So, you know I quit using sugar in my coffee awhile back (I know, I know, I still can’t believe it!!) and I’ve been playing around with different hot drinks.
I love this Homemade Latte recipe, but I’ve learned that I just can’t do much espresso or I’m too wired. I already tend to be a person who has a lot of energy and zest for life, so I don’t really need the extra hype that I get from having more than a tiny bit of espresso.
Plus, you know that I’m all about keeping it simple. So dragging out multiple pieces of equipment and going through multiple steps to make a latte just ain’t happening every day around here.
But I love lattes, I really do. So I came up with an easy-peasy solution.
My easy-peasy solution is probably called some fancy name and I just don’t know it and it has been shared all over the internet. However, since I didn’t see the idea on Pinterest (Yup, can you believe that it’s possible to come up with an idea without Pinterest?!?), just humor me and pretend it’s a new idea. 😉
My Homemade “Latte” Recipe
1. Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of half and half or milk in a glass cup in the microwave for 45 to 60 seconds.
2. Use an electric frother (you can pick one of these up for just a few dollars from a place like IKEA or probably Walmart or Target. I got mine from Amazon, thanks to Swagbucks!) and froth the milk/cream for 15 to 20 seconds.
3. Pour the froth into a steaming cup of hot coffee. And ta-da! You have yourself a fancy looking”Latte” that is very low calories (it’s about 40-60 calories total if you use half and half), inexpensive, and doesn’t give you a caffeine headache or make you feel wired!
Basically, this just requires one extra minute each morning to make and it feels like I’m drinking a super special coffee shop drink. 🙂
What’s your favorite coffee shop drink? Have you found a quick homemade version? If so, I’d love to have the recipe link or details so that maybe I can try it out, too!
Any suggestions for those of us who are lactose intolerant?
I think it might work with rice, almond, or coconut milk — though I haven’t tried it.
I’ve done this frothing with my mini French press too, with almond or coconut milk and it works great! Coconut milk has more of the fat/cream feel of half and half/creamer as compared to almond milk, making the coffee taste a bit richer I think. I love almond milk with chai lattes though! Adding cinnamon to the grinds before brewing or directly to the coffee after brewing is another delicious addition 🙂
You can do this without a milk frother; America’s Test Kitchen wrote about this method somewhere. Put milk in a mason jar (not a small jar—needs room), seal tightly, and shake for 30 seconds. Remove metal lid and microwave until hot. Pour/spoon into coffee.
Thank you for sharing this idea! I ordered this right away from your link, and have been enjoying my foam for a couple days. My kids love “stirring the milk” for me too so WIN!
I use a small glass mason jar with a tight fitting lid to froth my milk. Put a few tablespoons in, put the lid on and shake it up until foamy, take the lid off, then heat in the microwave until warm.
That sounds great! I’ll have to try it with a tea latte. Yum!
I think I will need to get an electric frother before next winter. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I love chai lattes. I do make them at home sometimes. It always seems like something’s missing. I think maybe it’s the froth 🙂
Ooww…I love chai lattes too. Have a recipe you would be willing to share? I’m trying to cut down on mixes which usually contain artificial this and that. Thanks!
I don’t remember where I saw the recipe originally, but here’s what I do:
Pick your favorite chai tea bags (my favorites are the french vanilla chai from either Twinnings or Bigelow).
You want to brew the tea very strong so, depending on taste, use either one or two tea bags.
Fill a 2-cup glass measuring cup with one cup of water. Add tea bags (remove any metal staples!) and microwave for 5 to 6 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil the water on the stove for about the same amount of time.
Once the tea is done, add any sweetener you like (I use sweet drops stevia liquid).
Then add 1 cup of milk to the brewed tea and stir. Sometimes I will heat it for an additional minute to bring it back up to hot.
I don’t remember where, in the original recipe, they frothed the milk. They may have heated the milk separately and frothed it before adding to the tea. What I will probably do is just froth the whole mixture once it’s done. Don’t know how that will go! 🙂
If made with brewed coffee instead of espresso it is actually called a cafe au lait or a cafe misto. There is nothing better than making fancy coffees at home!
I knew there had to be a fancy name… I just didn’t know what it was! Thanks so much for sharing!
Actually, having lived in Paris for two years I can tell you that a Cafe au Lait this is not; a traditional cafe au lait has no foam whatsoever. A traditional cafe au lait, is actually cold milk added after stronger brewed coffee is poured, and there is no sugar in the blend. Also, in Italy, a misto is cold milk added to any brew, and is only added by request, and adding foam to your coffee is a faux pas. In fact, what we consider coffee house coffees were created post WWII when American soldiers could not drink full coffee house drinks, and views like the Americano were created; adding milk to coffees is an Americanized, tourist trend. As well, the coffee we are all in reference to, and was adopted by Starbucks, actually comes from the famed Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, which whipped half and half and milk into a foam to combat the strength of the chickory coffee it has served for over a century, along side its beignets; the cream being whipped in front of you as you order.
WHAT i enjoy is i make a cup in my keurig, then i pour it in a vitamixcup, along with a tablespoom of coconut oil, a tad of milk and stevia, blend it= frothy goodness
This is how I make my coffee too! Only I use decaf with sugar 🙂
I “froth” my milk by using my daughter’s child-size whisk. I just put my palms together with the whisk handle in the middle and rub back and forth really fast.
I do that with a whisk too! Hand whisk-ers unite! 🙂
I’ve been putting my coffee with half and half in my bullet blender and blending it for 15 seconds or so, and it comes out really frothy. No need to heat the half and half & froth it separately so it’s super quick! Sometimes I add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil, and it’s like a bulletproof coffee with fewer calories.
Such a great idea!!
My current favorite is bulletproof coffee.
Against popular belief, a shot of espresso contains only 1/3 the caffeine content as a regular cup of coffee. Also, Robusta has more caffeine than Arabica beans.
Fascinating! I always assumed it had a lot more caffeine in it — especially based upon how jittery it made me feel. So why am I okay drinking regular coffee but espresso makes me have a headache? Any ideas?? Now I’m intrigued!
It’s true that one shot of espresso has less caffeine than a normal cup of coffee. Possibly before you’ve had a double shot in your latte? or maybe just drank the espresso straight? I find that coffee mixed with a lot of milk doesn’t “kick” like black coffee or espresso does. Or maybe you make weak coffee :)? Or possibly it’s psychological. My husband gets a short kick from decaf coffee just because his thinks he should get a kick. If you get a headache it may be because you didn’t get enough caffeine in the espresso – but that wouldn’t really explain the jitters.
Beth, I can relate to your husband. I get anxious and jittery from too much coffee. Strangely enough, this happens with “normal” coffee and also with the decaf variety. Maybe it takes a coffee expert to explain this 🙂
Even decaf has some caffeine in it! 🙂
I really enjoy a cafe mocha, so I found a $12 Krups espresso maker at Goodwill, that makes a pretty good cup, and I can really steam my own lowfat milk. I add a little chocolate syrup to the bottom of my mug, and voila… my mocha is ready.
I love my frother. I don’t drink coffee, but love chai lattes, and now don’t have to go to Starbucks to get one. The kids also like to heat up milk and froth it to put on top of their cocoa.
Paula, can you share how you make a chai latte at home? Thank you!
I bought one of those on a whim from Amazon recently and it’s the best thing ever! I tried the trimmaccino recipes but the texture from the gelatin or gluccie was really weird. I don’t put sugar or stevia in my coffee either, but that little frother plus my aeropress makes me feel like I have coffeshop style coffee every morning! It’s a great find for sure.