Lavender Latte

Bring the coffeehouse to your house with this homemade Lavender Latte recipe! You’ll be surprised and delighted at how easy it is to make your own delicious lavender coffee at home.

 ☕Make Lavender Coffee at Home

I’m a millennial, so according to conventional Twitter wisdom, I must spend all my discretionary money buying avocado toast and overpriced fancy coffees. I can neither confirm nor deny my avocado toast consumption (okay, I eat it a lot) but I can deny spending oodles on fancy coffee — because I like to make my own at home!

Lattes, with their creamy texture and lush milk foam on top, may seem like something best left to the magicians at Starbucks, but they are surprisingly easy to whip up in your own kitchen. And the best part about making your own lattes? Getting to completely customize the flavors! You don’t have to stick to standard vanilla–you can use a variety of simple syrups to flavor your coffee with fruits, herbs, or–as in this case–fresh flowers.

Looking for more ways to lavender your life? You’ll love my all inclusive Guide to Baking with Lavender where I explain everything you need to know about culinary lavender.

❔What’s in a Lavender Latte?

Regular lattes are typically made with shots of espresso and steamed milk. To make this sweetly scented lavender version, we’re also adding lavender simple syrup, which is an easy-to-make sugar syrup infused with real lavender flavor. Like making your own flavored syrups? Don’t forget to try out my Cinnamon Syrup!

Skeptics, don’t worry–this drink recipe doesn’t taste like a flower garden, or your grandma’s soap. The lavender flavor isn’t overwhelming. It’s just a light floral undertone that gives this coffee a sophisticated, complex depth of flavor. A little extra sumthin’ sumthin’, if you will.

I think you’ll love this cozy, comforting drink. And if you’re looking for more hot drinks to warm you up, don’t miss our Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate, and –of course!!– Lavender Hot Chocolate!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Here’s the ingredients and equipment you’ll need to gather to make this lavender latte. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Espresso or coffee: Espresso is traditionally used in lattes, so if you have the ability to make espresso, that’s definitely preferred. Failing that, strong coffee is a great substitute.
• Milk: If you drink dairy, milk with some fat in it (like 2% or whole) works best and froths beautifully. For non-dairy milk options, oat milk is a great substitute. Almond milk also works well!
• Lavender simple syrup: To flavor and sweeten the latte, you’ll want a small amount of lavender simple syrup. Having this prepped requires a little advanced planning, but once you’ve made a batch, it keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks, so you can enjoy a daily latte with minimal work!

Equipment

• Espresso or coffee maker: You have a lot of options for making the espresso in this recipe! If you’re looking to get started on a budget, this countertop espresso machine is a great, affordable choice. You can also make delicious espresso in a French press!
• Milk frother: If you have a fancy espresso or coffee machine, you might already have a milk frothing attachment. But if you don’t, no worries – milk frothers can be very inexpensive. I’ve been using this type of milk frother for several years and it’s still going strong!

Here’s a breakdown of how to make each latte component, and instructions for putting it all together. Printable instructions are included in the recipe card down below.

1. Make the Lavender Simple Syrup

Lavender syrup is the key to turning a regular latte into a lavender latte. You’ll want to make the syrup first, since it takes time to infuse the sugar syrup with lavender flavor. It can be made in advance–even on a different day!–and stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks, and one batch will provide enough for two dozen lattes.

Here’s the quick and dirty lavender syrup procedure, but you can find much more information and full instructions in our lavender syrup recipe here.

• Combine lavender buds, water, and sugar in a saucepan.
• Heat on medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until it comes to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 6-8 minutes to thicken the syrup.
• Take it off the heat and let it sit for an hour to really absorb the flavor.
• Strain the lavender buds out of the syrup and transfer to a storage container.

Lavender syrup shortcut:

Not up for making your own lavender syrup? This Monin Lavender Syrup is a delicious, high-quality substitute.

2. Make the Espresso (or Coffee)

You have several options for making the espresso in this recipe:

• Use a home espresso maker
• Make espresso with a French press and espresso beans
• Use powdered espresso
• Brew double-strength coffee
• Failing all that, you can buy a few shots of espresso from your favorite local coffee shop!

3. Steam & Froth the Milk

• Heat the milk until hot but not boiling.
• Use a frother (I like this $10 version), insert it in the milk, not too close to the surface, and froth the milk until it doubles in size.
• If you don’t have a frother, you can heat the milk in a saucepan and whisk vigorously while it heats up, and this will produce a similar effect.

4. Put it All Together!

• Make the espresso and pour it into a latte cup.
• Add the lavender syrup and stir.
• Steam the milk and froth the milk.
• Slowly pour the milk in the center of the espresso – the foam will come out last.
• Garnish with a sprinkling of lavender buds, and enjoy!

💜 More Lavender Recipes

Love Lavender? Try one of these lavender desserts!

• Lavender Lemon Bars
• Chocolate-Lavender Pie
• Earl Grey Lavender Cupcakes
• Lavender Hot Chocolate
• Lavender Rose Ice Cream

🔥 More Drink Recipes

Baby, when it’s cold outside, try one of these hot drinks to keep you warm.

• Orange Hot Chocolate
• Raspberry White Hot Chocolate
• Strawberry Hot Chocolate
• Peppermint Affogato
• Nutella Hot Chocolate