Homemade Caramel Latte

This homemade caramel latte recipe is the thing that your mornings have been missing! Once you try it you will understand! It's so easy to make and tastes way better than anything you'd get from a coffee shop. 

Sure, you could go out into the cold, stand in a long line, and grossly overpay for somewhat decent coffee, OR, you could stay in your warm home and make something that is SO much better, and at a fraction of the cost! Two large caramel lattes from Starbucks would cost you around $10, this homemade caramel latte recipe makes the same amount (40 oz.) for just over $2. It's also so easy to make with simple ingredients and in less than 15 minutes. 

What You Need to Make this Homemade Caramel Latte: 

• Homemade caramel sauce: Please don't use store-bought, trust me on this one! Homemade caramel sauce is the magic ingredient that makes this coffee recipe so amazing. It takes just 10 minutes and I can almost guarantee you already have everything you need to make it. 
• Milk: Preferably whole milk or 2%. Low, nonfat, or non-dairy milk can be used but doesn't froth as well.
• Brewed coffee: This recipe makes 5 cups of coffee total and uses 4 cups of freshly brewed coffee ( 32 oz.). Use 1 tbsp. of coffee grounds for every 8 oz. of water. 

Ingredients for Homemade Caramel Sauce: 

• Sugar: Caramel is made from caramelizing sugar. When sugar is heated it melts and then thickens, the color becomes dark and the flavor intensifies.  
• Water: Caramel can be made with or without water (Dry vs. Wet Caramel). Dry caramel is made by simply heating sugar in a pot. The sugar turns into a liquid and then quickly darkens. This requires close attention because the sugar can burn easily. Wet caramel is made by dissolving the sugar in water and then bringing it to a boil. The water boils out and the sugar becomes thick and dark. The wet method cooks the sugar slower and more evenly. The slower cooking of using the wet method also allows more time for the flavors to develop and intensify.  
• Heavy Cream: The difference between caramel and caramel sauce is the addition of heavy cream.   
• Unsalted butter: Butter thickens the sauce and adds flavor and richness. If all you have is salted butter adjust the added salt to taste. 
• Salt: For regular caramel sauce add half a teaspoon of salt, or add a full teaspoon to make a salted caramel sauce. Both are delicious! 

How to Make Homemade Caramel Latte:

Get your coffee brewing and start making the caramel sauce:

1. Grease the sides of a large, clean pot, or spray with non-stick spray. Add the sugar and water and place over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Stop stirring completely and bring the heat up to medium. Watch closely as the sugar syrup turns from clear, to pale yellow, to a dark amber color. Have your heavy cream ready.
3. As soon as the sugar is dark amber in color, remove from heat and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Do this carefully because the drastic temperature difference is going to cause the sauce to bubble violently at first, and then settle after a few seconds as the temperature evens out.
4. Return to the stovetop over low heat and whisk in the butter and salt until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. 

Make the steamed milk: Add the milk to a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from heat once it becomes foamy.

Add the brewed coffee, steamed milk, and ¾ cup of the homemade caramel sauce to a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour it back into the saucepan to keep warm until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream plus more of the caramel sauce drizzled on top. Enjoy!

Tips for Making Homemade Caramel Sauce:

• Start with a clean pot. If there is any debris the sugar crystals will want to cling to it, which can cause the caramel to crystallize. 
• Use a large pot with high sides. While the sugar is heated it is going to bubble up quite a bit, so use a pot that is big with high enough sides to prevent it from boiling over. You definitely don't want any of the hot syrup splashing out onto your skin. 
• Grease the sides of the pan with oil or spray with non-stick spray. When the sugar and water boil the sugar syrup splashes onto the sides of the pan, when the water evaporates the crystals can become hard and stick to the sides. Greasing the sides of your pan stops the sugar from sticking.
• Don't stir the sugar syrup, if you notice that it is browning unevenly you can gently swirl the pot. 
• Watch the pot closely towards the end, you can leave it be for about 5-7 minutes but after that try to keep a close eye on it. The sugar can go from perfectly caramelized to burnt in a matter of seconds, and if it does end up burning you will have to start over. Luckily sugar isn't too expensive and you haven't added any cream or butter at that point.
• When you add the cold cream there's a chance the caramel will seize, or clump up in a big ball. If that happens it's okay, just cook and stir over medium-low heat until it melts again and becomes smooth. 

More Recipes that are Great with Caramel:

• Chocolate Caramel Tart
• Apple Crisp
• Caramel Cheesecake
• Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

📖 RECIPE

Homemade Caramel Latte

This homemade caramel latte recipe is the thing that your mornings have been missing. Once you try it you will understand! It's so easy to make and tastes way better than anything you'd get from a coffee shop. 

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 cups

Ingredients

  

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• 4 cups (32 oz.) brewed coffee*
• 1 cup milk*

For the Homemade Caramel Sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon sea salt*

Instructions

• Get your coffee brewing and start making the caramel sauce: Take a large, clean pot and grease the sides or spray with non-stick spray. Add the sugar and water and place over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Stop stirring completely and bring the heat up to medium. Watch closely as the sugar syrup turns from clear, to pale yellow, to a dark amber color. This will take about 10 minutes. Have your heavy cream ready.
• As soon as the sugar turns a dark amber color, remove from heat and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Do this carefully because the drastic temperature difference is going to cause the sauce to bubble violently at first, and then settle after a few seconds as the temperature evens out. If the caramel seizes (hardens and clumps into a ball), cook and stir over medium-low heat until it melts and smooths out.
• Return to the stovetop over low heat and whisk in the butter and salt until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Make the steamed milk: Add the milk to a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from heat once it becomes foamy.
• Add the brewed coffee, steamed milk, and ¾ cup of the homemade caramel sauce to a blender and pulse a few times until smooth. Pour the coffee into a saucepan to keep warm until ready to serve.
• Serve warm and top with whipped cream or more steamed milk and drizzle more caramel sauce on top. Enjoy!

Notes

*1 tbsp. ground coffee/ 1 cup of coffee

*Whole milk or reduced-fat is best. Low-fat, non-fat, or non-dairy milk can be used but don't froth as well. 

*For salted caramel sauce add 1 tsp. of salt. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.3g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 11.6g | Saturated Fat: 7.3g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 180mg | Sugar: 43g | Calcium: 74mg