# Skip the Coffee Shop and Make Iced or Hot Lattes at Home on the Cheap

For most of my life, I was an absolute night owl, comfortable staying up to read or watch TV until 2 or 3 a.m. But three years ago, everything shifted. I graduated college, started working full-time, and became one of those borderline insufferable people who do morning workouts. I have no real explanation for this change in behavior except that I started to actually look forward to my mornings – and that's largely thanks to my discovery of a homemade latte recipe.

I drink a latte every morning, opting for a cozy hot latte during the chilly winter months and a satisfying iced latte during the summer. Not only can you make a delicious latte tailored to your taste, but you can also save a ton of money skipping the lines at Starbucks or Dunkin'. And no, you don't need an expensive espresso machine to do it.

## The Breakdown

Below, I'll break down how you can make quality hot or iced lattes at home on the cheap. For more tips, read about my favorite espresso and coffee system, and how to remove coffee stains from all of your mugs.

For the longest time, I would hack my way into cheap, homemade lattes because the apartment building I live in has two espresso machines for the community. So every morning after walking my dog, I'd saunter down to one of the machines, make myself a quick double shot of espresso then pop back up to my unit to create my latte. This process worked great until the machines started breaking more often than they were working.

## Consistent Solution

One that did not involve a fickle espresso machine. Or an espresso machine at all. Here's the easily copyable latte recipe I developed.

### What You'll Want on Hand

To get started with making lattes at home, you'll need just a few items and ingredients. These are mostly household staples that won't break the bank.

* Espresso glass * Whisk or spoon * Large glass or cup * Maple syrup * Flaky salt * Whole milk (or almond/oat alternatives) * Handheld electric frother * Saucepan * Stovetop

### How to Make Homemade Iced or Hot Lattes for Cheap

To make your first latte, scoop one heaping tablespoon of the Nescafé Gold Espresso into your espresso glass. Add about two ounces of warm water to the glass, which will make a double shot. Stir the espresso powder and water together thoroughly with a whisk or spoon.

You can adjust the amount of espresso and water, depending if you want a single shot or a triple shot. Here's where you can really tailor your recipe to your desired taste.

* Add two teaspoons of maple syrup to the bottom of the glass. * Add a pinch of flaky salt to the maple syrup and mix together. * Add your double espresso shot and mix well again to fully incorporate the syrup and espresso.

Now that you have your espresso base, you need to decide if you want to go hot or iced. When temperatures are in the upper 70s, I make iced lattes. Once it's colder, I like to have a cozy hot latte.

* Add your ice to the 16-ounce glass. * Fill up your espresso glass with your milk of choice. * Take your handheld electric frother and whisk the milk for a few seconds until the milk becomes a delicate, foamy texture. * Pour the milk over the ice and espresso mixture in the other glass.

Alternatively, you can heat up whole milk in a saucepan on medium-low to create steamed milk. Froth the milk with your handheld electric frother until it foams.

Pour the frothed, steamed milk over the espresso mixture in the other glass.

## Finishing Touches

You could stop here, but I like to go full barista and top my latte off with a few shakes of cinnamon or nutmeg. You could also add honey, caramel or any topping you desire. The beauty about homemade lattes is that you can truly tailor them however you like.

Now all you have to do is mix up your latte and love your mornings.