DIY: Flavored Hot or Iced Lattes You Can Enjoy At Home While Quarantined

Anyone else hardcore missing their morning Starbucks run right about now?

Yep. That’s me.

But I will say, I am LOVING all the money we’re saving by skipping Starbs every day. In fact, we’ve started transferring the $10 we used to spend every day directly into a savings account. You would be surprised how quickly that adds up! We’ve already racked up about $350 just in these past five weeks alone.

So whether you’re not able to get to Starbucks, or you simply feel like putting that money to better use right now, here’s an awesome DIY Tutorial that you can use to make hot or iced lattes.

I’m going to highlight two of my favorite flavors – Vanilla Coconut and Chai Tea.

PLUS, I’m going to show you TWO DIFFERENT METHODS for at-home lattes, so you can choose the method that fits your lifestyle and budget.

And just in case you weren’t really sure what you were drinking, a latte is a mixture of espresso with steamed milk and foam. One shot of espresso is mixed with 6 to 8 ounces of steamed milk, then topped with foam. Without the foam it’s officially known as a Flat White.

I love flavored lattes, but I hate all the yucky chemicals and sugary ingredients in the typical syrup flavors that are used. Instead, we’ll be using collagen peptide powder to achieve our desired flavors, and I HIGHLY suggest you do the same.

Why?

Welp, in a nutshell, collagen is key to a healthy lifestyle. It supports healthy growth of hair and nails and it provides your skin with structure – as we age, our skin loses collagen, which is partly why we develop wrinkles. Studies have shown that collagen peptides or supplements containing collagen may help slow the aging of your skin by reducing wrinkles and dryness.

Collagen also helps relieve joint pain and contributes to bone health, but clearly, those aren’t as attractive as the aforementioned benefits, so I won’t go into too much detail there.

Let’s get started, shall we?

First and foremost, you’re going to need some kind of coffee maker. We have this particular coffee maker, and we love it. Find it here.

Now let’s choose a method for making lattes.

Boujee Method – Great for HOT LATTES

If it’s in your budget, I highly recommend this method for its simplicity and ease.

I bought an espresso machine as a gift for my husband when our daughter was born (almost two years ago, wahhhhhh she’s getting so big) and this thing has absolutely been a lifesaver ever since.

We have used it countless times and I can say without a doubt that it is entirely worth every single penny. Find it here.

When our daughter was a newborn and we couldn’t really leave the house yet, we basically survived off of at-home lattes, and it seriously made parenthood all the more enjoyable.

There are multiple settings on it so all you have to do is find the type of espresso you want, insert the pod and within seconds, it’s brewed.

It includes a built-in milk steamer that automatically froths the milk for you, ensuring you have the perfect latte every time.

If you do go this route, I would suggest opting for these pods, rather than the ones made by Nespresso. They’re much cheaper and I find the blends to be extremely tasty! Find them here.

For this tutorial, I used the Cafe Latte setting, as it’s the traditional route for lattes. The machine will brew the espresso, and then you’ll add the milk to the steam pitcher (there’s a line indicating how much milk to add) and ONE SCOOP of collagen powder. For this latte, I used Primal Kitchen Vanilla Coconut Collagen Powder. Find it here.

Then place the metal cup under the steam wand and hit the “steam milk” setting. The steam wand will blend the milk together with the collagen powder while it steams and froths.

Ta-da! Fresh, hot Vanilla Coconut Latte!

If you want to turn this into an iced latte, allow your espresso to chill for 20 minutes in the fridge prior to steaming your milk.

Once your milk is steamed, transfer the espresso to a tall glass filled with ice. Top with your milk and foam.

Budget Method – Great for ICED LATTES

If you’re on a budget, you’ll want to go the handheld route which is fairly easy, but not automated.

If you can’t afford the automated espresso machine, this little handheld milk frother will be the best $15 you ever spend! Get it here and I promise you’re going to want to froth everything in sight.

The one drawback is that you’re not technically making a real latte, since you won’t have access to espresso without the espresso machine.

But you can still use regular coffee and it will basically look/taste like a latte.

For this method, you’ll want to use your coffee pot to brew a regular 8 ounce cup of coffee. This is why this method works well for iced lattes – it yields more coffee, so it doesn’t get as diluted with ice.

We have this particular coffee maker, and we love it. Find it here.

Once you’ve brewed your coffee, place it into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

Then it’s time to “steam” the milk.

Pour 3-4 ounces of milk into a tall glass, and add ONE SCOOP of collagen powder. For this latte, I used Primal Kitchen Chai Tea Latte Collagen Powder. Find it here.

Dip your handheld frother into the glass, submerging it in the milk/collagen mixture. Hold down the button for a minimum of 45 seconds, producing a fast whirlpool. You’ll begin to see a little bit of froth at the top of your mixture.

Once frothed, fill the glass with ice and pour your chilled coffee in.

Yay! Iced latte!

If you want to make this a hot latte, simply skip the coffee chilling step, and pour the milk mixture into the hot coffee, instead of the other way around.

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Hey kids! Just a heads up that this post may contain affiliate links to products I love and use. If you take action after clicking one of these links (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase, etc.) I’ll earn a bit of a commission, which helps me keep this blog up and running – so you can keep finding dope recipes and helpful information! Thanks in advance for supporting The Northeast Ginger – xoxo Gossip Girl