Once you start learning how to make your favorite coffees from Starbucks at home, it becomes addicting. It doesn’t take long before you start trying out new things and making up your own combinations.
When I first picked up my Nespresso, I only made recipes for the Nespresso that I saw on blogs or Pinterest. But, then I found their espresso pods and realized I could make any espresso based drink I like – including coffeehouse favorites. That’s when I really started to have some fun. Not long after, Starbucks released their espresso Nespresso pods and I was hooked. If you haven’t tried them yet, you’ll be amazed at how similar your drinks at home will taste to your favorite Starbucks drinks.
And, of course, for cold brew or iced coffee drinks, you can pick up ready made Starbucks iced coffee at the store and mimic the taste of those, too. Whenever you want, as many times a day as you like, for a fraction of the price.
So, if you’re looking for some delicious Starbucks drinks you can try at home, check out these recipes that you can make using your espresso machine or iced coffee/cold brew.
1. Starbucks Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso Copycat:
By far the most popular recipe on the blog. It’s delicious and I make it regularly. You’ll love how easy it is to make and the short list of ingredients. You can use either brown sugar in the raw or a brown sugar syrup. I’ve even tried it with brown sugar cinnamon syrup, which is delicious too and makes the cinnamon taste blend in without any granules that don’t dissolve. Here’s what you need to make it:
You only need a few things to make this drink and have it taste so much like the Starbucks one it’ll blow your mind.
- Light brown sugar:The shining star of this drink. Two tablespoons of brown sugar sweeten this coffee, while playing nicely with the coffee flavor without covering it up as much as regular sugar. It’s a match made in heaven. I used light brown sugar here, but you could get away with dark if that’s all you have. You could even use brown sugar syrup. I have recipes on here forbrown sugar syrupandbrown sugar cinnamon syrupand both work great.
- Espresso:Adouble shot Nespresso podwas my choice here. Use what you have, whether that’s really strong hot coffee, hot instant coffee, a double espresso pod, etc. I’ve made the drink with strong cold brew as well, but you’re going to get less froth. I use myNespresso Vertuoline machineto make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Cinnamon:Just a pinch is good here. I loooove cinnamon, so I used 1/4 teaspoon and I can taste it, which is what I like. Adjust according to your own preference.
- Vanilla extract:When making a brown sugar syrup, I add a little vanilla extract, so since I’m using separate ingredients, I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract here to balance out the flavors and it worked really well. If you don’t have any, you can make the drink without it.
- Oatmilk:Yup, the original and this one use oatmilk. I think it goes very well with the flavors. But, use the milk you prefer and have on hand. You’ll need around 1/2 a cup or so.
- Ice:A half cup of ice to shake and another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of ice to serve.
- Shaker:You’ll need something to shake it with. Either a blender cup like I have, a drink shaker, a mason jar with a lid, etc. Use what you have or what’s easy.
Put It Together:
Here’s a video to walk you through the steps of making it.
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
2. Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold Brew:
I still love this drink, even though the initial viral explosion of it has died down now. I’ve made the chocolate cream using a variety of different sauces and powders. While all are good, the malted powder gets you the closest to the flavor that Starbucks uses, since they mix their vanilla sweet cream cold foam with a scoop of chocolate malt powder. However, I sometimes like using chocolate sauce instead, because it gives it a richer chocolate flavor, like chocolate whipped cream. So, play around with it and find out what you like best.
Here’s what you need to make it:
- Cold brew coffee – Use whatever cold brew coffee you like here. Starbucks sells a storebought variety that is pretty good. I did a taste test of storebought cold brew coffees and shared which one was the winner. You can read that post here. Or you can use concentrated coffee like Jot or Cometeer. Whatever type you use, you’ll need 8 ounces of coffee per drink.
