Save yourself a trip when you make your own smooth and creamy almond milk latte at home! All you need to make this easy recipe is THREE simple ingredients and a few minutes.
Not only will you learn how to make this delicious, dairy-free drink, but you’ll also learn how to make iced and decaf versions!
I know you love those delicious coffee shop drinks as much as I do, so why leave your house (especially when it's freezing outside!) to spend on something you can make quickly at home with a few ingredients you probably already have?
This almond milk latte is one of those "treat yourself" café drinks you can make yourself, and it's not difficult, it's a very simple recipe!
It's just as cozy, warm, creamy, and crave-worthy as the fancy Starbucks version and you can top it just how you like. It's also vegan and naturally gluten-free.
Before you scroll down for the details, bookmark these other easy vegan coffee shop copycat cold and hot drinks you can also make at home:
Ingredients You'll Need
All you need is three simple ingredients to make a homemade almond milk latte (four if you count the one optional ingredient!)
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
Almond Milk - The best almond milk for lattes is one that is unsweetened and unflavoured so you can control the flavour and sweetness level of your almond latte. You can use one that is sweetened or vanilla almond milk, but you will need to cut back on the sweetener the recipe calls for and not add any vanilla. You can also use homemade almond milk.
To make your drink extra creamy, you can use a barista blend almond milk which is thicker and creamier than regular almond milk because it contains less water.
You will need to also have some almond milk for foaming, you can use regular almond milk, a barista blend almond milk, or an almond milk creamer for the foam.
Coffee - Usually, espresso is used in lattes, but you can use strong coffee if you don't keep espresso on hand. You can also use instant coffee if you need to make it without a coffee machine or you can also use decaffeinated coffee if you prefer a decaf almond milk latte.
Sweetener - I like to use pure maple syrup as a sweetener, however, based on your personal preference, you can use your favourite sweetener like vegan brown sugar, coconut sugar, cane sugar, or regular sugar to taste instead (see the "Recipe FAQ" section below for more info on vegan sugar). I give a range in the recipe, start on the low end of the range and adjust to suit the level of sweetness you prefer. Sugar alternatives will work, adjust the amount as needed.
Vanilla Extract (optional) - To give the latte a little more flavour, you can add a little vanilla. If you'd like, you can use almond extract instead, start with ¼ teaspoon and work up from there since it has a much stronger flavour than vanilla. If you don't have vanilla extract but would like to make a vanilla almond milk latte, you can use vanilla-flavoured almond milk.
Looking for something sweet to enjoy alongside your vegan latte? How about an oat flour chocolate chip cookie, a sweet potato muffin or one of these other vegan treats?
How to Make a Latte with Almond Milk
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
***I go through how to make a hot almond milk latte with the following images. See the "Variations" section below for info on how to make an almond milk iced latte.***
Start by brewing and then pouring the hot coffee or hot espresso into your mug.
Next, heat the almond milk in a small saucepan until it's steaming (don't let it boil!), and pour it into the mug with the coffee.
Add your sweetener and the vanilla, if you are using it.
Give the drink a stir and taste. Add more sweetener, if needed.
Frothing the Milk
There are several types of milk frothers available, from inexpensive to very pricey. Unless you make lattes or specialty drinks often, I recommend a simple, handheld milk frother. I have found this to be the best way and the easiest way to foam milk
Warm the almond milk you'll be using to froth since warm milk is quicker and easier to foam up.
Once foamed, pour the frothed almond milk on top of your hot latte and it's ready! You can sprinkle a dash of cinnamon or ground nutmeg on top if you'd like.
If you don't have a handheld frother, you can use a small whisk. Whisk the heated milk vigorously to add air to it and make it foamy. This method takes longer and the foam will be thinner and not as thick.
Other ways to froth milk without a frother:
- add the milk to a blender (regular or high-speed) and blend until foamy.
- add the milk to a French press and push the plunger up and down until the milk is foamy.
- blend the milk with an immersion blender until it's foamy.
- add the milk to a small jar, cover it, and shake until the milk is foamy.
For more info about foaming milk, read this article filled with tips on how to froth milk.
Variations
- Make it an iced almond milk latte by adding the hot coffee and sweetener to a tall glass and stirring. Fill the glass with lots of ice, add the cold almond milk and add the vanilla, if using, stir, then taste and adjust the sweetener if needed.
- Make it a decaf almond milk latte by using a decaffeinated coffee or a coffee substitute.
