Starbucks Caramel Macchiato
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The snow is still on the round and temperatures are still below zero, so we all know what that means… Coffee time!
If you’ve followed me for awhile, then you know that coffee shops are a major source of inspiration for my recipes! While we’re still well into winter (here in Canada at least), it’s time to make the most out of sharing hot drinks! For more details on how going out to eat (or drink!) can spark your creativity in the kitchen, be sure to check out my free guide Make Cooking Fun!.
If there’s someone in your life that simply adores a warm Caramel Macchiato on a chilly day or just to kickstart their morning, then you can put your heart in a cup with this easy macchiato recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! To get started on your cooking journey today, be sure to sign up to my free email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent straight to your inbox!
Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see how we make our Starbucks Caramel Macchiato from beginning to end, step by step! It would mean a lot to me if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and be sure to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s get brewing!
What is a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato?
Whenever I’m making a Starbucks at home recipe, I like to see Starbucks’ definition of the drink:
Freshly steamed milk with vanilla-flavored syrup marked with espresso and topped with a caramel drizzle for an oh-so-sweet finish.
source: Starbucks.com
Short and sweet, and I think it actually describes the hot drink quite well, and I have no additional input to the description!
What Is in a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato?
Now let’s see the ingredients that go into the Starbucks beverage:
Milk, Brewed Espresso, Vanilla Syrup [Sugar, Water, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid], Caramel Sauce [Sugar, Corn Syrup, Butter (Cream (Milk), Salt), Water, Heavy Cream, Nonfat Dry Milk, Natural Flavors, Salt, Mono & Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Sulfites]
source: Starbucks.com
This ingredient list is certainly on the smaller side of some of the other Starbucks drinks out there, but we can still avoid some of the “extras” that we see contained in the vanilla syrup and in the caramel sauce. You will soon see that every part of our Caramel Macchiato will be all natural!
What’s the Difference between a macchiato and a latte?
I know there are lots of coffee terminology, but all the coffees can seem quite similar to someone who is not a coffee connoisseur (to be honest, like myself!). For starters, a latte is either a hot or iced espresso-based drink. Note that the ratio of espresso to milk is 1/3 part espresso and 2/3 parts milk. A latte consists of steamed milk, in addition to a layer of milk foam on the top. Sweetener isn’t required, but in my opinion it makes a latte tastier!
While a macchiato has the same components of a latte (milk, espresso, optional sweetener), the difference is that there is only a splash of steamed milk, and there is no milk foam on the top. Because of the reduced quantity of milk in a macchiato, the espresso flavour is much stronger in a macchiato. In Italian, macchiato translates to “spotted” or “stained,” referring to the coffee being stained by a splash of milk! Additionally, unlike a latte, where the milk is poured into the espresso, a macchiato is made by adding the espresso into the milk!
Why You’ll Love Making your own Caramel Macchiato!
Won’t burn a hole in your wallet: When I got a grande caramel macchiato from Starbucks to compare with my homemade caramel macchiato, it cost $5.95 CAD, and with tax the total was $6.72! While there are other drinks that are more expensive than this, regardless this is still a lot of money to be spending on one drink, while your homemade version probably costs a dollar at most! I do like to treat myself to Starbucks occasionally, but if you want to save some money, you’ll really see the difference by skipping the daily trip to the coffee shop.
Quick: Making all of the components from scratch can seem daunting and cumbersome. However, the recipes for both the Caramel Sauce for Coffee and the Simple Vanilla Syrup don’t require many ingredients, and they are fairly fast to get ready. However, I would certainly recommend that you make these in advance so that they’re ready for your busy mornings! The process of making the actual caramel macchiato will only take about 5 minutes!
Everything from scratch: The caramel sauce and the vanilla syrup are both made from scratch with simple ingredients you can easily find in your household. No preservatives that may upset your tummy here!
Endless customizations: While this Caramel Macchiato recipe will mimic the drink from Starbucks, the beauty of making your cup of joe at home is that you really can do whatever you want! I know you can go pretty crazy with Starbucks customizations, but perhaps you feel bad asking them to make a crazy drink. Well, it’s you doing the work here, so let your creativity shine! I’ve got some variation ideas listed later on in this post.
Tools Needed to make a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato at Home
Saucepan: Needed to make your caramel sauce and your vanilla syrup.
Whisk: To stir everything together for the caramel sauce and vanilla syrup.
Mason jar: Handy to store the vanilla syrup.
Spatula: This can be useful to transfer the caramel sauce from the saucepan into a squeeze bottle.
Latte glass: For serving.
French press and frother: Use this combination if you don’t have a coffee maker with a frother or an espresso machine.
Measuring cups: To measure out everything you need for the macchiato itself and the other components.
Measuring spoons: Also useful for measuring vanilla and sugar, and even the vanilla syrup into the macchiato.