- Milk of choice – We used half ‘n half for the cream, but you can use whatever milk you like. Anything other than a combination of heavy whipping cream/milk or half ‘n half is going to change the flavor and texture of the chocolate cream slightly. You’ll need about 1/4 cup or if you’re using heavy whipping cream/milk you want a 2:1 tablespoon ratio, such as 2tbsp. heavy whipping cream to 1tbsp milk. Without the milk to thin it out, you’ll be making whipped cream, which is still delicious, but has a different texture to the chocolate cream.
- Chocolate sauce – Use what you have, even if that’s Hershey’s chocolate sauce. You can use Ghirardelli’s or Torani’s chocolate sauce if you have that for mochas, too. Or, if you want the malted flavor that the Starbucks drink has, check out a malted powder such as this one. You’ll need 1-2tbsp. of whatever sauce or powder you use depending on how chocolately you want the cream to be. I use 2tbsp.
- Vanilla simple syrup – Homemade or store bought. I really like the taste of using my own. Here’s my recipe.
Put It Together:
Here’s a video to walk you through the steps of making it.
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
3. Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato:
Easily one of the most popular drinks at Starbucks, their version of the caramel macchiato is divine. You can use this recipe as is to make it iced, or to switch it to a hot drink, just don’t add ice and you can use the warm milk frothing setting for the milk instead of the cold one. Easy peasy.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this drink:
Here are the ingredients that Starbucks uses in their coffee:
- Vanilla syrup:vanilla syrup is added to the bottom of the cup. They have a pump to cup size ratio that they use, which for the size I order, would typically equal 3 pumps (or tablespoons) of syrup. For more on Starbucks cup sizes,read this post.To replicate this part of the drink, you can buy pre-made vanilla syrup (I likethis one) or you can make it with just 3 ingredients at home. I show youhow in this post.
- Espresso:For a grande, they would add 2 shots of espresso, so I decided to use two espresso pods for my Nespresso. You can use any kind of espresso shots that you have available to you, but I will say that if you have a Nespresso, theseespresso podsare my new fave. They taste really similar to the Starbucks espresso shots at Starbucks and gave this drink an incredibly close flavor profile to the original drink.I buy mine here.
- Milk or milk substitute:You’ll also need about 8 ounces of cold milk or milk substitute. I use oat milk now in all my drinks and I find that it really accentuates the flavors in coffee and chai tea. You can use whatever milk you like here.
- Caramel syrup– My ride or die caramel sauce isthis one by Ghirardelli. It’s seriously so good. Highly recommend. I fell in love with it when I went to a Ghirardelli’s shop and got the salted caramel fudge sundae.
- Ice– Pretty straightforward on this one. I like to use smaller ice cubes in drinks like this, but use whatever you have!
- Milk frother– This part is optional. You can use just cold milk here and be just fine. I like my milk frothed and use the cold froth function on myNespresso Aerooccinoalllll the time. So good. It just lightens up the milk and gives the whole coffee a more creamy, velvetty vibe. You can use any kind of milk frother here. I wrote a post withoptions from $20 and up.
Put It Together:
Here’s a video to walk you through the steps of making it.
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
4. Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew:
This is my go-to drink order when I don’t have time to think and just need to get something I know I’ll love. I do usually ask for extra sweet cream, though, because I like things sweet and sometimes the barista doesn’t put enough in. Luckily, when I make it at home, I can make it just right.
You don’t need much to put this drink together and you definitely have options.
- Coffee: Let’s start with the base: iced coffee. I use thestore bought Starbucks Iced Coffeefor this drink, but that’s not the only way you could do this. You really just need 8 ounces of your favorite coffee. If you’re starting with a hot coffee, just give it time to cool down (ideally). Here are some ideas:
- iced coffee
- cold brew, even your own homemade cold brew
- espresso
- Nespresso ice forte pods brewed over ice
- a concentrate coffee, such asJot, a cold brew concentrate
- Milk of Choice: You’ll need some type of milk for the sweet cream. Heavy cream and half ‘n half are going to taste the most similar to what Starbucks uses, but you could use any milk of choice, especially if you do order a different milk for yours when you go to Starbucks. If you use heavy whipping cream, cut it with a little milk at a 2:1 tablespoon ratio, otherwise it’s going to be a little thick.
