Five Easy Ways to Make a Spanish Latte Coffee

A Spanish Latte is one of the most popular specialty coffee drinks in the Gulf Region. If you visit a trendy coffee shop in any of the Gulf countries, you will see a barista making one. As you watch, the barista will pour careful layers of espresso and condensed milk into a glass to make a beautifully rich, creamy drink, with dark coffee swirling through it.

It’s a beautiful drink for the barista that wants to put on a show! But the good news is, it’s also really simple to make a Spanish Latte at home. In this post, we will share all of our easy Spanish Latte recipes with you. But first — what is the real story of the Spanish Latte?

What is a Spanish Latte?

A Spanish Latte is a sweet, creamy coffee made with espresso, condensed milk, and milk. It has a rich, sweet flavor — sweeter than a traditional latte but not as sweet as a latte with syrups added.

The first thing you should know is that the Spanish Latte is not really Spanish! A Spanish Latte is actually a combination of two different traditional Spanish drinks — the Café con Leche and the Café Bombón. Mix these two drinks together, and you get something new — the Spanish Latte!

The Café con Leche is a popular type of coffee to have for breakfast in Spain. If you order a Café con Leche in Spain, you will usually just get espresso with milk — just like a traditional latte. Because Spanish coffee is roasted dark, it is strong and bitter, so most customers add sugar to make it sweet.

A Café con Leche

The Café Bombón is espresso poured carefully on top of a layer of condensed milk. This makes a strong, intense, and very sweet coffee, usually drunk after lunch instead of dessert.

A Café Bombón

The Spanish Latte combines these two drinks. Like the Café Bombón, it has different layers and is rich and sweet because of the condensed milk. Like the Café con Leche, the Spanish Latte adds hot milk to make a tall drink, perfect for drinking any time of day.

The Spanish Latte pairs well with flavors like vanilla or caramel. If you want, you can add a dash of your favorite syrup to any of these recipes to make a new variation on the classic drink.

Here are our five easy methods for making a Spanish Latte:

• How to Make a Hot Spanish Latte
• How to Make a Cold Spanish Latte
• How to Make a Spicy Spanish Latte
• How to Make a Spanish Latte With Nescafé
• How to Make a Spanish Latte Without Condensed Milk

How to Make a Hot Spanish Latte

The most classic Spanish Latte recipe is the hot one. It’s based on espresso, steamed milk, and condensed milk — but if you don’t have an espresso machine, don’t worry! You can still make a Hot Spanish Latte with strong brewed coffee or even with instant coffee.

Because the Spanish Latte is sweet, we recommend making it strong — so we use two shots of espresso in all our recipes. If you prefer a less strong coffee flavor, then you can simply use a single shot instead.

Easy Spanish Latte Recipe

Spanish Latte Ingredients

• A double shot of espresso or 60 ml of very strong coffee
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of condensed milk
• 180 ml of milk
• Ground cinnamon (optional)

Spanish Latte Method

Start with a warm cup. You will need a latte cup for this recipe (about 280 ml in size). If you want to see the layers, then you can use a glass — but make sure that you only use a glass that is designed to handle hot drinks. Warm the cup on top of the espresso machine, or rinse it with a little hot water before you start.

Measure the condensed milk. Put two tablespoons of condensed milk into the cup. If you are a coffee geek and prefer to use a scale, then two tablespoons of condensed milk is almost exactly 40 grams.

Pull the espresso on top. Make a double shot of espresso directly on top of the condensed milk. If you are using brewed coffee, then brew it in a separate jug and then pour it in.

Stir — if you like. When we make a Spanish Latte at home, we prefer to stir all the layers together to make sure that we mix the sweetness from the condensed milk evenly into the drink. But if you enjoy the different textures and tastes that you get from the different layers, then you can skip the stirring step — which makes a beautiful drink.

Heat the milk. If you are using an espresso machine, then steam the milk with just a small amount of foam. You can also heat the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave if you prefer. The milk should be hot but not boiling.

Pour on the hot milk. Pour the hot milk gently on top of your coffee. If you are using steamed milk, you can make latte art in your Spanish Latte.

Finish the drink. Your Spanish Latte is ready to drink! But you can also add toppings if you like. Some baristas add a dusting of ground cinnamon to finish the drink. Alternatively, you could try adding a little whipped cream on top to make an even richer Spanish Latte.

How to Make a Cold Spanish Latte

Our Cold Spanish Latte recipe takes the same combination of espresso, milk, and condensed milk, but served over ice. This gently sweet version of an iced latte is the perfect way to cool down, and looks beautiful when it is layered up in a glass.

