It’s a hot day outside, and you need a cold drink. What can make a hot day better? A refreshing iced vanilla latte with homemade vanilla syrup. This is a great drink to have when you have guests over, or you just want to relax on your day off.

Why pay $5.00 for a tall iced vanilla latte from Starbucks when you can make one in the comfort of your own home? I have been making this recipe for years, and it never fails to impress my guests.

The homemade syrup gives the iced latte a rich flavor that you just can’t get from the store-bought brands.

What is an iced vanilla latte?

Iced coffee is a popular summer beverage, but it can be expensive to buy from coffee shops. Fortunately, you can make your own iced coffee drinks at home for a fraction of the price.

An iced vanilla latte is an iced coffee version flavored with vanilla syrup. For an iced vanilla latte with homemade vanilla syrup, you’ll need iced coffee, milk, sugar, and vanilla syrup.

"Vanilla iced latte."

You can make this iced vanilla latte two ways, you can use different coffees to flavor your drink, and they will taste very different and unique. You can use cold brew coffee or espresso shots as the basis for this drink.

If you want to make espresso-like coffee, you can check out my guide to brewing coffee with the AeroPress and Moka pot. These coffee brewers make amazing espresso coffee that’ll blow your mind!

Tip: Did you know that you can also make espresso-like coffee with the French press? Check out this article here!

I like both coffees and have been drinking both versions for a few summers already. If you’re not sure which coffee to use, I suggest:

  • Make this recipe with cold brew if you want a more balanced coffee flavor with a few robust notes.
  • If you prefer an iced coffee with more coffee flavor, you’ll likely be better off using espresso shots as the basis.

There is no right or wrong to this recipe. And Your Dream Coffee is all about providing you all the information to make the best coffee possible that suits your taste!

If you want to learn how to make cold brew coffee, which is super easy to do, you can check out my guide to making cold brew coffee at home here.

"Espresso cold brew in the making."

Did you know that you can also make espresso cold brew and cold brew concentrate? These cold brew coffees are much stronger in flavor and offer a unique twist to your iced coffee.

What does an iced vanilla latte taste like?

An iced vanilla latte tastes sweet and creamy at the same time. The strong coffee is the perfect counterpart to the sweet vanilla syrup and the creaminess of the milk, while the ice cubes make for the perfect matching.

The great part about this recipe is that you can choose the amount of sweetness you’d like to add to your coffee. I’ve listed the recipe below that I think tastes the best and most balanced.

But, if you feel like the coffee can use a bit more sweetness, make sure to add a bit more of that homemade vanilla syrup to your coffee.

Let me guide you through the recipe, and I’ll show you how to make that delicious homemade vanilla syrup after:

Iced Vanilla Latte

Quick and easy iced vanilla latte recipe that tastes sweet and delicious.

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of whole milk
  • 1/4 cup (0.06 l) of espresso or cold brew coffee
  • 2 tbsp (30 grams) of vanilla syrup
  • Ice cubes

Instructions

Now that you've made the vanilla syrup, you're ready to make this amazing coffee drink:

  1. In a tall glass of choice, add ice cubes. I like to fill the glass to about halfway with ice cubes.
  2. Pour the milk on top of your ice-filled glass.
  3. Swirl in your homemade vanilla syrup.
  4. Now, slowly pour in the coffee of choice. Serve and enjoy!

This super easy coffee recipe is now done. You can now enjoy your iced vanilla latte wherever you want (I like to sit in the sun).

Notes

You can use either cold brew coffee or the same amount in espresso coffee. The amount of coffee used equals two shots of espresso.

If you feel like the coffee is not sweet enough, consider adding a bit more vanilla syrup or lowering the amount of coffee used.

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Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 5.95gSaturated Fat: 3.4gUnsaturated Fat: 1.4gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 73mgCarbohydrates: 16gSugar: 17.6gProtein: 5.9g

Iced vanilla latte calories

This vanilla latte has a total of 150 calories. I’ve broken it down into the different calories down below:

  • The 2 tbsp (30 grams) of vanilla syrup is good for 40 calories.
  • 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of whole milk takes up the remaining calories, 110 calories.

If you want to use a milk alternative instead of cow’s milk for this recipe, feel free to do so.

To calculate the number of calories in this drink with a different milk or milk alternative, retract the 110 calories and add the number of calories of the milk of choice.

Also, if you want to sweeten up your iced vanilla latte a bit more, remember that each tablespoon of vanilla syrup adds 20 calories to your drink.

How to make vanilla syrup at home

Homemade vanilla syrup is a much better option than artificial flavoring. It’s easy to make, and you can use it in all your favorite drinks and desserts!

The best part about making this vanilla syrup at home is that it is cheap to make and can be made in just five minutes.

To make yourself some vanilla syrup for six servings, you’ll need the following ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (0.12 l) of cold water
  • 120 grams of white granulated sugar
  • One vanilla bean split and deseeded
"Vanilla syrup made from scratch."

If you want to make more than six iced vanilla lattes, make sure to make more of the vanilla syrup at once. This will save lots of time, and you can store the syrup in the fridge for a few days. To make the vanilla syrup:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the water, white granulated sugar, and the seeds of the vanilla bean along with the vanilla pod.
  2. Place over medium heat and keep stirring this mixture while it heats up.
  3. The added vanilla bean will give off even more flavor throughout the heating process, which is why it’s a great addition.
  4. When the sugar has dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
  5. Once completely cooled, remove the vanilla bean from the vanilla syrup and transfer the vanilla syrup into a resealable container to store in the fridge.

You’ve now made a fantastic vanilla syrup that is full of flavor and can be used to make this amazing iced vanilla latte at home.

For more information on making this vanilla syrup at home, check out my other article here!

If you have some leftover vanilla syrup, you can also check out the following coffee recipes; these recipes use the vanilla syrup as well:

How to make an iced vanilla latte with vanilla extract

If you want to make an iced vanilla latte using vanilla syrup, you can switch out the vanilla syrup for a few splashes of vanilla extract and mix this through your drink.

However, I think the best option is using simple syrup as the basis for this drink and adding vanilla extract to this mixture instead of the vanilla bean.

When you’re adding the simple syrup as the basis, you make sure that the coffee is sweetened accordingly, and the vanilla extract will give you that amazing vanilla flavor needed to make this coffee drink.

Conclusion

This iced vanilla latte recipe is amazing, and I’ll never get tired of drinking it. I’ve been making this iced coffee for a few years in a row, and each summer, I like the taste the same!

I highly suggest making a bigger batch of the amazing vanilla syrup if you expect to drink more iced latte in the coming days.

This way, you have a nice batch of the stuff hanging out in your fridge, and you can whip up an iced vanilla latte in just a few minutes.

If you liked this recipe, I suggest checking out the iced coffee recipes I’ve listed below. These recipes will get you through those hot summer days while still getting your caffeine in!

Do you like vanilla-flavored iced coffees? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!

More iced coffee recipes

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Author

On my coffee blog you will find everything you need in order to start brewing coffee at home. Ranging from the basics; to the newest coffee recipes everybody talks about! You can learn more about me here.

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