- Vanilla Simple Syrup: I like to make my own, because it only has 3 ingredients. You can also buy it, such as Torani, or even the Starbucks brand. See my easy recipe for how to make it at home here.
- Ice:Gotta ice it, baby. Bigger ice cubes melt slower.
That’s it. It’s super simple. Now, let’s get you sippin’ your sweet cream cold brew!
Put It Together:
Here’s a video to walk you through the steps of making it.
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
5. Starbucks Iced Caramel White Mocha:
While not a drink on their menu, this is a secret menu drink that people rave about. If you add the sweet cream cold foam on top, it becomes this TikTok viral Starbucks drink that everybody loves. It’s easy to make at home, with or without the vanilla sweet cream. This drink will also appeal to Dutch Bros lovers who like drinks like the Golden Eagle.
on’t be able to stop. It’s seriously underrated.
- White Chocolate Sauce:Ever since I bought thiswhite chocolate sauce, I’ve been making all kinds of drinks with it. White chocolate is just so underrated, but works so well with the flavors in coffee and milk. If you haven’t gotten on board the white mocha train, don’t wait. This is your sign to get some white chocolate sauce and join the group. I typically add around 1-2tbsp to my coffee.
- Caramel Sauce:I like usingcaramel saucefor this. It adds the perfect, rich caramelly flavor. The hot espresso melts the caramel very quickly, so you won’t have any clumps like you might have in an iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks. I used about 1-2tbsp of this in my drink and I alsouse the caramel sauce for the drizzle on top of the whipped cream, too.
- Espresso Shots:I used adouble espresso Nespresso pod.You can use any espresso or even make shots with instant espresso. The hot coffee melts the caramel and white chocolate sauces. If you make this with cold coffee, it won’t dissolve the sauces and will actually harden them a bit, so it’ll have a very different taste and texture. You could brew strong, hot coffee and use that instead of espresso shots, too. If you do that, brew 8oz of hot, strong coffee. I use myNespresso Vertuoline machineto make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Milk of Choice:I used unsweetened oatmilk. Use whatever works for you here. If you don’t make a request at Starbucks, they traditionally use 2% milk. If you like the way their coffees taste, you can use that as your milk.
- Whipped Cream:I used a sweet whipped cream in place of sweet cream to make it faster. You can swap this out and make an actual sweet cream in place of it. To substitute with sweet cream, use a frother to mix 1/4 cup milk, 1tbsp. powdered sugar, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract and froth.
- Ice:Yaaaaasss. Ice, ice, baby. I do not brew the coffee over ice, because it melts it and waters it down too much. I brew my espresso into an espresso cup, so that it cools a bit before adding it to the sauces to melt them. By the time you are adding the ice, it’s cooled enough where it won’t melt the ice as quickly.
Put It Together:
Here’s a video to walk you through the steps of making it.
View this post on Instagram
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
6. Starbucks Peppermint Mocha:
I look forward to the peppermint mochas every holiday season. This last year, they kept selling out of the peppermint syrup, so I’m guessing I’m not the only one. So, I figured out my own peppermint syrup recipe (super easy) and started making them with my mocha base and they taste so similar. So delicious. So easy. And, I can have them year-round, whenever I want. Now you can, too!
Here’s what you need to make this at home:
- Peppermint Syrup:The star of the show here, no doubt. I made my own using just 3 ingredients.See the full recipe here.You can also buy your syrup and they are usually less than $10. Peppermint is different than mint, though, so make sure you get peppermint. While mint is still good, it has a slightly different flavor. I used 2 tablespoons in mine and that was perfect for me. You can make it sweeter or less sweet based on your preferences.
