Skip the trip to Starbucks and make their Blonde Vanilla Latte at home with just 3 ingredients using a Nespresso or espresso machine.
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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
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.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Add frothed milk. Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine. Another method is to simmer milk on the stovetop, pour it into a French press, then pump the plunger a few times to create froth.
Photo Credit: williams-sonoma.com
Nespresso Notes
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 (a grande size at Starbucks) Blonde Vanilla Latte, 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.
You can also use any Nespresso capsule that’s not Starbucks. Try any 1 double espresso Nespresso capsule or 2 ristretto capsules. If you want less caffeine in the drink, use 1 lungo capsule.
Don’t use the coffee capsules that make 7.77 ounces. Stick with the pods that make less than 4 ounces.
Expert Tips
- Milk will increase in volume when steamed or frothed, so to get 1 ½ cups of frothed 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 big enough to make grande size drinks and you’ll need to froth milk twice to get enough milk for the drink.
- 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 frothed 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 capsules Nespresso Starbucks Blonde Espresso (or 2 blonde espresso shots)
- 1 ½ cups frothed 2% milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put vanilla syrup and blonde espresso into a cup.Use 2 Starbucks Nespresso Blonde Espresso pods or pull 2 shots of blonde espresso from an espresso machine.
- Add frothed milk.Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine. Another method is to simmer milk on the stovetop, pour it into a French press, then pump the plunger a few times to create froth.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- To make a 16 ounce (grande) Starbucks drink, you’ll need 2 Nespresso espresso or ristretto capsules. You can also use 1 Vertuo double espresso.
- Only use Nespresso espresso capsules and not the coffee capsules that make 7.77 ounces.
- Milk will increase in volume when steamed or frothed, so to get 1 ½ cups of frothed 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 frothed milk.
Very good!! Thanks for the recipe!