Make a Cafe Latte

Caffee Latte Recipe

The Spruce  

  • Total: 11 mins
  • Prep: 3 mins
  • Cook: 8 mins
  • Yield: 1 Cup/1 Serving

In northern Europe and Scandinavia, the term café au lait has traditionally been used for the combination of espresso and milk. In France, caffè latte is mostly known from the original Italian name of the drink (caffè latte or caffelatte); a combination of espresso and steamed milk equivalent to a "latte" is in French called grand crème and in German Milchkaffee or (in Austria) Wiener Melange.


Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Pull your espresso shot in your latte cup and add a shot of flavored syrup for a flavored latte, if using.



  5. If you'd like, feel free to add some latte art. Serve and enjoy!


  • If you're a habitual latte drinker, investing in a basic espresso maker and learning to make lattes can save you an enormous amount of money each year.

How It's Served

  • A latte is sometimes served in a bowl; in Europe, particularly Scandinavia, this is referred to as a café au lait.
  • Increasingly common in the United States and Europe, latte art has led to the stylization of coffee making, and the creation of what is now a popular art form. Created by pouring steaming, and mostly frothed, milk into the coffee, that liquid is introduced into the beverage in such a way that patterns are distinguishable on the top of the coffee. Popular patterns can include hearts, flowers, trees and other forms of simplistic representations of images and objects.
  • Iced latte is often served unstirred so that coffee appears to "float" on top of white milk in a glass cup.
  • A variation of the iced latte is an iced espresso ordered in a larger than normal cup filled up with free milk. 
  • In Asia and North America, lattes have been combined with Asian teas. Coffee and tea shops now offer hot or iced latte versions of chai, matcha, and Royal milk tea.
  • Other flavorings can be added to the latte to suit the taste of the drinker. Vanilla, chocolate, and caramel are all popular variants.
  • In South Africa, a red latte is made with rooibos tea.
  • An alternative version of latte can be prepared with soy milk or oat milk, as both have the ability to foam in the same way as cow milk, with soy milk versions being more prevalent. Such alternatives are popular among people with lactose intolerance and vegans.

More About Espresso


