Olive Oil Latte: What Is It & Should You Try It Out?

If you’re a coffee fanatic looking for something new and exciting, an olive oil latte could be just what you need.

This increasingly popular beverage combines the creamy texture of a traditional latte with the rich flavor of extra-virgin olive oil.

While it may initially sound odd, this combination provides an interesting mix of flavors that might surprise your taste buds and elevate your daily cup of joe.

Curious to learn more? Read on to find out everything there is to know about the olive oil latte!

What is an olive oil latte?

An olive oil latte is a unique and delicious beverage made with espresso coffee, extra-virgin olive oil, and oat milk for a smooth and creamy taste.

The following recipe is based on Starbucks’ Oleato Caffè Latte, but there are a few ways to switch things up and make it suit your taste buds a bit better.

Even though adding olive oil to coffee has been around for quite a while, the recent announcement that Starbucks is incorporating olive oil with various coffees has increased interest.

If you want to learn more about why you should put olive oil in coffee, the health benefits, and some disadvantages, I suggest checking out this original article.

Over there, I’ve covered the above-listed topics and an olive oil coffee worth trying.

What ingredients are needed to make this latte?

The best part about this recipe (after not having to leave the house to go to Starbucks) is the small list of ingredients needed:

• Espresso – Starbucks uses its blonde espresso roast for this recipe, but I’ll cover more options in a bit.
• Oat milk – It’s best to use a barista edition oat milk like the Oatly version. This barista edition will froth and foam better than a regular version.
• Olive oil – Use a good extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor (more on this further down).

Now that you have a good idea about the three ingredients needed to make this delicious latte at home, it’s time to go in-depth about each ingredient to see how you can adjust the recipe to your liking:

Which milk is best used in this recipe?

You can use oat milk to make the Starbucks version of this drink at home.

It’s best to use a barista version of oat milk which will froth better, and it’ll have a longer-lasting foam.

Starbucks has been using Oatly barista edition oat milk since they started offering it back in 2021.

I’ve also been using this version at home and find it worth the extra money, as the foam is much better than regular oat milk.

However, feel free to use any oat milk you have at home, as it will most definitely taste delicious.

As far as using a different kind of milk goes, you’ve got a lot of options that will all froth well:

• Stick with whole milk if you love that full flavor.
• You could use coconut milk if you like a sweeter drink.
• Soy milk is a great option as it foams beautifully.

If you’re using a different dairy-free alternative than oat milk, try using the barista edition of those.

These will also froth much better than their regular version will.

Low-fat milk will not froth well in combination with this olive oil recipe. As there is not enough fat in these versions, the olive oil will have a hard time emulsifying.

The separation of the olive oil and lower-fat milk will have a weird structure which will not be the most enjoyable in terms of looks and flavor.

What are the best coffee beans to use?

Like using oat milk to get close to Starbucks’ versions and taste, I suggest using blonde roasted coffee beans:

The taste of blonde espresso is mainly characterized by its bright, sweet acidity and mellow finish.

It has mostly citrus-like notes with hints of honey and caramel to round out the flavors.

This espresso roast also provides a nice balance between fruitiness and bitterness due to its low level of roasting intensity – compared to medium or dark-roasted beans, which tend to be more intense in flavor.

So if you’re not a fan of regular espresso because of its strong taste, you might enjoy blonde espresso better. You can check out the differences between the espressos in this article.

You could also go with a different type of roast than blonde. A medium to dark roast from Ethiopia will be fruity and will combine well with the olive oil in this recipe.

It’s best to experiment with various coffee beans until you find the one that suits your taste buds.

If you’re still on the hunt for some delicious espresso beans, you can check out this article.

Can you also use coffee pods for this recipe?

You can absolutely use coffee pods for this recipe. Starbucks blonde pods are a great option to consider if you want to stick to Starbucks’ recipe.

These pods contain a special blend of beans that have been roasted and blended to create a cup with a light body and delicate flavors.

You could also stick with other espresso pods from Nespresso if you want a more robust flavor.

Using coffee pods for this recipe is a great and convenient way to make this olive oil latte at home.

Which olive oil is best used for an olive oil latte?

You can use any extra-virgin olive oil you have on hand. This type of olive oil undergoes the least amount of processing, so it’s the most natural.

It also has a more pleasant taste and won’t make your coffee taste bitter. And it has more polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant.

Starbucks uses Partanna extra-virgin olive oil, so if you want to mimic the Starbucks olive oil latte to a tee, you can check it out here.

How much olive oil should you add to your latte?

When making an 8-ounce olive oil latte, adding 1 tablespoon (15 ml) will be enough to get the health benefits and flavor of the olive oil infused.

In the press release from Starbucks, they also talk about adding a spoonful of olive oil to coffee, which would be enough for the smallest cup sizes they offer.

I felt that 1 tablespoon is a good amount of olive oil to add to your latte. You’ll get the nutty flavor without it being overwhelming in flavor.

When testing this recipe, I also made this latte with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (30 ml), which didn’t turn out that well.

The olive oil flavor was way too out there, and it had an unpleasant taste overall. So I’d suggest sticking with 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the recipe listed below:

Conclusion

In conclusion, crafting an olive oil latte at home is an easy and cost-effective way to enjoy the deliciousness of this beverage.

You can use any type of coffee beans that you want, whether that’s light roast for a citrusy flavor or a dark roast for a bolder flavor.

Finding what fits your taste preferences the best might take some experimenting, but it will be well worth it in the end.

However you decide to craft it, a homemade olive oil latte is bound to be a delicious treat!

More espresso-based recipes to try

• Mocha Macchiato: What Is It & How Do You Make It at Home?
• Piccolo Coffee: What Is It & How to Easily Make It at Home
• Americano With Milk: What Is It and Should You Try It?