This Homemade Caramel Vanilla Iced Latte tastes better than the coffee shop and is SO easy to make! It’s paleo and vegan-friendly and free of gluten and refined sugar too!
Table Of Contents
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe
Coffee snobs (oops, I mean ‘connoisseurs’) look away! Some might find it offensive to even call this coffee, but to me, this sweet, milky drink with just a hint of vanilla is heaven in a cup!
When someone asks if I “like coffee” I usually respond by emphasizing that “I like my coffee.” Which really means that I only like the coffee I drink at home. Which actually really means that it has to be flavored coffee with an embarrassing amount of this homemade caramel sauce stirred in.
This is how I start my morning and it even makes me look forward to rolling out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5am. Considering it’s literally a hundred degrees outside, I wake up and my face is basically already melting off my head, and I just cannot do hot coffee even though I want it sooo bad! But then I discovered this– the refreshing frosty-cold of a homemade caramel vanilla iced latte– and it’s everything I dreamed of and more!!
This EASY homemade caramel vanilla iced coffee is going to be getting you through the Summer, my internet friends. It’s:
- Sweet but not TOO Sweet
- Swirled with a PUNCH of creamy vanilla
- Refined sugar and dairy free!
- Coffee
Caramel Latte FAQ
What is a caramel latte made of?
This caramel latte, or caramel coffee, whatever you wanna call it, is made of just six ingredients! Four to make your healthy, homemade caramel sauce, and 2 more to bring it all together into a delicious iced latte!
What is in a Starbucks caramel latte?
I’ll be honest, I love Starbucks as much as the next person! Pumpkin spice latte? Yes. Cinnamon roll frappuccino? I can’t say no! But let’s be real, Starbucks is bad news for my tummy and bad news for my wallet. A standard Starbucks caramel latte is made of espresso, dairy milk, and sugary caramel syrup with who-knows-what additives. Your homemade version will be so much better!! I promise.
Does a caramel latte contain coffee?
It’s not a stupid question! You can always adjust your caramel latte recipe so that it’s sweet and milky and you can hardly taste any of that bitter coffee flavor. But yes, this recipe does contain coffee! If you’re more worried about caffeine, simply use decaf coffee instead!
Ingredients
Here’s a list of everything you’ll need:
- Coconut sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Ghee (or vegan butter)
- Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Brewed coffee
- Ice
How to make a caramel latte at home
You might be wondering how to make a latte at home without an espresso machine. Well, this method of making an iced latte at home is actually so simple. All you need is brewed chilled coffee, ice, almond milk and caramel! And I know what the coffee purists are thinking – that it’s only a latte if you use espresso! But I personally think it tastes the same whether you use brewed coffee or espresso! Anyway, here’s the super easy recipe:
Brew
Make your coffee and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour until cold. If you don’t need it immediately, you can just refrigerate it. I like to just make a huge pot in the morning and then pour the extra into a jar, and refrigerate to have on hand all week!
Prepare
Fill a tall glass halfway with ice cubes. Don’t use crushed ice as it melts too fast, causing watery coffee! Fill your glass between half and three quarters of the way with coffee and finish off with a milk of your choice.
Drink
Add your sweetener (if you’re not a fancy person) and drink!
Bonus – If you want a frappuccino-style iced coffee, you could totally stick this all in your blender!!
Homemade Caramel Vanilla Iced Coffee
Instructions
INGREDIENTS
For The Caramel:
- 1/2 Cup Coconut sugar, packed
- 1/4 Cup Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 4 tsp Ghee (or vegan butter for vegan)
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
For The Coffee:
- 3 Cups Chilled, brewed coffee
- 1 Cup Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- Ice
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a SMALL pot, stir together all of the caramel ingredients on medium heat. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, cook until the caramel reduced by almost 1/2 and deepens in color, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn, this takes about 5-6 minutes.
- Immediately transfer to a measuring glass (you should have just over 1/3 cup of caramel) and let sit for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until nice and thick.
To Assemble:
- Fill 3 highball glasses 1/2 way with ice cubes. Pour 1 cup of cold coffee into each glass, followed by 1/3 cup of almond milk. Add 2 Tbsp of the caramel * syrup into each glass and stir well, until the caramel is dissolved and well mixed.
- DRINK!
