Latte Recipe

Picture yourself in the cozy confines of your home, relishing the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Now, imagine taking it up a notch by transforming that steaming cup into a velvety, indulgent latte.

While it may seem like a barista’s magic, crafting a delectable latte is entirely possible in your own kitchen.

In this blog post, I’m going to share how to make a latte at home with and without an espresso maker.

Related: If your a coffee lover you may also want to know How to Brew Coffee in a Chemex, How to Use an Aeropress, and How to Make Cold Brew Coffee.

How to Make a Latte

If you have an espresso machine, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to extract a rich, concentrated shot of espresso.

The secret to a luscious latte lies in perfectly frothed milk. If you have an espresso machine with a steam wand, place the wand just below the surface of the milk and turn it on.

Tilt the pitcher slightly to create a swirling motion. Continue steaming until the milk has doubled in volume and has a smooth, velvety texture.

If you don’t have a steam wand, you can heat the milk on the stovetop and whisk by hand or use a milk frother vigorously until it becomes frothy.

Pour the espresso shot into a wide-mouthed cup or mug. Hold the milk pitcher at a slight angle and pour the frothed milk into the cup, aiming for the center to create beautiful latte art.

Control the pouring speed to achieve your desired ratio of milk to espresso. A classic latte generally consists of one-third espresso and two-thirds frothed milk, but you can adjust this according to your taste.

How to Make a Latte Without an Espresso Machine

This method is pretty straightforward. Simply brew your coffee the “normal” way at home, either in your automatic drip coffee maker or in a pour over method like a Chemex.

Be sure to brew it double strong by increasing the coffee grind amount (or decreasing the water amount) so that you have a much stronger tasting coffee.

You can also try a bolder flavor of coffee for this method as well if you usually buy a more mild flavor for your normal cup of joe—that will give your coffee “espresso” a more intense flavor.

Since this method is a bit more experimental, you may need to play around a bit to find the right amount of grinds for your faux espresso. But start with doubling your grind amount and then back off or add more from there.

The Cheapest Way to Make Espresso at Home

OK, so a great way to make espresso at home for a very reasonable price is by using a stovetop espresso maker like this Bialetti model. It comes in a variety of sizes so the advantage to this one is that, depending on the model, you can make between 1-12 servings of espresso at once.

The bigger sizes are great for larger families or gatherings. You basically add water to the bottom chamber, put coffee in the metal filter in the base, screw them onto the top and place onto a stovetop burner until the water boils.

Once the water boils, your espresso comes flowing into the top chamber and voilà! Your espresso is ready!

The only downside to this method is that you need to keep the lid open while the water is heating up and keep an eye on the pot until the espresso comes out, since you want to remove it from the heat immediately once it’s done.

But, if you make the same amount on the same heat setting every day, you’ll know about how many minutes in it boils, so you’ll have an idea of when you need to be around to take it off.

Home Espresso Makers – Different Price Points

We’ve tried many espresso makers over the years, and here are our favorites at different price points and skill levels:

• Cafe Automatic Espresso Machine – My current machine. It uses any whole beans, so if you use high quality beans you’ll get high quality espresso. It makes espresso shots automatically (no barista skills required) and includes a milk frothing wand to heat and froth milk. We’ve used this machine almost every day since we got it seven months ago and we love it! It comes in three colors.

• Breville Barista Touch – We bought this for a good friend as a wedding gift once and they said they love it. It’s a higher end machine that you will need some barista skills to operate, but it’s an excellent home espresso maker.

• Nespresso Vertuo – For those who want an espresso maker that uses pods, this is my favorite. Depending what pod you use, it can make espresso or coffee.

Single Shot Espresso Machine – Travel Option

Did you know you can have a mini espresso machine that will travel with you as well as make your coffee at home?

This MiniPresso machine will make you a single shot of espresso by adding boiling water into one end, your grinds into the other, and then you pump a button that pops out.

This forces the hot water through the grinds and out the other end (you can even use one of the caps as a cup on the go). While the travel feature of this machine is really cool, it’s also great for home because it’s so small and takes up way less room than an espresso machine would.

In fact, you can just keep it in a drawer with your utensils and it takes up no counter space at all! I found this method makes the most “authentic” tasting espresso shot compared to a larger espresso machine of these three options.

And while it’s a little more expensive, it’s still just over $50 and when you factor in your latte habit (plus tips) at your cool local coffee shop, well, it will pay for itself pretty quickly.

The downside with this method is that it’s a one-at-a-time espresso shot, so it’s doable to make two in a row, but I wouldn’t suggest this if you want to have larger brunches and get everyone a latte efficiently …

Froth Milk Without a Machine – Easy Hack

To froth milk without a machine, simply using a glass jar with a lid (like a mason jar).

Warm the amount of milk you want to use on the stovetop or in the microwave and pour into the jar. You’ll want a size jar that’s no more than halfway full when you add your milk so you have room to create bubbles.

Add the lid and shake the jar for 30-60 seconds until you have warm milk on the bottom and a layer of foam on top! Pour your warm milk into your espresso shot, holding the foam back with a spoon as your pour and then scoop the foam on top of your latte.

You’ll get some foam with this method, but not quite as much as the next methods and the foam will be larger bubbles visually.

How to Froth Milk for a Latte

You’ll still have to warm the milk first in a different container for a handheld milk frother, but the milk will froth very quickly and you’ll get a tighter, more dense foam than with the jar-shaking method.

It’s a pretty small device as well, so it would be easy to keep in a utensil drawer if you didn’t want it out on your counter on the stand.

Now you can make the best latte at home anytime!

More Latte Recipes

• Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup
• Iced Chai Latte
• Lavender Latte Milkshake
• Chai Latte
• Iced Mocha