How to Make Lattes at Home on the Cheap

For most of my life, I really hated mornings. I was always a night owl, totally comfortable staying up to read or watch TV until 2 or 3 a.m. Things shifted about three years ago after I graduated college, started working full time and became one of those borderline insufferable people who do morning workouts.

I have no real explanation for this shift in behavior except that I started to actually look forward to my mornings — and that’s in large part thanks to my discovery of a homemade latte recipe. 

I drink a latte truly every morning, opting for a cozy hot latte during the chilly months and a satisfying iced latte during the warm months. You can not only make a delicious latte tailored to your taste but also save a ton of money skipping the lines at Starbucks or Dunkin’. And no, you don’t need an expensive, multi-hundred-dollar espresso machine either. Below, I’ll break down how you can make quality lattes at home — and on the cheap. 

Read more: Here’s How Much You’ll Save Making Coffee at Home

For the longest time, I would hack my way into cheap, homemade lattes because the apartment building I live in has two espresso machines for the community. So every morning after walking my dog, I’d saunter down to one of the machines, make myself a quick double shot of espresso then pop back up to my unit to create my latte. 

This process worked great until the machines started breaking more often than they were working. (Nothing felt worse than seeing the “out of order” sign that meant I wouldn’t be enjoying my favorite drink after all.) I had to come up with another, more consistent solution. One that did not involve a fickle espresso machine. Or an espresso machine at all. Here’s the easily copyable latte recipe I developed.

What you’ll want to have on hand for my latte recipe 

You’ll need just a few items and ingredients to get started with making lattes at home. These items are mostly household staples that won’t break the bank. Here’s what to gather:

• Espresso glass
• 16-ounce cup or glass of your choice
• Nescafé Gold Espresso (I use the Blonde)
• Milk of choice 
• Maple syrup
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Whisk or spoon
• Handheld electric frother (You can find these for about $7)

How to make homemade iced or hot lattes for cheap

Start with your espresso

I scoop one heaping tablespoon of the Nescafé Gold Espresso into my espresso glass. I then add about two ounces of warm water to the glass, which will make a double shot. You can adjust the amount of espresso and water, depending if you want a single shot or a triple shot.

Stir the espresso powder and water together thoroughly with a whisk or spoon. The espresso is finely ground so it should incorporate completely, without any clumps or grounds. 

Add flavor 

Here’s where you can really tailor your recipe to your desired taste. I’ve made several homemade syrups, including blueberry or strawberry, but my go-to latte is a salted maple and cinnamon latte.

Grab your large glass or cup. Add two teaspoons of maple syrup to the bottom of the glass. I’m not a super-sweet coffee drinker myself, so be sure to adjust if you like sweeter lattes. 

Next, add a pinch of flaky salt to the maple syrup and mix together. Then, add your double espresso shot and mix well again to fully incorporate the syrup and espresso. 

Hot versus iced

Now that you have your espresso base, you need to decide if you want to go hot or iced. The state I live in is still in the upper 70s and humid everyday, so I’ve been consistently making iced lattes, but I’m eager for the crisp autumn mornings that will lend itself to having a cozy hot latte.

Iced lattes

Add your ice to the 16-ounce glass. I use about a cup of ice, but you can add more if you like more ice in your lattes. 

Fill up your espresso glass with your milk of choice. I usually go with whole milk for iced lattes, but almond and oat are also solid alternatives for this recipe. 

Take your handheld electric frother and whisk the milk for a few seconds until the milk becomes a delicate, foamy texture. Pour the milk over the ice and espresso mixture in the other glass.

Hot lattes

This option may take a few more minutes, but still, you can whip up some delicious steamed milk in mere minutes. I pour about a cup of whole milk into a saucepan and heat it on medium-low on the stovetop. While it’s heating up, I froth the milk with my handheld electric frother until it foams.

Of course, if you have an espresso machine with a steam wand, you can use that to steam milk, but I’ve designed this recipe to not require an espresso machine or any of its accompanying accessories. 

Then carefully pour the frothed, steamed milk over the espresso mixture in the other glass.

Top it off

You could stop here, but I like to go full barista and top my latte off with a few shakes of cinnamon or nutmeg. You could also add honey, caramel or any topping you desire. The beauty about homemade lattes is that you can truly tailor them however you like. 

Now all you have to do is mix up your latte and love your mornings. 

For more, learn how to clean your Keurig the proper way and how to prevent coffee and tea from staining your mugs.