Easy Lavender Latte Recipe (Starbucks Copycat)

If you’re looking for a new coffee drink that screams quiet luxury, you need to try my easy Lavender Latte recipe. The perfectly caffeinated combo of bold espresso, frothy steamed milk, and lovely lavender syrup is a blessing for all of us who are eagerly awaiting the first blooms of spring after a long winter.

Between the great Lady Bird Johnson who said, “Where flowers bloom so does hope,” and the hilarious Stephanie Piro who opined, “Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee,” I feel very seen. 😂If you feel the same, you’re gonna love the new lineup at Starbucks and all my budget-friendly hacks to make them at home!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but lavender is the current “It Girl” of the coffee shop world. TBH, I couldn’t be happier. Between Starbucks’ iced lavender oat milk latte, iced oat milk matcha with lavender cream cold foam, and this hot lavender coffee latte, my kitchen-slash-barista-station has been abloom with the calming perfume of spring lavender flowers. 

If you’re looking to get in on the fun, there’s a low barrier to entry. All of the recipes for these new copycat Starbucks lavender latte drinks are made possible by my homemade lavender latte syrup. In it, you’ll find no artificial stabilizers or strange ingredients. Rather, it’s imbued with the essence of real, bona fide dried culinary grade lavender buds and a hint of vanilla. Perfect from the first sip.  

Jump to:

• What is a lavender latte?
• What does it taste like?
• Why You’ll Love This Lavender Latte Recipe
• Ingredients Needed
• Substitutions
• How To Make A Lavender Latte
• Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe Success Tips
• FAQs
• Homemade Lavender Latte Nutrition
• Other Homemade Latte Recipes
• Easy Lavender Latte Recipe

What is a lavender latte?

As I mentioned above, Starbucks has a whole LINE of lavender lattes, but this one is the simplest. It has the classic latte ratio of 1 part espresso to 3 parts steamed milk, but is made extra special thanks to an efflorescent hint of lavender sweetness.

What does it taste like?

Imagine taking a cat nap in the middle of a lavender field with the sun’s warming rays against your face and big poofy clouds in the sky. Between the warm milk, rich espresso, floral syrup, and crown of fluffy milk foam topped with dried lavender buds as a garnish, I think it’s a pretty spot-on flavor analogy for this delicious drink! 

Why You’ll Love This Lavender Latte Recipe

• So Stinkin’ Simple. 3 ingredients and 5 minutes is all that stands between you and this lavender-flavored cup full of sunshine.
• Equal Parts Cozy & Invigorating. Lavender is known to have a calming effect, while coffee gives energy. It’s a nice balance between alertness and serenity.
• It’s the Breakfast Companion You’ve Been Missing. Not only does whole milk have a healthy amount of protein and fat to help keep you full until lunch, but I also find that a fancy coffee shop drink helps to start my day on a more optimistic foot. 🤩

Ingredients Needed

Here's everything you need:

• Whole Milk - If you want your lavender latte Starbucks-style, start with whole milk. Unless otherwise specified in the name of the drink or as a customization to your order, all lattes from the coffee giant have a whole milk default. 
• Lavender Syrup - My homemade recipe takes mere minutes and just 4 ingredients to make, plus it’s much cheaper than buying a bottle of Monin or Torani.
• Espresso - The caffeinated heart of our lavender coffee recipe. For a more accurate Starbucks interpretation, use blonde roast espresso beans.

Substitutions

• Whole Milk - Feel free to swap in any kind of milk or plant-based milk of your choice.
• Lavender Syrup - To make this drink diabetic-friendly, opt for a cup-for-cup sugar-free alternative (e.g. monkfruit or stevia) when making your syrup. 
• Espresso - You can also use strongly brewed French press or drip coffee, or heat up some cold brew instead.

How To Make A Lavender Latte

Step 1: Whisk together the milk and lavender simple syrup in a small saucepan.

Step 2: Warm the sweetened milk over medium-low heat until starting to steam and foam.