Squeeze bottle: Transfer your caramel sauce into a squeeze bottle so you can have more control when designing the caramel drizzle on top.
Ingredients for Starbucks caramel macchiato
You can scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, where you can find all the ingredient quantities, and you can save the recipe for later. The recipe card also allows you to scale the recipe based on how many macchiatos you’re looking to make. This recipe will yield the equivalent of one Starbucks grande (16 fluid ounces or 473 mL) cup. You can also scale the recipe based on how many lattes you’re looking to make. This recipe yields one grande (16 fluid ounce or 473 mL) cup by default.
For the Caramel Sauce
heavy cream
butter
water
For the Vanilla Syrup
water
For the Caramel Macchiato
Milk: I’ll be using full fat cow’s milk, but use your favourite.
Espresso or strong coffee: My choice here is caramel for more caramel goodness!
Water: You’ll need some water to brew coffee or espresso.
Vanilla syrup: While I’m using my homemade syrup, you can always use a store-bought one if you feel like it.
Caramel sauce: A caramel sauce is absolutely mandatory store-bought one.
How to Make Starbucks Copycat Caramel Macchiato
FOR THE VANILLA SYRUP
In a saucepan, add the water and sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Once dissolved, add the vanilla extract, turn off the heat and pour out the vanilla syrup into a mason jar for storage.
FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE
In a pan, add the sugar and water and whisk well to combine.
Turn the heat to medium-high heat and leave the sugar-water mixture alone. The mixture will start to simmer, and eventually the colour will change from white to amber. Keep a close eye and don't stir or shake the pan until the colour changes.
Then, remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cream gently, while whisking well. Add the butter as well.
Once the mixture has stopped bubbling and has turned into a rich caramel colour, add the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
Set aside to cool down.
For the Caramel Macchiato
Add the vanilla syrup to the cup, along with the caramel sauce.
Steam the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute and then use a frother to froth the milk.
Pour the steamed milk in your cup with the vanilla syrup and the caramel sauce.
If using Ninja Dual Brew, add ground coffee to the machine and select "specialty" brew style. Set the amount to 4 oz.
Place the cup at the base of the machine and brew the coffee into the milk.
If using French Press, pour 4 Tbsp of ground coffee (2 servings) to the jug and then add boiling hot water to the French press. Cover the French press with the included lid and allow the coffee to steep for 4 minutes.
If using an espresso maker, make a strong shot of espresso for each serving.
Drizzle with caramel sauce.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Variations of Caramel Macchiato
Iced: Make an iced caramel macchiato by following the steps mentioned here, but instead of steaming your milk, just pour cold milk directly in the cup, along with some ice cubes.
Milk: While I don’t like plant-based milk, I’ve heard that oat milk is a great dairy alternative that will yield coffee. However, in my opinion, the “oat” taste is too . Personally, I actually don’t like it since I find the “oat” taste too prominent, and it distracts from the main flavour I’m looking for in my latte. For more neutral flavours but to keep the creaminess, my recommendations would be coconut milk and soy milk. However, almond milk is a high-calcium and low-calorie choice. The caveat is that your drink is likely to be much thinner than desired. To truly keep everything here made from scratch, perhaps try making your own almond milk!
Coffee: Other flavoured coffees will make the same hazelnut, maple, or dulce de leche.
Sweetener: For more of a deeper flavour, swap out the vanilla syrup for Brown Sugar Syrup, or you could mix and match with a tablespoon of vanilla and a tablespoon of the brown sugar syrup.
Toppings: While usually a macchiato doesn’t have whipped cream over it, feel free to add some if you want! You can make your own, or even use a whipped cream dispenser so you really feel like a barista! For more information on that, check out my guide on whipped cream dispensers! Alternatively, making cold foam can be a really nice topping as well!
Caramel sauce: Gingerbread and caramel are two incredible winter favourites. You can line the cup and/or garnish with caramel sauce to get the best of both worlds!
Other sauces: If you want to mix and match the caramel sauce in your drink, you could garnish and/or add in your cup Pumpkin Sauce to make it a pumpkin caramel macchiato, or Mocha Sauce For Coffee for a mocha caramel macchiato!
Tips For A Caramel Macchiato that’s better than Starbucks
It’s great being able to make your own Caramel Macchiato at home because it allows you to adjust the strength of the coffee, the amount of sweetness, and the amount of toppings. Feel free to add more or less vanilla syrup and caramel sauce for garnish depending on your preference.
You only need to steam your milk in order to froth it, there is no need to boil. If you are heating the milk in the microwave, simply look for steam coming out.
Whether you’re steaming the milk in the microwave or in a saucepan, be sure to always keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t boil over!
If you’re frothing milk by hand, ensure that you place the frother down the middle and then froth until the milk is foaming. Do NOT froth the surface, or else you’ll make a big splash and mess!
More Comforting Starbucks Drinks At Home Recipes!
Watch How to Make Starbucks Caramel Macchiato here:
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