Gingerbread Latte

The gingerbread latte is a hot espresso drink flavored with cinnamon, molasses, and ground ginger, made to emulate the warming spiced notes of freshly baked gingerbread. Steamed milk and ground cinnamon create a rich drink with layers of flavor. 

A coffeehouse favorite, gingerbread lattes are entirely achievable at home with just a few pantry staples. While coffee shops often use premade gingerbread syrups (sometimes flavored with whole ingredients, other times made with chemical flavorings) this recipe leans on a combination of ground ginger, a bit of molasses, and a homemade cinnamon syrup to emulate the flavors of gingerbread. 

“This is a delightfully sweet and creamy coffee beverage with a good punch of warm spice,” says recipe tester Nicole Hopper. “It’s super well balanced and just sweet enough without masking the espresso flavor.” 

While this recipe calls for whole milk, nondairy milk can certainly be used as well. Oat milk will provide a more similar richness to whole milk compared to almond or soy. 

What makes a gingerbread latte work?

This drink is all about balancing strong flavors: There are bitter and earthy notes from the brewed espresso and molasses, a touch of spice from the ground ginger, and a warming sweetness from the cinnamon syrup. 

While only half a teaspoon is used, the addition of molasses is what gives this latte its quintessential gingerbread flavor. Stirring together the molasses, ginger, and cinnamon syrup before adding in the brewed espresso will help the ingredients blend more seamlessly with the coffee and milk. 

In lieu of an espresso machine with a built-in milk steamer, use a few ounces of strong coffee and milk warmed in the microwave, and mix with a handheld milk frother.