Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Evergreens

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

You'll become a barista in no time

By
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.

Recommended Videos

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…
Topics
The best beers from California you can buy anywhere
California is more than just IPAs
Sierra Nevada

Currently, more than 9,000 breweries of all sizes operate in the US. That’s an awful lot of IPAs, stouts, and lagers to choose from. Some states are more saturated with breweries (per capita) than others. This includes places like Vermont, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, and, of course, California. While I could take a deep dive into all the biggest beer-producing states, today is all about The Golden State.

I have a special affinity for California beer, and it’s because of one style in particular. Sure, you can find a beer style to fit every palate in the state, but in California, the IPA reigns supreme. In fact, if you look at almost any list ranking the best beers in the state, it will be littered with IPA options. While I often imbibe pilsners and other lagers (as well as wheat beers and other lighter beers) in the summer as well as stouts and porters (and other dark beers) in the winter, I always go back to the classic West Coast IPA.

Read more
Blue Bottle just proved California can grow world-class coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee just dropped a super rare California-grown coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee

Coffee has always had its origins story – Ethiopia, Colombia, Panama. But California was never part of that conversation, until now. Coffee leader, Blue Bottle, has just launched the California Frinj San Diego Gesha, a washed Gesha grown in San Diego and Santa Barbara counties in partnership with Frinj Coffee, the pioneering network behind California's emerging coffee movement. Gesha is widely regarded as one of the most prized varietals in specialty coffee, known for its delicate floral complexity and fruit-forward character –  and this one delivers jasmine, peach, and strawberry in a cup.

Up until now, many coffee brands would shy away from growing specialty-grade coffee in California, as it requires years of experimentation and innovation. For the past two decades, Jay Ruskey, founder of Frinj Coffee, has helped pioneer California coffee product through continual experimentation with innovative growing practices, coffee varieties, and post-harvest processing. Now, this exciting new launch finally reflects that work. Cherries from two California farms were processed at Frinj's wet mill in Ventura, using carefully controlled fermentation to result in an exceptionally clean cup of coffee. This new variety showcases the signature floral aromatics and bright fruit character of the Gesha variety.

Read more
Dark rums for whiskey fans
These rums are a great choice for whiskey drinkers
rum bottles

There’s no disputing the appeal of whisk(e)y. Whether it's single malt Scotch whisky, bourbon, rye whiskey, Irish whiskey, or others. There’s something special about this barrel-aged spirit. But it’s not the only aged spirit, and if you’re limiting your sipping to this style, you’re missing out on some other special, flavorful spirit. Especially dark rum.

I’ve spent years imbibing the various forms of whiskey. But every now and then, I branch out and pour myself a glass of dark rum instead. Unsurprisingly, the two spirits have some of the same aromas and flavors. Since both are matured in wood barrels, they impart flavors like caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, and oak (among others). If you don’t already, you should branch out and add dark rum to your aged spirits rotation.

Read more