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Here’s how to make your own fancy coffee drinks at home

You'll become a barista in no time

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Person pouring coffee drink into a white ceramic mug
Heewei Lee / Unsplash

Going to your local coffee shop is an awesome experience — but everyday life and work can make it challenging to get there on some days. Luckily, if you’re craving a fancy coffee drink, you can still enjoy them at home by making these drinks on your own.

It sounds hard to do, but it’s actually simpler than you think. With a few ingredients and some basic kitchen tools that you already own, you, too, can be your own barista. Check out our favorite homemade versions of a chai tea latte, caffe vanilla Frappuccino, and pumpkin spice latte below.

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Now, without further ado, the recipes these fancy coffee drinks.

Chai tea latte (hot or iced)

Chai latte recipe
Nipanan Lifestyle / Pexels

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is a tea drink, not a coffee drink — we get it. But it’s one of the most popular beverages that Starbucks sells, and as it’s nothing more than spiced black tea with lots of milk, you really should learn to make it at home and not give those fat cats all your fat stacks. Here’s the 4-1-1 on the CTL:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup milk (2% or whole)
  • 2 bags black tea
  • 3 1/4 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Method

  1. Mix 1 cup of water, 1 cup of milk and heat the blend over medium heat until it simmers (you don’t want to go too high and scald the milk).
  2. Cut the heat and add honey. Stir to incorporate, then add tea bags.
  3. Next, add cardamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Bring the milk, water, honey, tea, and spice blend back to a low simmer and stir for 3 more minutes.
  4. And you’re done! Get the tea bags out, pour, and enjoy. Or let it cool a bit, then pour over ice and enjoy. Oh, and consider topping with a bit of cinnamon for looks, too.

Caffe vanilla Frappuccino

Caffe vanilla Frappuccino
Thimo van Leeuwen / Unsplash

More milkshake than coffee drink, the Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino is nonetheless delicious, and it does pack a bit of caffeine punch. And calories. Like 500+, FYI, so keep that in mind.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2cups vanilla ice cream
  • 1 cup ice
  • 2 ounces espresso or 3-4 ounces black coffee
  • 1/4 teasoiib vanilla extract
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Method

  1. Combine ice with vanilla ice cream and blend until they’re completely mixed.
  2. Pour in espresso (or coffee) and vanilla extract. Blend again for a few seconds.

Yeah, that’s it. It’s ice cream blended with ice and coffee, and a dash of vanilla, because vanilla. Oh, and feel free to top with whipped cream. Not only is it more delicious than the Starbucks version, but it’s also far cheaper to make it.

Pumpkin spice latte

Latte with art
Pixabay / Pexels

This one is all about the syrup — once you have a batch of that made, you can make a pumpkin spice latte at home in a matter of minutes. The other great thing about a homemade pumpkin spice latte is there’s no reason you can’t make it in the dead of summer. We think a pumpkin spice latte is enjoyable any time of the year — so let’s start there.

Pumpkin spice syrup ingredients

  • 2 cups simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water ratio)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger

Note: Pumpkin spice syrup made with simple syrup can quickly add sugar, but we’ve got a solution. Look to sugar-free coffee syrups, such as Starbucks’ sugar-free vanilla. You can find pumpkin varieties online from many brands, including Jordan’s Skinny Syrups.

Pumpkin spice latte ingredients

  • 6 ounes milk (or heavy cream, cream, plant-based, or non-dairy milk)
  • 5 ounces espresso
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup*
  • Whipped cream, optional

Method

  1. Mix all the stuff and simmer it for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Strain it, cool it, and store it.
  3. Heat and then froth milk (you can use a dedicated frother or a blender, or you can do some serious whisking).
  4. Brew 5 ounces of espresso or 5 or 6 ounces of strong coffee.
  5. Blend the coffee with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup.
  6. Pour in milk. Top with whipped cream and another dash of syrup if you’d like. And you’d like, wouldn’t you?

There, the fall “classic,” demystified!

Bonus: Iced coffee

Iced coffee ina a glass
Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock

Iced coffee is just so refreshing on a warm day or after a hard workout in any season, but how to make yourself the perfect cup? Yes, you can buy pre-made iced coffee in pods, cans, and other options sold at the store. But this method is for when you’re craving iced coffee and don’t have any on hand. Bear with me …

Ingredients

  • Brewed black coffee
  • Ice

Method

  1. Brew your favorite black coffee.
  2. Pour it over a lot of ice.

(OK, flippancy aside, here’s one real tip: Be sure to brew a pot that’s a bit stronger than usual if you’re going to ice it.)

Steven John
Steven John
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of… Read Full Bio
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