso shots.
All Starbucks pods for Nespresso machines are made by Nespresso and they sell blonde espresso for both Original and Vertuo Nespresso machines.
Use 2 espresso pods instead of running a single pod, twice. Trying to make 2 shots from one single espresso pod will water down the drink.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Ingredient Notes
- Blonde espresso
Starbucks’ Blonde Espresso will get the drink to taste as close to the one at Starbucks as possible.
Whole beans: Starbucks Blonde Espresso
Nespresso Original: Starbucks Blonde Espresso
Nespresso Vertuo: Starbucks Blonde Espresso - 2% Milk
All lattes at Starbucks are made with 2% milk but you can replace it with any milk you like. - Vanilla syrup
To give this drink the sweet and flavorful vanilla flavor, you can use homemade vanilla syrup or store-bought syrup. You can buy vanilla syrup from Starbucks locations if they have extras in stock.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Put vanilla syrup and blonde espresso into a cup.
Pull 2 shots of blonde espresso from an espresso machine or use 2 Starbucks Nespresso Blonde Espresso pods. - Add steamed or frothed milk.
Use an electric milk frother or a steam wand from an espresso machine to steam or froth milk with a thin layer of foam.
Expert Tips
- Milk will increase in volume when steamed or frothed, so to get 1 ½ cups of steamed milk for this recipe, use 1 cup of cold milk (dairy or non-dairy).
- An easy way to froth milk is by using an electric milk frother that can make at least 2 cups of steamed milk at one time.
- A Nespresso Aeroccino isn’t as good for making lattes since you’ll need to make frothed milk twice to get enough milk which will result in too much foam.
- Both lattes and cappuccinos have foam but the difference is in how much. A latte just has a small layer of foam while a cappuccino has a thicker layer.
- Make a dairy-free, vegan-friendly latte, by replacing the dairy milk with any plant-based milk. If possible, use a barista blend of the milk like they have for oat milk, which creates better froth.
- Make a batch of homemade vanilla syrup in 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients. It’s so easy to make and it’ll keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
- Starbucks sells vanilla syrup in their stores. The only catch is, they can only sell it to you if they have extra in stock. It’ll be about $14 for the bottle. Just ask the barista if they have any vanilla syrup available for purchase.
- To make the drink like Starbucks, put the ingredients into the cup in this order: vanilla syrup, espresso shots, then steamed milk.
Questions You May Have
Blonde espresso is Starbucks’ lightly roasted coffee that have a little more caffeine than their signature blend. Blonde espresso has a smoother, mellower, and slightly sweeter taste.
A single shot of Signature Dark Roast espresso has about 75 mg of caffeine while the same amount of Blonde Espresso has 85 mg.
Yes. A Blonde Vanilla Latte is on the Starbucks regular menu, but you can request blonde espresso in any latte (or any espresso-based drink) you order from Starbucks, either in person or using their app.
Yes, you can replace the 2% dairy milk that’s usually used in a Starbucks latte for any plant-based milk like soymilk, almondmilk, oatmilk, or coconutmilk.
Yes! At Starbucks, ask for sugar-free vanilla syrup and nonfat milk, or just order a Skinny Blonde Vanilla Latte since they’ll know how to make the substitutions. At home, make the recipe using sugar-free vanilla syrup and steam or froth nonfat milk instead of 2% milk.
Related
- Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Copycat
- Starbucks Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte Copycat
- Starbucks Iced Vanilla Latte Copycat
- Starbucks Iced Honey Oatmilk Latte Copycat
- 31 Vanilla Starbucks Drinks (Including Secret Menu)
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Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte Copycat
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
- 2 shots blonde espresso (Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast)
- 1 ½ cups steamed 2% milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put vanilla syrup and blonde espresso into a cup.Pull 2 shots of blonde espresso from an espresso machine or use 2 Starbucks Nespresso Blonde Espresso pods.Use a glass, cup, or mug that can hold at least 16 ounces (2 cups) since this recipe is for a grande size
- Add steamed or frothed milk.Use an electric milk frother or a steam wand from an espresso machine to steam or froth milk with a thin layer of foam.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- Milk will increase in volume when steamed or frothed, so to get 1 ½ cups of steamed milk for this recipe, use 1 cup of cold milk (dairy or non-dairy).
- An easy way to froth milk is by using an electric milk frother that can make at least 2 cups of steamed milk at one time.
- A Nespresso Aeroccino isn’t as good for making lattes since you’ll need to make frothed milk twice to get enough milk which will result in too much foam.
- Both lattes and cappuccinos have foam but the difference is in how much. A latte just has a small layer of foam while a cappuccino has a thicker layer.
- Make a dairy-free, vegan-friendly latte, by replacing the dairy milk with any plant-based milk. If possible, use a barista blend of the milk like they have for oat milk, which creates better froth.
- Make a batch of homemade vanilla syrup in 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients. It’s so easy to make and it’ll keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
- Starbucks sells vanilla syrup in their stores. The only catch is, they can only sell it to you if they have extra in stock. It’ll be about $14 for the bottle. Just ask the barista if they have any vanilla syrup available for purchase.
- To make the drink like Starbucks, put the ingredients into the cup in this order: vanilla syrup, espresso shots, then steamed milk.