Indulge with a creamy and refreshing iced vanilla latte! This Starbucks special is the perfect pick-me-up, made with rich espresso, smooth vanilla syrup, and cold milk…

Love a great iced vanilla latte at Starbucks? This creamy, dreamy beverage is the perfect pick-me-up on a hot day, or anytime you need a little boost. Even better, it’s so easy to whip up at home! Made with just a few simple ingredients—espresso, vanilla syrup, cold milk, and ice—it’s a versatile treat that can be enjoyed plain or customized to your liking. You’ll just need to make a delicious vanilla syrup, which takes just a few minutes to simmer on the stovetop.

What’s in an iced vanilla latte?

The iced vanilla latte is a Starbucks drink that combines espresso, vanilla syrup, ice, and cold milk. It’s a spin on the iced latte, a drink that’s the cold version of a latte (espresso plus steamed milk). An iced latte at Starbucks usually uses straight milk, but to simulate the steamed milk in a latte you can lightly froth it before adding it to the drink. Here’s what you’ll need to make an iced vanilla latte at home:

1 double shot espresso
¼ cup whole milk or oat milk
2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla syrup, homemade or purchased
Ice

How to make a vanilla iced latte: basic steps

A vanilla iced latte is simpler to make at home than the hot vanilla latte, since you don’t have to steam or froth milk. Instead, you can shake the milk in a jar to add a bit of froth, or simply use cold milk. Here is an overview of the steps to make an iced latte (or jump to the recipe below):

Step 1: Make the vanilla syrup.
Step 2: Make a double shot of espresso.
Step 3: Froth ¼ cup whole milk by shaking it in a covered jar or whisking until frothy.
Step 4: Pour the espresso and 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla syrup over ice. Add milk and serve.

How to make the espresso

The trickiest part of making an iced vanilla latte at home? Finding the best espresso method. The optimal method is an espresso machine, but they’re expensive and not accessible for most home baristas. There are several different methods for how to make espresso without a machine, which we’ve listed below.

Before you start, make sure to use espresso roast coffee beans. It’s important to get the right dark, bitter flavor. Use a fine grind on the espresso beans. Some brands we recommend: Illy, Starbucks or Intelligentsia. The best methods for making espresso at home are:

Espresso machine: An espresso machine is the best option: it makes incredible espresso but it’s pricy.
Portable espresso maker: A manual espresso maker is a great affordable option that makes very good espresso.
French press: French press espresso works well if you have this coffee tool on hand.
Moka Pot: Or, make very strong espresso-like coffee in a Moka Pot (Bialetti). It works impressively well!

Making vanilla syrup at home

It’s not worth going out to find a store-bought vanilla syrup for your vanilla iced latte (unless of course you already grabbed one at Starbucks!). It takes just minutes to make and uses ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Here’s how to make vanilla syrup:

Combine sugar and water: Place ½ cup each granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan on the stove.
Heat until dissolved: Heat over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until fully dissolved. Do not simmer!
Stir in vanilla: Remove from the heat and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Cool to room temperature before using.

That’s it! You can store it refrigerated for up to 1 month, though the flavor is best in the first few weeks.