Step 3: Remove from heat and froth with a milk frother or whisk. Set aside.

Step 4: Brew your espresso or coffee into a mug.

Step 5: Top with the lavender milk, foam and all. Drink up!

Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments

• Iced Lavender Latte - If you’d like to make an iced latte, skip warming and frothing the milk. You can just add the ingredients to a cup full of ice (or coffee ice) for a frostier take. Feel free to swap in cold brew coffee in place of the espresso.
• Lavender Oat Milk Latte - Want the flavor without the lactose? Swap in your favorite non-dairy milk. IMHO, full-fat oat milk is the way to go! You can also try my iced lavender oat milk latte recipe if you’d like a vegan version. 
• Go Halvsies With Another Syrup. The fun of playing barista is that you get to really play. Try mixing and matching your favorite coffee syrups to come up with a hybrid lavender coffee drink that’ll curl your toes. Some ideas include a honey lavender latte (using my honey syrup), a lavender vanilla latte (using my vanilla syrup), or a white chocolate lavender latte (using my white chocolate syrup).

Serving Suggestions

• Coffee & Dessert - When I host fancy dinners at our house, I always love to offer coffee with dessert. Go above and beyond by offering these lattes alongside matcha brownies, lemon blueberry trifles, or vanilla shortbread cookies. You can also make a pitcher of iced lattes if you’d rather keep it cool!
• Affogato-Style - Add a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream for a fire & ice vibe. It’s the perfect dessert! (Or breakfast. I’m not judging!)
• Mother’s Day Surprise - Fathers, take note! Bring your amazing wife some breakfast in bed. Keep it simple with a freshly made lavender latte and a stack of sweet cornmeal pancakes, fluffy strawberry waffles, a banana blueberry muffin, or her favorite pastry. PRO TIP: Avoid croissants for in-bed breakfast — the crumbs get everywhere!
• Car Line Calm Down - It seems cruel that kid pickup happens right smack in the middle of the mid-afternoon hump. Bring along a lavender latte, a book on tape, and a protein-packed oatmeal cookie — for you. Make it a mini meditation session before you gear up for dinner and homework.

Recipe Success Tips

• Think Ahead. Make a batch of homemade lavender syrup over the weekend so you can enjoy lavender latte luxury all week long. If you’re interested in making a lavender honey latte, consider making honey lavender syrup by steeping the lavender buds and vanilla called for in my lavender syrup recipe in a batch of my honey syrup. 
• Don’t Stress. You definitely don’t need a fancy espresso machine to turn out fancy Starbucks copycat coffee drinks. I use a stovetop espresso maker and an inexepensive wand-style milk frother!
• Simmer Down, Now. When you heat your milk, make sure not to scorch it. It’s hot enough when a few small bubbles start showing up around the edges of the saucepan.

FAQs

Homemade Lavender Latte Nutrition

With just under 250 calories per serving, this homemade lavender coffee drink is a bit of a splurge. That said, it also boasts 8 grams each of fat and protein, thanks to the whole milk. If you’d like to reduce your fat or calorie load, consider swapping to a lighter milk (e.g. 2% or almond milk). 

The thing to keep your eye on here is the carb count — each serving has 34 grams, all of which come from sugars. About 12 grams of those are naturally occurring in the whole milk, which means you’re looking at 22 grams of added sugars. This accounts for almost half of your daily recommended amount.

If you’re diabetic, watching your sugar intake, or simply want to save more room in the sugar budget for a treat later in the day, consider reducing or eliminating the added sugar by replacing some or all of the sugar in your lavender syrup with a sugar-free alternative like stevia or monkfruit. 

Total nutritional content per serving is:

• Calories: 238 calories
• Total Fat: 8 grams
• Protein: 8 grams
• Sodium: 115 mg
• Carbohydrates: 34 grams
• Sugar: 34 grams

*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the simple ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.

Other Homemade Latte Recipes

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xoxo Megan