The Cold Spanish Latte is best made with espresso, or with instant coffee if you don’t have an espresso machine. Even the strongest brewed coffee will water it down too much. We like to use a double espresso in our Cold Spanish Latte to balance the sweetness. If you prefer a less strong coffee flavor, then you can always use a single shot.

Easy Iced Spanish Latte Recipe

Iced Spanish Latte Ingredients

• A double shot of espresso
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of condensed milk
• 180 ml of milk
• Ice

Iced Spanish Latte Method

Start with a cold glass. An Iced Spanish Latte looks best in a tall glass — but you can use any cup you like. A large glass is best — at least 350 ml. If the glass is cold before you start, it will stop the ice from melting too much and diluting your drink.

Add plenty of ice. Using more ice doesn’t make the drink weaker — it makes it stronger! If you add more ice, the drink will be cold and so the ice will melt less.

Measure the condensed milk. Put two tablespoons of condensed milk into the glass. Wait for a few seconds to let the condensed milk trickle to the bottom of the glass.

Add cold milk. Pour cold milk in gently to keep the layers separate. Leave a little room at the top of the glass for your espresso! Pro tip: tilt the glass slightly and pour down the side of the glass, and the milk will float beautifully on your condensed milk.

Pour espresso on top. Make a double espresso in a small jug, and then pour the espresso on top of the milk. Be careful not to pour hot coffee directly onto the cold glass, or it could crack.

Serve with a straw. A layered drink is best drunk with a straw so that you can taste the different layers of the drink — or use the straw to mix them together. Use a metal or glass straw if you can to reduce plastic waste.

How to Make a Spicy Spanish Latte

A Spicy Spanish Latte combines the sweet, creamy flavors of a Spanish Latte with the rich, fragrant spices of Moroccan-style coffee. Warm, sweet spices add a tantalizing aroma to the classic Spanish Latte. With our recipe, it’s easy to make a Spicy Spanish Latte at home.

Note: We use a chai teabag to make the recipe as simple as possible. If you prefer, you can use your own blend of chai spices, finely ground. Try a combination of Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Black pepper, Nutmeg, and Cloves.

Easy Spicy Spanish Latte Recipe

Spicy Spanish Latte Ingredients

• A double shot of espresso
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of condensed milk
• 180 ml of milk
• A chai teabag or chai spices (see note, above)
• Ice (optional)

Spicy Spanish Latte Method

Infuse the milk. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk until steaming but not boiling. Turn the heat down to very low, add the chai teabag or ground spices, and infuse for around 3 minutes. Remove the teabag (if using) and take the milk off the heat.

Use the infused milk to make a Spanish Latte. Follow the recipes above for a Hot Spanish Latte or an Iced Spanish Latte, replacing the milk with your infused milk.

Make a large batch. If you are planning to make a lot of Spicy Spanish Lattes, you can infuse a large batch of milk ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Make sure the milk has cooled to room temperature before you put it in the fridge. Keep in a sealed bottle or jar and use within three days.

How to Make a Spanish Latte With Nescafé

If you don’t have an espresso machine, it’s easy to make a Spanish Latte with Nescafé or your favorite brand of instant coffee. This is one recipe where instant coffee is not just faster — it actually works better than making your own filter coffee!

All you need to do is make your own ‘espresso’ with instant coffee and a little hot water.

• Put two heaped teaspoons of instant coffee into a small jug or cup
• Add just enough boiling water to dissolve all of the coffee
• Stir the coffee thoroughly. If any of the coffee powder doesn’t dissolve, add a little more boiling water until it does.

Now take your super-strong instant coffee, and use it in your favorite Spanish Latte recipe. Easy as that!

How to Make a Spanish Latte Without Condensed Milk

If you don’t have condensed milk, you can still make a Spanish Latte! The taste won’t be exactly the same, but there are several options that will still make a delicious drink.

• The easiest option is just to use sugar instead of condensed milk. This would make an authentic Café con Leche — just like you would get in a cafe in Spain. Depending on how sweet you like it, you can use between 2 and 4 teaspoons of sugar.
• For a richer flavor and texture, use honey or brown rice syrup instead of condensed milk. Again, use between 2 and 4 teaspoons, depending on how sweet you like it.
• As well as sugar or syrup, you can also add a splash of cream to give the milk a thicker texture.
• If you don’t want to use any dairy at all, then you can use alternative kinds of milk to make any of these recipes. Our favorite is oat milk, but you can use any kind of milk alternative that works with coffee to make a Dairy-Free Spanish Latte.

With these five easy recipes, you can now make a Spanish Latte at home any time you want. Sweet, refreshing coffee is just a few minutes away!