09.10.2020

Easy Fall Latte Recipes

Espresso beans and fresh spices for making homemade lattes and coffee drinks.

Autumn is paradise for food lovers. Grilling season still smolders on while we usher in fall baking, hearty soups, spicy chilis, and warm fall beverages. This time of year is synonymous with specialty lattes, especially making your own pumpkin spice lattes. Our test kitchen pulled together our favorite recipes and tips for creating your own lattes at home.

What is a Latte, Anyways?

A classic latte is made from espresso and lightly steamed milk. The drink’s full Italian name, “caffe e latte,” literally means coffee and milk. Most coffee shops make their recipe with two ounces of freshly brewed espresso and 10 ounces of steamed milk. Through the telephone game that is American cuisine, the word latte has come to define a variety of coffee or tea drinks made with steamed milk. We love all of these variations and the spices that make these drinks special.

Making Latte Foam Without a Machine

If you don’t have a machine to froth milk with, there are a few tricks for making silky latte foam at home. The simplest and most popular method is shaking warmed milk in a closed mason jar. You can also try a similar method with a French press, pumping the filter until the milk has a nice foamy head. Another alternative is to break out the power tools; an eggbeater or immersion blender work surprisingly well for whipping warmed milk into latte foam.

Customizing Coffee with Infused Syrups

Infused syrups are an excellent way to add flair to your morning latte. You can make your own infused syrup by combining equal parts sugar and boiling water. Dissolve the sugar completely in a small pot, bring to a simmer, add whole spices, and stir for one minute before removing from the heat. Once cooled, you can strain out the spices and use immediately. To use this syrup in a latte, gently stir the spiced syrup into your espresso before finishing with steamed milk.

Popular spices for coffee syrups are cinnamon sticks, star anise, vanilla bean, mace arils, cloves, ginger, and cardamom pods. You can find a few of our favorite syrup recipes below.

If you have any questions about making lattes, or have a latte recipe to share, email us at spices@thespicehouse.com, or leave a comment below!