- Dark Chocolate Syrup:Love my dark chocolate syrup.This oneis the beeeessssst. Also, I like to put it in the glass first, then add the espresso shots and stir it together. The espresso shots melt the chocolate and it cools it all down so that when I add ice, it doesn’t melt the ice. I also used the dark chocolate sauce as the drizzle.
- Espresso Shots:I used adouble espresso Nespresso pod.You can use any espresso or even make shots with instant espresso. The hot coffee melts the caramel and white chocolate sauces. If you make this with cold coffee, it won’t dissolve the sauces and will actually harden them a bit, so it’ll have a very different taste and texture. You could brew strong, hot coffee and use that instead of espresso shots, too. If you do that, brew 8oz of hot, strong coffee. I use myNespresso Vertuoline machineto make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Milk of Choice:I used unsweetened oatmilk. Use whatever works for you here. If you don’t make a request at Starbucks, they traditionally use 2% milk. If you like the way their coffees taste, you can use that as your milk.
- Whipped Cream:I used a sweet whipped cream in place of sweet cream to make it faster. You can swap this out for whatever you like. I’ve tried unsweetened whip, coconutmilk whip, almondmilk whip, and homemade whip.
- Ice:Yaaaaasss. Ice, ice, baby. I do not brew the coffee over ice, because it melts it and waters it down too much. I brew my espresso into an espresso cup, so that it cools a bit before adding it to the sauces to melt them. By the time you are adding the ice, it’s cooled enough where it won’t melt the ice as quickly.
- Crushed Peppermint Candies:I crushed round peppermint candies, but you can buy pre-crushed peppermints closer to the holidays. This is just for garnish, so you can skip it if you don’t have any on hand.
Put It Together:
Heres a quick video to show you how to put it together:
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
7. Starbucks Iced Peppermint White Mocha:
This one lives on Instagram only. I need to make a blog post about it, actually. It’s very similar to the regular iced peppermint mocha I just showed you, but you’re swapping the white chocolate sauce for the chocolate sauce.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this one:
- Peppermint Syrup:The star of the show here, no doubt. I made my own using just 3 ingredients.See the full recipe here.You can also buy your syrup and they are usually less than $10. Peppermint is different than mint, though, so make sure you get peppermint. While mint is still good, it has a slightly different flavor. I used 2 tablespoons in mine and that was perfect for me. You can make it sweeter or less sweet based on your preferences.
- White Chocolate Syrup: Love my white chocolate syrup.I like to put it in the glass first, then add the espresso shots and stir it together. The espresso shots melt the chocolate and it cools it all down so that when I add ice, it doesn’t melt the ice. I also used the dark chocolate sauce as the drizzle.
- Espresso Shots:I used adouble espresso Nespresso pod.You can use any espresso or even make shots with instant espresso. The hot coffee melts the caramel and white chocolate sauces. If you make this with cold coffee, it won’t dissolve the sauces and will actually harden them a bit, so it’ll have a very different taste and texture. You could brew strong, hot coffee and use that instead of espresso shots, too. If you do that, brew 8oz of hot, strong coffee. I use myNespresso Vertuoline machineto make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Milk of Choice:I used unsweetened oatmilk. Use whatever works for you here. If you don’t make a request at Starbucks, they traditionally use 2% milk. If you like the way their coffees taste, you can use that as your milk.
- Whipped Cream: I used a sweet peppermint cream instead of whip here.
- Ice:Yaaaaasss. Ice, ice, baby. I do not brew the coffee over ice, because it melts it and waters it down too much. I brew my espresso into an espresso cup, so that it cools a bit before adding it to the sauces to melt them. By the time you are adding the ice, it’s cooled enough where it won’t melt the ice as quickly.
