Smooth Cafe Latté delivers warm, balanced cafe vibes in every sip, giving you a simple at home ritual that starts your morning right.

If you’re a big coffee drinker, then love this easy drink to make a cafe-worthy cup of coffee in just a few minutes. If you prefer iced coffee, be sure to try my Cold Brewed Sea Salt Coffee for another amazing Homemade Drink!

Zoomed out view of top view of a coffee mixture, topped with foam on top of a blue and white saucer.

Glass of instant espresso with a gold spoon in it.

Recipe Snapshot

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Coffee?

Ready in 5 minutes or less.
Perfect for any routine: Whether you’re rushing out the door or easing into the day, it delivers a warm, comforting sip every time.

Sabrina’s Cafe Latte Recipe

I love this Cafe Latté because it proves you don’t need fancy equipment to make a great morning drink, just a stovetop, a pan, and a simple frother. It always feels like a small at-home luxury, whether I’m pouring it into a thermos on a busy morning or slowing down and enjoying it with a muffin or scone. It’s easy, reliable, and genuinely one of my favorite ways to start the day.

Recipe Card

Save

Ingredients

▢ 1/2 cup boiling hot water
▢ 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder , or 2 shots of Espresso
▢ 3 cups whole milk

Instructions

Add instant espresso powder to ½ cup hot water and stir to combine.
Into a saucepan add the milk on medium heat.
Using a milk frother, create a foam while the milk heats up by placing the frother near the surface of the milk, half in the milk, half above it.
When milk is just about simmering turn heat off, you do not want to boil milk.
Add espresso mixture to the bottom of two coffee mugs, ¼ cup in each.
Top with milk, using a spoon to hold back the foam.
Spoon the foam over the cups and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Sabrina Tips Title

When I froth milk for a latte, I warm it gently and keep the frother just under the surface to pull in air, creating a smooth microfoam instead of big bubbles. That quick balance of heat and air is what gives you that silky, café-style texture every time.

Sabrina’s Cafe Latte Recipe
Recipe Card
Can this be made ahead of time?
How to Store
Variations
Related Recipes

Back to Table of Contents

Can this be made ahead of time?

You can make a cafe latté ahead of time, but I’ll be honest , I only do it when I’m in a rush. The flavor and texture is always best right after frothing, when the milk is silky and the coffee is fresh. If I prep it in advance, I keep it sealed in the fridge and reheat it gently on the stovetop so the texture stays smooth. It won’t have the same airy foam, but it still makes a solid grab-and-go morning drink.

How to Store

Serve: Cafe Lattés definitely taste best enjoyed fresh. Because of the milk in the recipe, make sure you don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Store: If you don’t finish your latté, you can store the drink in the fridge for the next day. To reheat coffee, I’d recommend putting it in a small pot on the stovetop over low heat until it’s hot. Then pour it into your mug to enjoy. To refresh the drink, you can froth a little more milk and add the foam to the top. You could also serve your leftover drink iced and skip reheating.

Variations

Iced latte: Instead of making a regular hot latte, you can make yourself an iced latte. The only problem with a cold latte is that you can’t really add frothed milk. The hot milk melts the ice, and the foam won’t stay on top anyway. I like to use cold-brewed coffee and whole milk without steaming. Add ice to a mason jar or glass, then pour the cold coffee over the ice, and pour the milk on top.
Vegan latte: You can make a vegan latte with any of your favorite milk alternatives. Instead of regular milk, oat milk, almond milk, or soy milk made good dairy-free options.
Mocha latte: To make your favorite latte drink with rich chocolate flavor, just add chocolate syrup to the coffee mixture.
More flavor add-ins: You can add so many indulgent flavors to your Cafe Latté. Just add a pump or two of syrup into the coffee before adding the milk. Mint syrup, vanilla syrup, caramel syrup, or honey are easy and classic flavors. You can also make seasonal drinks by mixing in Pumpkin Spice or peppermint syrup.