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Hot vanilla latte beside homemade vanilla syrup, with an iced latte in the background

Vanilla Latte

A hot vanilla latte with espresso, steamed milk and vanilla syrup. Includes an iced variation below.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 1 latte
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 double shot espresso about 1.5 fl oz (45 ml) by volume
  • 180 ml cold milk 6 fl oz, measured before frothing
  • 2 tsp vanilla syrup 10 ml, homemade or store-bought; or to taste

Equipment

  • Espresso machine with steam wand; milk jug; thermometer; 10 fl oz (300 ml) cup

Method
 

  1. Prepare the cup. Add 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla syrup to the cup.
  2. Pull the espresso. Brew a double shot, about 1.5 fl oz (45 ml), straight into the cup.
  3. Stir. Stir the syrup into the hot espresso so it mixes evenly.
  4. 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.
  5. Pour. Pour the milk steadily into the center of the cup until the latte has a thin layer of microfoam on top.
  6. 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.