Put It Together:
Here’s the video I shared on Instagram:
View this post on Instagram
8. Starbucks Iced Caramel Brulee Latte:
Another holiday favorite I can’t get enough of – the caramel brulee lattes! I decided to try making some of the caramel brulee sauce recipes I saw online and ended up hacking it, so now I can have them whenever I want. Granted, this sauce takes longer to make than simple syrups, but it lasts a long time and the batch makes quite a lot.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Caramel Brulee Sauce:I tried different recipes to get a caramel brulee sauce that tasted like a warmer caramel and finally nailed it with the use of brown sugar caramelized. It’s the perfect base for the sauce. It’s not as easy to make as a simple syrup and takes a bit longer (maybe 20-25 minutes), but it makes a large amount and will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.Find my recipe here.
- Espresso Shots:I used adouble espresso Nespresso pod.You can use any espresso or even make shots with instant espresso. The hot coffee melts the caramel and white chocolate sauces. If you make this with cold coffee, it won’t dissolve the sauces and will actually harden them a bit, so it’ll have a very different taste and texture. You could brew strong, hot coffee and use that instead of espresso shots, too. If you do that, brew 8oz of hot, strong coffee. I use myNespresso Vertuoline machineto make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Milk of Choice:I used unsweetened oatmilk. Use whatever works for you here. If you don’t make a request at Starbucks, they traditionally use 2% milk. If you like the way their coffees taste, you can use that as your milk.
- Whipped Cream:I used a sweet whipped cream in place of sweet cream to make it faster. You can swap this out for whatever you like. I’ve tried unsweetened whip, coconutmilk whip, almondmilk whip, and homemade whip.
- Ice:Yaaaaasss. Ice, ice, baby. I do not brew the coffee over ice, because it melts it and waters it down too much. I brew my espresso into an espresso cup, so that it cools a bit before adding it to the sauces to melt them. By the time you are adding the ice, it’s cooled enough where it won’t melt the ice as quickly.
- Toppings:I used regular Torani caramel syrup to drizzle here, but we all know that Starbucks uses little toffee bits. You can actually buy toffee bits at the store or cut up little bits of toffee candy to make your own. Personally, they get stuck in my teeth and they are not my favorite part of the drink, so I used caramel drizzle.
Put It Together:
I shared this video on Instagram on how to put it together:
View this post on Instagram
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
9. Starbucks Iced Mocha:
This is one of the first recipes that really popped on Instagram. It was super exciting at the time. Of course, Instagram is a fickle beast and I’ve never seen views like that again. Sad face. This recipe is gold, though. Don’t sleep on it.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Chocolate Sauce:Personally, I like this 5-ingredient chocolate sauce, because it has great flavor, less ingredients and dissolves really well. I’ve also used Torani and Ghirardelli for similar results.
- Espresso:I used myNespresso Vertuoline machinefor this, which makes it incredibly easy to get a perfect espresso shot with lots of delicious foam on top. My new favorite pods are theStarbucks Espresso Pods for Nespresso. I’ve been using them constantly. If you don’t have a Nespresso machine, check out my post with the9 best Nespresso machines.Use any espresso shots you have or even really strong cold brew in place of this. If using cold brew, use about a cup of coffee and plan to use less milk.
- Chocolate Milk:I use Ripple Protein Chocolate Oatmilk (dairy free – added protein!). Use whatever you have on hand or whatever chocolate milk you like. I use about 1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much coffee I use. Adjust this to taste, based on how strong you’d like yours to be.
- Vanilla Syrup:I use my homemade vanilla simple syrup recipe here, but have also used Torani vanilla syrup. Just a teaspoon helps to round out the chocolate flavor.
- Whipped Cream:RediWhip, homemade, whatever you have on hand here is great. When I make it with fresh whipped cream, just add some heavy whipping cream and vanilla syrup and whip. Dollop a big wedge of fresh whip on top just like you see in the pictures.
- Ice:Lots of ice, ice baby.
