The easiest way to make homemade iced or hot lattes on a budget

For most of my life, I hated mornings. I was always a night owl and would stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. reading or watching TV. Things changed about three years ago after I graduated, started working full-time, and became one of those insufferable people who did morning workouts.

I have no real explanation for this change in behavior, other than that I actually look forward to my mornings — and that’s in large part due to my discovery of a homemade latte recipe.

I really drink a latte every morning, choosing a nice warm latte during the cold months and a delicious iced latte during the warm months. Not only can you tailor a delicious latte to your taste, but you can also save a ton of money by skipping the lines at Starbucks or Dunkin’. And no, you don’t need an expensive espresso machine costing hundreds of dollars either. Below I explain how to make quality lattes at home – and cheaply.

Read more: Here you can see how much you save when you make coffee at home

For the longest time, I worked my way into cheap, homemade lattes because the apartment complex I live in has two espresso machines for the community. So every morning after walking my dog, I would stroll over to one of the machines, make a quick double espresso, and then go back to my machine to make my latte.

This process worked fine until the machines broke down more often than they worked. (Nothing felt worse than seeing the “out of order” sign, which meant I wouldn’t be enjoying my favorite drink after all.) I had to come up with a different, more consistent solution. One that didn’t involve a fickle espresso machine. Or an espresso machine at all. Here is the easily copyable latte recipe I developed.

What you’ll want on hand for my latte recipe

You only need a few items and ingredients to make lattes at home. These items are usually household items that won’t break the bank. Here’s what you need to collect:

• Espresso glass
• 16-ounce cup or glass of your choice
  
• Nescafé Gold Espresso (I use the Blonde)
  
• Milk of your choice
  
• Maple syrup
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Salty
  
• Beat or spoon
  
• Manual electric frother (You can find these for about $7)
  

How to make homemade iced or hot lattes on the cheap

Start with your espresso

I spoon a generous tablespoon of Nescafé Gold Espresso into my espresso glass. Then I add about two ounces of warm water to the glass, which makes a double shot. You adjust the amount of espresso and water depending on whether you want a single shot or a triple shot.

Stir the espresso powder and water thoroughly with a whisk or spoon. The espresso is finely ground and must therefore be completely absorbed, without lumps or ground coffee.

Add flavor

Here you can really tailor your recipe to your desired taste. I’ve made several homemade syrups including blueberry or strawberry, but my favorite latte is a salted maple cinnamon latte.

Grab your tall glass or cup. Add two teaspoons of maple syrup to the bottom of the glass. I’m not a super sweet coffee drinker myself, so adjust if you like sweeter lattes.

Then add a pinch of flaky salt to the maple syrup and mix everything. Then add your double espresso and mix well again to fully incorporate the syrup and espresso.

Hot versus ice cold

Now that you have your espresso base, you need to decide whether you want it hot or iced. The state I live in is still in the 70s and humid every day, so I’ve been consistently making iced lattes, but I’m looking forward to the crisp fall mornings that lend themselves to a nice hot latte.

Frozen lattes

Add your ice to the 16-ounce glass. I use about a cup of ice, but you can add more if you want more ice in your lattes.

Fill your espresso glass with the milk of your choice. I usually use whole milk for iced lattes, but almond and oats are also solid alternatives for this recipe.

Take your portable electric frother and whisk the milk for a few seconds until the milk takes on a delicate, frothy texture. Pour the milk over the ice cream and espresso mixture in the other glass.

Hot lattes

This option may take a few more minutes, but you can still prepare delicious steamed milk in just a few minutes. I pour about a cup of whole milk into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat on the stovetop. While it’s heating up, I froth the milk with my portable electric frother until it’s foamy.

If you have an espresso machine with a steam wand, you can of course use it to steam milk, but I’ve designed this recipe so that you don’t need an espresso machine or its accessories.

Then carefully pour the frothed, steamed milk over the espresso mixture in the other glass.

Finish it

You could stop here, but I like to go full barista and finish my latte with a few shakes of cinnamon or nutmeg. You can also add honey, caramel or another topping of your choice. The great thing about homemade lattes is that you can customize them entirely to your own wishes.

Now all you have to do is mix your latte and enjoy your mornings.

To learn more, learn how to properly clean your Keurig and how to prevent coffee and tea from staining your mugs.