- If you prefer to make the drink without foam, feel free to top it with dairy-free whipped cream if you'd like. (Read this article "Is Cool Whip Vegan" for a list of brands that make vegan whipped cream.)
If you love this easy almond milk latte, then you'll be happy to know that there are many similar recipes you can make at home that don't take a long time to prepare. Browse through these vegan drink recipes.
Tips for Success
- Use unsweetened, unflavoured milk. This will allow you to control both the sweetness and flavour.
- Heat the almond milk only until it's steaming. It can scorch and boil over quickly, so remove it from the heat before it starts to boil.
- Adjust the amount of sweetener you add to suit your taste. Carefully taste your drink before you add any additional sweetener and then adjust accordingly.
- Adjust the strength of the coffee to suit your taste. The recipe calls for strong brewed coffee so the coffee flavour comes through well but if you prefer it to be even stronger, use espresso. If you want something less strong, just brew the coffee to be weaker.
- For an extra creamy drink, use your milk frother or a whisk to froth the drink after you pour it into the mug and before you pour the foam.
- If you are making an iced almond milk latte, consider making and using coffee ice cubes (simply freeze brewed coffee in your ice cube tray) so your drink doesn't get watery as the ice melts.
- Read through the recipe before getting started and read through this post from top to bottom for lots of tips to make this cozy drink perfect, every single time.
- Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.
Recipe FAQ
When the flavours are balanced correctly, it's a very light-tasting milky coffee with a slightly nutty flavour. It has a hint of sweetness (or a lot of sweetness depending on if you like a lot of sweetener!) along with a slight vanilla taste if you use vanilla. It's creamy because of the foamed milk.
Regular almond milk, either the type that's refrigerated or the type that comes in a shelf-stable tetra pack is thinner/more watery because they contain more water than a barista blend. Barista blends are slightly thicker because they are made using less water and depending on the brand, they may also contain other ingredients such as added sweeteners, thickeners, flavours, and oil.
Yes. It's not as quick to foam up as other higher-fat kinds of milk like dairy milk and some other milk alternatives, but to make sure it froths well, you must use a good-quality milk frother. If it does not spin fast enough, the milk will never get foamy.
Some brands use animal bone char to process their sugars, making them not vegan, but luckily, some brands don’t use this process, like Wholesome Sweeteners, Trader Joe’s brand, Whole Foods’ 365 brand, and Redpath (Canadian brand). If you can’t find any of these, your best bet is to look for organic sugar, which will always be vegan.
No, you don't have to. A traditional coffee shop latte does contain foamed milk on top but you always have the choice to leave it off or top with something else like a sprinkle of cinnamon or dairy-free whipped cream.
If you do choose to go with whipped cream instead of foamed milk for your latte, read this article: "Is Cool Whip Vegan" to get a long list of dairy-free whipped cream brands to look for at your grocery store.
If You Make This Recipe...
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If You Like This Recipe...
You may like these other vegan almond recipes:
Almond Milk Latte
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60ml) brewed strong coffee or espresso
- 1 cup (240ml) unsweetened almond milk
- sweetener to taste
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ¼ cup (60ml) unsweetened almond milk for foaming
Instructions:
- Pour the hot coffee or espresso into a mug and set aside.
- Add the almond milk to a small pot.
- Place the pot over medium-high heat and heat for 2 ½ - 3 minutes or until the milk is steaming. Don't allow it to boil.
- Remove the pot from the heat and pour the milk into the mug with the coffee. Add the vanilla and sweetener, stir, taste, and adjust as necessary.
- Heat the foaming milk and using a milk frother, froth the milk until it's foamy. Pour onto the top of the drink.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the information and FAQ info above, as well as the notes below before making this recipe.
- This recipe makes 1 ¼ cups of almond milk latte. Double, triple, or quadruple as needed.
- For the best results, use unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk to control the flavour and sweetness. If all you have is sweetened milk, you will need to adjust the amount of sweetener accordingly.
- Any sweetener will work, use your favourite, like maple syrup, brown, coconut, cane, or white sugar.
- To make it in the microwave, do step 1, then add the almond milk to a mug and microwave in 25-30 second intervals, whisking in between each interval, until it's steaming. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't boil. Proceed with step 4.
- Make it an iced almond milk latte by adding the hot coffee and sweetener to a tall glass and stirring. Fill the glass with lots of ice, add the cold almond milk and the vanilla, if using, stir, then taste and adjust the sweetener if needed.
- Nutrition info is for the full recipe prepared as written using 2 teaspoons of maple syrup as the sweetener. The data below is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is determined on this website.
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