Make this Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte at home with this money saving recipe. Enjoy it hot or iced for a delicious treat to start your day, and add some stroopwafel cookies on top to make it extra special.
This is the drink I look forward to when the holiday menu comes back, and the homemade version takes five minutes with no line. The espresso is a great start to your morning, and don’t forget all the money you will save by preparing it at home.
If copycat coffee house drinks are your thing, my Starbucks iced chai tea latte and cranberry orange scones round out the whole holiday order.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: none, just heating milk
- ⏳ Total Time: 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 1 latte
- ⚡ Calories: 256kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Toasty caramel over espresso and warm milk, with whipped cream and caramel waffle cookies on top
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a frother is the only gadget
Quick Answer
Make your espresso and place it in a bowl, add heated milk, and whisk or use a milk frother for about 60 seconds. Add caramel sauce to the bottom of your glass and along the sides if desired, pour in the warm espresso mixture, and top with whipped cream, a caramel drizzle and chopped waffle cookies. For an iced version, use cold milk, let the espresso cool a bit, and add ice.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Caramel goes in the glass first. Lining the bottom and sides means every sip pulls a little caramel up with it, instead of one sweet layer at the end.
- Sixty seconds with a frother builds the milk foam that makes it a latte instead of sweet coffee milk; whisking works, the frother is just faster.
- Instant espresso is the shortcut that holds up. Under caramel, milk and whipped cream, the difference from a pulled shot mostly disappears.
- Whole milk froths best. Its fat stabilizes the foam; dairy free milks work but foam looser, so froth them a little longer.
- The cookies stand in for brulee topping. Starbucks finishes theirs with burnt sugar pieces; crumbled caramel waffle cookies give the same toasty crunch without making candy.
- The same recipe goes iced. Cold milk, slightly cooled espresso, ice at the end; the caramel lining works the same in a cold glass.
- Warm the milk, don’t boil it. Scalded milk loses its sweetness and won’t hold foam.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Five minutes and no drive through line. The whole drink comes together while the milk warms.
- Hot or iced, all year. Make it hot in the cold months and iced during summer.
- Real money savings. A grande runs six dollars and change; this one costs cents once the caramel jar is in the pantry.
- Dairy free friendly. Almond, coconut, soy or low fat milk all work; there are so many options.
- The cookie topping. Chopped stroopwafels with a caramel drizzle make it feel like a coffee house order, not a shortcut.
- A whole copycat lineup. It joins my Trader Joe’s matcha latte, dirty chai latte and iced chai with pumpkin cold foam in the homemade cafe rotation.
Key Ingredients
Five ingredients, and the cookies are optional. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Espresso. Your favorite instant brand, or shots from a machine if you have one.
- Whole Milk. It froths the best, but any milk you love works.
- Ready made caramel sauce lines the glass and finishes the top. Any premade caramel you would use for dessert or ice cream is right.
- Whipped Cream from a can, homemade from heavy cream, or a dairy free version.
- Waffle-type cookies (optional) for the brulee style crunch on top.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Choose a dairy free option: almond milk, coconut milk, soy, or a low fat milk.
- For a real homemade version, make your own caramel sauce.
- Make whipped cream from heavy cream, or use a dairy free whipped cream.
- Choose different cookie options, from shortbread to biscotti; anything that likes being dunked works.
- Add a little sprinkle of cocoa powder, cinnamon or nutmeg on top.
- Make it iced: the same directions with cold milk, cooled espresso and ice turn it into a summer drink like my iced blueberry matcha latte.
How to Make a Caramel Brulee Latte
- Add ready made espresso to a bowl, add warm milk, and stir.
- Use a hand frother for 60 seconds, until the mixture is foamy.
- Add caramel sauce to the bottom of the cup and along the sides if desired.
- Add the warm espresso mix, pouring slowly so the caramel stays on the glass.
- Add whipped cream or foam on top.
- Add chopped Cookies and drizzle some caramel on top.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Warm the milk, don’t boil it. Steaming hot is right; boiled milk tastes flat and won’t foam.
- Froth in a deep bowl or jar. Sixty seconds with the frother splashes in a shallow one.
- Drizzle caramel inside the glass first and save a second drizzle for the whipped cream; that is the coffee house look with zero skill.
- For the iced version, let the espresso cool a bit before it meets the ice so the drink is not watered down.
- Crumble the cookies at the last second so they stay crisp on the whipped cream.
- Making these for guests? Set out the caramel, whipped cream and cookies like a toppings bar next to some tea bombs and let everyone build their own.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve it in a clear glass mug so the caramel lining shows, with a stroopwafel resting over the rim of a hot version to warm and soften. It is a natural with fall baking, next to my caramel pumpkin cookies or Rolo pretzel cookies, and it makes an easy after dinner coffee alongside anything from my easy dessert recipes.
For a coffee and tea bar spread, mix in an Irish cream dalgona coffee, an oat milk matcha latte, a butterfly pea latte and a pitcher of hibiscus green tea, with my homemade chai spice mix and a batch of iced matcha lattes for the non coffee crowd.
Caramel Brulee Latte FAQs
Yes, just substitute the whole milk for a dairy free beverage, and don’t add the whipped cream, or use a dairy free whipped cream instead.
You can use any type of premade caramel sauce, the same kind you would use for dessert or ice cream. For a real homemade version, make your own caramel sauce.
Yes. To make it iced, use the same directions with cold milk, but let the espresso cool a bit and then add ice to your drink.
The caramel stroopwafel cookies are the best. Rest one over the rim of a hot latte for a minute and the caramel center softens.
No. Your favorite instant espresso works beautifully here, since the caramel, milk and toppings carry the drink. If you have a machine, use one or two shots instead.
Very close. Starbucks tops theirs with burnt sugar brulee pieces; the crumbled caramel waffle cookies give you the same toasty caramel crunch without making candy at home.
Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte
Equipment
- Hand Frother
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Espresso
- 2/3 Cup Whole Milk
- 3 Tablespoons Caramel Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Whipped Cream
- Cookies optional
Instructions
- Make your Espresso and place in a bowl. Add heated milk to the bowl and whisk or use a milk frother.
- Add your caramel to the bowl and whisk again. You can also add some caramel to the bottom of the glass.
- Pour your liquid from bowl into the glass.
- Add some whipped cream and drizzle some caramel on top.
- Optional: Crumble some waffle cookies on top or just eat them whole with your Caramel Brulee Latte.
Notes
Crumble Stroopwafel cookies on top of drink or consume them whole.
To make this an Iced beverage, use cold milk and wait until the espresso cools and add ice to it.
