This Eggnog Latte Recipe Will Give Starbucks A Run For Their Money

The eggnog latte is a delicious drink Starbucks offers during the holiday season. However, the limited availability of the drink and the cost to get one regularly may leave some people wondering: just how hard is it to make an eggnog latte at home?

To make a Starbucks-style eggnog latte, make 1 or 2 shots of espresso or just some strong coffee. Froth some eggnog and milk together by heating them in a saucepan while whisking constantly. Finally, pour the espresso into a coffee cup, and then pour the eggnog and milk on top.

You may want to stick around if you’re an eggnog latte lover. In this article, we’ll cover what the eggnog latte is, its origins, how Starbucks makes them, how you can make your own, and how you can make your own without using any dairy.

What is an Eggnog Latte?

Glass of eggnog

The eggnog latte is an item that Starbucks adds to its menu at the start of the holiday season. The latte usually returns to Starbucks sometime in the middle of November. For example, in 2022, the eggnog latte will hit Starbucks on November 17th.

The eggnog latte mixes the nice bitter bite of espresso with the lovely sweet flavor of eggnog and then adds a bit of nutmeg to complete the flavor profile. This results in a beautiful blend of flavors that has coffee lovers everywhere counting down the days until the holidays.

This drink has been offered at Starbucks during the holidays every year since 1986. Starbucks owner Howard Schultz asked Dave Olsen and his team to create a new holiday drink.

Olsen had always been curious about combining eggnog with a latte, but he had never had a good chance to test the idea. This was finally his moment. He made a test drink for his employees, and the drink was a huge success.

And before we get too far, remember you’ll want a classy mug to sip your eggnog out of! Try out this National Lampoons Moose Mug (on Amazon) for a fun look to your homemade holiday delight!

How is an Eggnog Latte Made?

In order to understand how the eggnog latte is made, we must first understand the regular latte. A traditional caffe latte is made by combining one or two shots of espresso with a special kind of steamed milk.

To make steamed milk, regular milk is brought to scalding temperatures and then whisked to froth it up and give it that lovely creamy texture the latte is known for.

Hot Eggnog Latte

The eggnog latte partly replaces this steamed milk with steamed eggnog. When Olsen originally made the drink, he made it by entirely replacing the steamed milk with steamed eggnog, but he found that this made the drink way too sweet.

Instead, when Starbucks makes an eggnog latte, they use steamed eggnog mixed with milk to dilute the sweetness. This steamed eggnog mixture is then mixed with one or two shots of espresso to give it that nice bitter kick and to add the caffeine that keeps people coming back day after day.

This is all assuming you get your eggnog latte served hot. Iced eggnog lattes are also served at Starbucks if you want a nice cool sweet treat.

Iced Eggnog Latte

The iced eggnog latte is made a little differently than its hot counterpart. When hot steamed milk cools, it returns to its original state. Therefore, it is impossible to make an iced latte with steamed milk. This is also true of steamed eggnog.

When making an iced eggnog latte, you add regular milk and regular eggnog instead of steamed milk and steamed eggnog. This won’t result in the same creamy texture you would get from a hot latte, but you’ll get that same delicious flavor.

If you prefer the texture over flavor, the hot latte may be worth checking out, and if you prefer the flavor, the iced latte may be more your speed. However, it is also worth noting that because the eggnog latte (iced or hot) is only available in the winter, most people will prefer the hot version anyways.

Can You Make a Dairy-Free Eggnog Latte?

Some people may be disappointed to learn that you cannot order a dairy-free eggnog latte at Starbucks. Even if you replace the milk in the drink with a milk substitute like soy milk, the drink will still contain dairy, as Starbucks’ eggnog itself is dairy-based.

However, following these easy steps, you can make your own dairy-free eggnog latte at home.

  1. First, you’ll need to select a milk substitute. You can choose from a wide variety of oat, almond, coconut, hemp, and soy.
  1. Once you’ve selected your choice of milk, pour two and a half cups of it into a blender along with three egg yolks, 1/3 cup of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, and one tablespoon of cinnamon. Blend this mixture for one minute until smooth.
  1. Once the blending is done, pour your mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and warm it for 8-12 minutes while stirring constantly. You want this mixture to become thick and frothy, but make sure it doesn’t come to a boil. If your mixture starts to boil, lower the heat.
  1. Once the mixture is thick and frothy, remove it from the heat and add one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Then pour the mixture into an airtight container and place it into the refrigerator until it cools. Voila, you now have your own homemade dairy-free eggnog.
  1. To turn this eggnog into a latte, heat your eggnog in a saucepan for about 5 minutes while whisking constantly. This should cause the eggnog to froth up.
  1. Once the eggnog is frothed, add as many shots of espresso as desired, and now you have a lovely homemade dairy-free eggnog latte.

How to Make an Eggnog Latte

Traditional Eggnog Cocktail for Christmas Eve

If you can get your hands on some eggnog, and you don’t want to have to wait until November when Starbucks starts serving them, you can make a Starbucks-styled eggnog latte at home by following these simple steps. All you need is 3 ounces of espresso or very strong coffee, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup eggnog, freshly ground nutmeg, and whipped cream.

Step 1: Prepare Espresso or Coffee

When making lattes, Starbucks uses a fancy machine called an espresso maker to make their espresso. If you have access to one of these, you simply need to make 3 ounces of espresso.

However, if you don’t, make 3 ounces of really strong coffee. For this, you should make coffee using one and a half to 2 times the coffee grounds you would regularly use to make 3 ounces of coffee.

Step 2: Froth Your Milk and Eggnog

To froth milk and eggnog, you first need to heat it. To do this, pour half a cup of milk and half a cup of eggnog into a saucepan and heat them for a couple of minutes while constantly whisking until the mixture is frothed.

Make sure it does not come to a boil during this process, so if you notice any boiling, bring down the heat.

It is also worth noting that if you have an espresso machine, you should check if it has a built-in milk steamer. This device will froth the eggnog and milk for you, making the process much easier. Espresso machines are often designed to make lattes, so frequently, they come with these built-in milk steamers.

Step 3: Combine the Ingredients in a Coffee Cup

Here comes the easiest part. Pour your espresso into a coffee cup and top it with some frothed eggnog and milk.

After this, you finally have your homemade Starbucks-styled eggnog latte. Of course, you can drink it at this point, but if you want the full Starbucks experience, top the drink with some whipped cream and a little sprinkle of grated nutmeg.

Leave a Comment