Easy Homemade Latte

When I want to switch up my typical morning black coffee, I like to make a latte to bring along to school or work with me. While lattes seem like they would be too much of an added effort in the morning, I've worked on finding the quickest method to make this morning treat.

I decided to start making my own lattes when I discovered that buying one frequently at a café can take a bit of a hit on your wallet, and as a student, I'm trying to save money by avoiding unnecessary costs. I'm definitely not saying to avoid buying lattes at all costs, as I still go to a café when I'm craving a treat that I don't have to make, but if you want to save a few extra dollars, this is just the latte for you. 

So, this easy homemade latte recipe was created after experimentation with my Keurig and some different coffee flavourings. You can change up this recipe by using different types of milk, sweeteners, or flavourings to customize it to the exact flavour you want, so try a few out to see what you like!

First off, start by filling your mug approximately halfway with milk. You can use a bit less or more depending on how strong you want your latte to be. If you want to diffuse the espresso taste with more milk, then go ahead and add some extra. If you want a larger size, heat up more milk for your latte. 

I used less milk for my latte because I only wanted a small one, and I wanted it to be a bit stronger as well. 

Feel free to change up the type of milk you use. If you have dietary needs or specific preferences, you can try making this latte with soy milk or almond milk, as both are delicious alternatives to your typical skim or 2% milk. 

Once you've got your milk measured, heat it up. You can do this by putting it over medium-high heat on the stove for a couple minutes, or you can pop it in the microwave for a minute and a half, which is what I normally do to speed the process up. 

Next, pour the warmed milk into a frother. For this, you can use an electric one or a manual pump one, which you can pick up for a reasonable price at a home store or online. I ordered mine on Amazon Canada and received it within a couple days. This one's the perfect size for an individual latte.

I recommend starting on your espresso once you've transferred the milk into the frother (before you start frothing). Now, I have a Keurig with the three size buttons (one of them being espresso size) so I rely on that for this step. If you have an espresso maker then you're set, as you can brew it from there. If you don't have either, you can make a really strong coffee for this part. 

Once your espresso is brewed, pour the heated milk into the mug. 

I like to pour the milk in first, then add the frothed milk in at the end. You can do this by only opening the top of your milk frother a little, then taking the top off completely for the foam to fall into place. I prefer my lattes with lots of foam, so I usually froth the milk for longer. 

If you'd like to add some extra sweetness or flavour, you can add sugar or sweetener in. I usually like adding some flavoured creamer (vanilla or hazelnut) into my latte. Just pour a little into your milk before frothing or into the bottom of your mug, and you've got yourself a tasty latte! If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can add a little cinnamon on top too. 

How do you guys like your coffee in the morning? Would you prefer plain ol' black coffee, or do you prefer something a little sweeter? I love it both ways, just as long as it's coffee! 

Until next time, 

Kaitlyn xo