Vanilla Latte

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Make Starbucks Vanilla Latte at home in a few minutes with just 3 ingredients! This popular drink is easy to make, especially if you have a Nespresso machine.

Starbucks Vanilla Latte drink in a clear glass mug.

Recipe Highlights

  • Starbucks Vanilla Latte is a coffee drink made with espresso, frothed milk, and vanilla syrup.
  • This drink cannot be made without espresso so an espresso machine or Nespresso is necessary to recreate this drink at home.
  • Store-bought or homemade vanilla syrup can be used to make this drink.
  • This copycat recipe makes a grande (16 ounces) Vanilla Latte.

RELATED: Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte Copycat

Vanilla Latte at Starbucks

Vanilla lattes are one of the most popular drinks at Starbucks and have been for many years. A latte is made into a vanilla latte with vanilla syrup, which sweetens and flavors the drink.

Vanilla syrup is added in pumps according to the size of the drink. Short drinks get 2 pumps of vanilla syrup, tall gets 3, grande has 4, and venti has 5 pumps.

As with all lattes at Starbucks, 2% milk is used unless you request otherwise. For dairy-free, there is almondmilk, soymilk, oatmilk, and coconutmilk.

Dark roast espresso is used to make a vanilla latte at Starbucks but you can also request blonde espresso.

Starbucks hot lattes come in 4 drink sizes: short, tall, grande, and venti. Short and tall use 1 shot of espresso, and grande and venti both use 2 shots.

A popular customization is a skinny Vanilla Latte, which replaces 2% milk for nonfat and the regular vanilla syrup for sugar-free vanilla syrup. The vanilla syrup is the only syrup that’s sugar-free at Starbucks.

RELATED: Starbucks Iced Vanilla Latte Copycat

Ingredient Notes

Starbucks Vanilla Latte copycat recipe ingredients in measuring cups on a table.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Espresso being poured into a cup.

Step 1: Put vanilla syrup and espresso into a cup.


Use 2 Nespresso espresso pods or pull 2 shots from an espresso machine.

Frothed milk poured into a cup with espresso.

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.

My Milk Frother Pick

Photo Credit: williams-sonoma.com

Love this milk frother over the Nespresso Aeroccino since it's much bigger. Makes frothed milk and cold foam!
SHOP NOW

Nespresso Notes

You can’t make a Vanilla Latte without espresso and the easiest way to make espresso at home is with a Nespresso machine.

My Nespresso Pick
This Nespresso model makes espresso and brewed coffee and costs around $200. Tip: Skip the Aeroccino and get a bigger milk frother.
SHOP NOW

1 shot of espresso = 1 Nespresso espresso capsule

For a 16 ounce drink, like for this copycat recipe, you’ll need 2 Nespresso espresso pods, which will make 2 espresso shots.

Use 2 espresso pods, 2 ristretto pods, or 1 double espresso pod. Don’t use a pod that makes bigger cups of coffee (7.77 ounces).

To recreate Starbucks taste at home, use Starbucks Signature Espresso Roast pods. Starbucks pods are made by Nespresso and are available for both Original and Vertuo Nespresso machines.

You can also use Starbucks blonde espresso, which is more popular than the dark espresso.

Expert Tips

  • Too much foam will turn a latte into a cappuccino. A big difference between a latte and a cappuccino is the amount of foam. A latte should have steamed milk and a light layer of foam.
  • Nespresso Aeroccino doesn’t hold enough milk to fill a grande size latte. Running the Aeroccino twice will end up with much more foam. Instead, use a milk frother that can make more than 1 cup, like the Breville milk frother which makes up to 3 cups of frothed milk.
  • 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.
  • Making homemade vanilla syrup is super easy, taking only 5 minutes with 3 ingredients.
  • Starbucks sells vanilla syrup in their stores but only if they have extra in stock. Ask the barista if they have any vanilla syrup available for purchase. It’ll be about $14 for the bottle.
  • To assemble the drink the Starbucks way, add the syrup into the cup first, then espresso, followed by the frothed milk.

Questions You May Have

What is in a Starbucks Vanilla Latte?

All grande Starbucks lattes start with the basic latte recipe which is 2 shots of espresso plus 2% steamed milk. A Vanilla Latte adds pumps of vanilla syrup to sweeten and add flavor.

Can I use a different espresso?

Yes, you can use any espresso you like, although Starbucks uses their Signature Espresso Roast to make a Vanilla Latte.

Can I make a vegan-friendly Vanilla Latte?

Yes, replace the 2% dairy milk with a plant-based milk like oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or almond milk.

Can I get vanilla syrup at Starbucks?

Yes! But, only if they have extra in stock to sell. Just ask the barista if they have any available for purchase. Only syrups with barcodes can be sold and those include Classic syrup, caramel, and vanilla.

What is a skinny Vanilla Latte?

Skinny Vanilla Latte has less calories than a regular Vanilla Latte and it’s made with nonfat milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup.

Starbucks Vanilla Latte copycat drink in a large glass mug.

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Starbucks Vanilla Latte Copycat

Author: Jee Choe
Make Starbucks Vanilla Latte at home in a few minutes with just 3 ingredients!
4.6 from 5 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Yield1 servings (16 ounces)

INGREDIENTS
 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Put vanilla syrup and 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.

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.
  • Starbucks makes lattes with 2% milk but you can use any milk you like.
  • 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.
  • Making homemade vanilla syrup is super easy, taking only 5 minutes with 3 ingredients.
  • Starbucks sells vanilla syrup in their stores but only if they have extra in stock. Ask the barista if they have any vanilla syrup available for purchase. It’ll be about $14 for the bottle.
  • To assemble the drink the Starbucks way, add the syrup into the cup first, then espresso, followed by the frothed milk.

NUTRITION

Calories: 290 | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 590mg | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 361IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 431mg | Iron: 2mg
4.60 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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