Put It Together:
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
10. Starbucks Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte:
This was one of the first recipes that I posted back when I started the blog, because the cinnamon dolce latte is my jam, my homegirl, my soul mate. I love coffee and cinnamon together so much. I used to like the sugar-free cinnamon dolce latte syrup, too, but they discontinued it. When I started making my own cinnamon syrup at home, I was hooked. It might be even better than the real thing.
Here’s what you need to make it:
- Cinnamon syrup: The base of this drink is this super easy cinnamon simple syrup recipe. It’s a 1:1 sugar and water ratio. For one cup of both, I use 2 cinnamon sticks. For more, add more cinnamon. Easy peasy. Then, you’ll add 2tbsp. of the syrup to your glass of ice.
- Iced Coffee or Espresso: You can use either 8oz of iced coffee/cold brew or a couple shots of espresso diluted with more milk. Add this to your glass.
- Milk of choice: if you’re using espresso shots, you’ll need 1/2 cup to a cup of your milk of choice to dilute the coffee. If you’re using iced coffee/cold brew, you’ll just need a couple splashes of your milk of choice, if you’re not dairy-free, then half ‘n half tastes the best.
- Ice: Yup.
Put It Together:
Here’s a quick Instagram video I shared of one of my cinnamon dolce lattes. In this example, I frothed the milk and syrup to create a sweet cinnamon cold foam. Highly recommend:
View this post on Instagram
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
11. Starbucks Iced London Fog Latte:
Whenever I’m fall a little off or even under the weather, I switch to tea based drinks. Not sure why, I just do. The Starbucks Iced London Fog Latte is one of my favorites. The combo of tea, milk and honey is so soothing on my throat.
I decided to try to make it at home and while it’s challenging to get it so it’s not super watered down, I figured it out:
- Earl Grey Tea– The base of the latte is Earl Grey tea, which is a black tea sweetened with bergamot. I really likethis tea. The flavor has nice depth, without being overpowering. You really could use any black tea or earl grey tea. They all have a slightly different flavor profile, so you may find a favorite. Use two tea bags.
- Vanilla Syrup– You can buy this or make it. I usedToranihere, because I had some in the house and we had used up my most recent batch of homemade vanilla simple syrup.Check out this recipeto whip some up at home with just 3 ingredients. If you don’t have this, you may need to sweeten the tea with what you have. You could use honey, sugar, brown sugar or a honey syrup without changing the flavor much. If you use granulated sugar or brown sugar, add this to the tea while it’s hold, so it dissolves, otherwise it’ll sink to the bottom.
- Milk of Choice– Use whatever you like here. I used oatmilk, which will froth up a little bit, but not quite as nicely as regular milk. Worth it, IMO. You can really sub out anything here that you are drinking. If you don’t use milk, it won’t be a latte, just sweetened tea. If you are going for the creamy milk tea experience here, add some kind of milk or milk substitute.
- Hot Water– I use an electric kettle (big fan) to heat my water to precisely 212 degrees. If you’re heating in the microwave, get it to hot/boiling. For a bunch of electric kettles in a variety of price points,head to this post.
- Milk Frother– I loooooove frothing my milk. It makes it light, airy, and a little foamy, which adds just a little extra somethin’ somethin’ to the drinks. You could use just regular milk here for a similar experience. For milk frothers, I’ve hadmy Nespresso onefor years and it’s still going strong. I did a round up a bunch of highly rated milk frothers from $20 upin this post. I see a lot of people using handheld ones in their Instagram drink videos, and while I have one, I find you have to hold it longer than they really show you and I froth too much milk for that to be my vibe. I find a good milk frother to be a worthy investment.
- Ice– Pretty simple here.
Put It Together:
Here’s a video to walk you through it:
For the full recipe and a lot more info, head to the full blog post here.
*****
Did you find your favorite Starbucks drink here? Have you ever tried making it at home? Now, just because I have a great coffee bar at home, that doesn’t mean I still don’t love driving through for my favorite drinks.
What can I say – I can never have enough coffee.
Get roasted,
A
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