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Vanilla Latte Recipe (Hot + Iced, With Homemade Syrup)
This vanilla latte recipe is our classic home latte with one change: a spoonful of vanilla syrup stirred into the espresso before the milk goes in. You can make it hot or iced, and the syrup takes about 15 minutes to prepare with sugar, water and vanilla extract, with cooling time varying. If you’re new to steaming milk, start with our guide on how to make a latte at home, which covers the technique step by step.
Vanilla Latte Recipe
Vanilla Latte
A hot vanilla latte with espresso, steamed milk and vanilla syrup. Includes an iced variation below.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare the cup. Add 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla syrup to the cup.
- Pull the espresso. Brew a double shot, about 1.5 fl oz (45 ml), straight into the cup.
- Stir. Stir the syrup into the hot espresso so it mixes evenly.
- Steam the milk. Steam 6 fl oz (180 ml) of cold milk to 140 to 150°F (60 to 66°C), adding air first, then heating.
- Pour. Pour the milk steadily into the center of the cup until the latte has a thin layer of microfoam on top.
- Taste and adjust. Taste and add a little more syrup if you’d like it sweeter.
Notes
Five minutes assumes syrup is already made; allow extra time for machine heat-up. Homemade syrup takes about 15 minutes, with extra cooling time if needed. This version uses about 1 part espresso to 4 parts milk by volume, not a universal rule. If weighing espresso, start with 18 g ground coffee yielding about 36 g espresso; this is not an exact conversion to 45 ml because crema changes volume. Only 2 tsp (10 ml) syrup goes into one drink. Refrigerate the remaining syrup. Follow your machine’s manual for operation and cleaning.
Homemade Vanilla Syrup
The syrup uses equal weights of sugar and water, with vanilla added after cooling. Whisk the sugar into warm water until fully dissolved; there is no need to boil it.
Makes: about 8 fl oz (240 ml), enough for roughly 24 lattes at 2 tsp each
Time: about 15 minutes; cooling may take longer
Syrup Ingredients
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
5 fl oz (150 ml) warm tap water
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
Syrup Instructions
Dissolve the sugar. Whisk the sugar and warm water in a bowl until the sugar has fully dissolved.
Cool. Let the syrup cool until it is no longer hot; about 10 minutes is a guide, not a fixed cooling time.
Add the vanilla. Stir in the vanilla extract once the syrup has cooled and is no longer hot.
Store. Pour into a clean, airtight container and refrigerate.
Add the vanilla after cooling. Nielsen-Massey uses this order in its flavored simple syrup method too.
Storage: keep the vanilla syrup in a clean, airtight container in the fridge, not at room temperature. Make a small batch rather than assuming it will keep for a month. Discard it if you notice mold, an unusual smell or a change in appearance; these checks do not establish a guaranteed safe storage life.
Iced Vanilla Latte
The iced version uses the same coffee, milk and syrup, just cold.
Fill the glass. Fill a sturdy 16 fl oz (480 ml) glass with 1 cup of ice, then add 6 fl oz (180 ml) of cold milk.
Sweeten the espresso. Brew the double shot into a small heat-safe cup and stir in 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla syrup. Warm espresso helps the syrup mix in evenly.
Combine. Pour the sweetened espresso slowly over the milk and ice, then stir well.
That gives about 7.8 fl oz (235 ml) of liquid before the ice melts, with room in the glass for the ice. Pouring the espresso into a small cup first keeps hot coffee off the cold glass.
An iced vanilla latte is stirred into one evenly mixed drink. If you’d rather have the layered look, with milk below and espresso on top, try our iced macchiato recipe with vanilla syrup in the milk.
Ratios, Milk and Sweetness
Ratio. Both versions use a double shot and 6 fl oz (180 ml) of milk, about 1 to 4. For a stronger coffee taste, use a little less milk; for a milder drink, add a little more.
Milk. Whole milk is an easy place to start, and oat and other plant milks also work, especially barista versions made for steaming. Our guide to the best milk for lattes compares dairy and plant options in more detail.
Sweetness. Two teaspoons of syrup gives a lightly sweet latte. Start there, then try 1 tsp for a subtler vanilla note or 3 tsp if you like it sweeter. Store-bought syrups vary in strength, so taste before adding more.
Equipment. If you’d rather not steam milk by hand, a machine with automatic milk frothing does that step for you. Our latte machine guide compares one-touch options.
FAQ
Can I make a vanilla latte without an espresso machine?
Yes. Use 4 fl oz (120 ml) of strong brewed coffee in place of the espresso, stir in the syrup and add 6 fl oz (180 ml) of warm, frothed milk in a 12 fl oz (360 ml) mug. It makes a strong-coffee latte rather than an espresso latte, so the taste and body will differ.
Can I use vanilla extract directly instead of syrup?
You can add a few drops of extract to the espresso, but it adds vanilla flavor without sweetness. The syrup does both, which is why most vanilla lattes use it.
Can I use a vanilla bean instead of extract?
Yes, though this recipe is written for extract. Recipes that use whole beans steep them in the warm syrup, so the method and timing are different from the version above.
How is this different from a French vanilla latte?
Names vary between cafés and syrup brands, and there’s no single standard recipe for either. This version is a plain vanilla latte made with simple vanilla syrup.
For more café drinks and brewing guides, explore our home brewing guide.
