This dairy-free iced latte is a fast and easy coffee drink for hot summer days.
It's 90 degrees today. And it's supposed to stay hot and humid for the rest of the week. This iced latte has become my go-to drink for these hot summer days. If you're following me on Instagram, you saw the first time I made this iced espresso and milk. I've been having it just about every summer morning since then.
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How to make iced latte at home
Making iced latte at home saves money and you get to control the quality of the ingredients. It's almost impossible to find a clean non-dairy milk at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. While they may have almond milk or coconut milk (some Starbucks are even offering oat milk now), the ingredients will likely include gums, additives and other processed food chemicals. Also, cashew milk is my favorite and that's even harder to find.
When the weather is cooler, I make cappuccino in the mornings. The regular coffee maker collects dust, but the espresso machine gets used every day. While I always have cold brew iced tea in the fridge, I've never really gotten into making cold brew coffee. It's so easy to make a shot of espresso in the morning, and just pour it over a glass full of ice and nut milk.
If you don't have an espresso machine you can substitute double strength coffee or even cold brew concentrate. There are a few good brands of bottled cold brew concentrate that I like to use if I'm traveling like this one and this one.
The key is to make sure the coffee is strong so the flavor stands up to the almond milk or cashew milk that you'll be adding. You want your iced latte to be rich and creamy and using regular coffee will make it thinner because you have to add more coffee to get the same flavor.
This is one of those recipes you'll want to play around with to get your perfect blend. I prefer mine with mild and creamy homemade cashew milk (it's so easy to make!), but you can always use almond milk, coconut milk or your favorite dairy-free milk. I don't add sweetener, but if you like your coffee sweetened, try a little stevia, raw honey or maple syrup.
Or if you're a fan of Starbucks iced mocha or vanilla macchiato, try adding chocolate or vanilla flavored stevia to your homemade iced latte. Either way, you'll have a cold, creamy coffee drink to help you beat the heat.
Here are a few more coffee drinks to try:
And if you like smoothies, check out the dairy-free smoothie recipe videos below:
Dairy-Free Iced Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 large ice cubes
- 1/2 cup cashew milk or almond milk, coconut milk or other non-dairy milk, to taste
- 2 shots of espresso
- sweetener of choice, optional
Instructions
- Make espresso shots and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Fill large heat-proof glass with ice. Pour in milk, then espresso. Stir, and sweeten if desired.
Notes
- Substitute almond milk or coconut milk for the cashew milk if preferred.
- Stir in vanilla stevia, maple syrup, or liquid sweetener of choice if desired.
- For keto: use stevia or another low carb sweetener
- For Whole30: skip the sweetener altogether and be sure to use unsweetened nut milk or coconut milk
Nutrition
You may also like these breakfast recipes:
Barnabas Radics
I found this very helpful! Now i know how to make iced latte!
Hil
I am lactose intolerant and am always looking for caffeine alternatives to drink. I do a similar one with coffee but I think I will try with espresso next time. Thanks for the idea!
Lisa
Glad I could help, Hil! I have a dairy intolerance too, so I’m always trying different dairy-free options.
Lisa
Yay! Homemade cashew milk is so easy, and it has a creamy, mild flavor that’s great with espresso drinks.
Hannah
I love my coffee and this iced one would be super great in the hot summer! Thanks for sharing
<3