A caramel macchiato is a sweet, layered espresso drink: vanilla syrup and steamed milk go into the cup first, espresso is poured on top so it “marks” the milk, and caramel sauce is drizzled over the foam. It tastes like a vanilla latte with a caramel finish. At home, you need a double shot, about 6 oz of milk and two sweeteners.

Starbucks introduced the drink in 1996, and it is closer to a latte than to the small Italian espresso macchiato. For the traditional drink side by side with a latte, read our macchiato vs latte comparison.

The short answer

Caramel macchiato
What it is Vanilla syrup + steamed milk, espresso poured on top, caramel drizzle
Taste Sweet, creamy, vanilla first, caramel and espresso on top
Home recipe (hot) 1–2 Tbsp vanilla syrup, 6 oz (180 ml) milk, 2 oz (60 ml) espresso, about 1 Tbsp caramel sauce
Iced version Same build over cold milk and ice, no steaming
Caffeine About 63 mg per single shot at home; 150 mg in a Starbucks Grande
Calories 250 kcal for a Starbucks Grande, hot or iced
Time 5–7 minutes

What is a caramel macchiato?

A caramel macchiato is steamed milk flavored with vanilla syrup, marked with espresso and topped with caramel. Starbucks describes its version exactly that way, and the drink was created for the company’s 25th anniversary in 1996. It was meant to stay on the menu for eight weeks and became permanent instead.

Order is the key: Starbucks’ beverage developers say the steamed milk goes in first and the espresso after, which creates visible layers. “Macchiato” is Italian for “marked” or “stained”: here the espresso marks the milk, and the caramel crosshatch marks the top.

So the ingredients match a vanilla latte plus caramel sauce; only their position in the cup changes.

How a caramel macchiato differs from a traditional macchiato

A caramel macchiato is a large, sweet milk drink, while a traditional macchiato is a small espresso with a spoonful of foam. Starbucks sells both, and its classic Espresso Macchiato is only 1.6 fl oz for a two-shot doppio, against 16 fl oz for a grande Caramel Macchiato.

Traditional espresso macchiato Caramel macchiato
Base Espresso Steamed milk
Milk A dollop of foam Several ounces of steamed milk
Sweetener None Vanilla syrup and caramel sauce
Size 0.8–1.6 fl oz at Starbucks (single or double) 8–24 fl oz at Starbucks

A caramel macchiato differs from a caffè latte mainly in build and sweetness. Our guides to macchiato vs cappuccino and macchiato vs mocha cover the other drinks that share the name.

What does a caramel macchiato taste like?

A caramel macchiato tastes sweet and creamy, with vanilla in the body of the drink and caramel plus espresso on top. Because the shots float near the surface, the first sips taste the most of coffee and caramel. Further down, the drink turns into sweet vanilla milk.

It is not a strong-tasting coffee. A Starbucks grande has the same two shots as a grande latte but nearly twice the sugar, so sweetness dominates. If you prefer to taste the espresso, use less syrup or add a shot.

How to make a caramel macchiato at home

Cross-section diagram of a hot caramel macchiato in a 12 oz cup, with 1 to 2 Tbsp vanilla syrup, 6 oz steamed milk, a double shot under a thin foam and a caramel crosshatch, next to an iced caramel macchiato in a 16 oz glass with 2 Tbsp syrup, 6 oz cold milk, ice, a double shot on top and caramel

To make a caramel macchiato at home, put vanilla syrup in the cup, add steamed milk, pour a double shot through the foam and drizzle caramel on top. Starbucks’ home recipe uses 1 Tbsp of vanilla syrup and 0.75 cup (6 oz) of milk; the amounts below scale that to a double shot.

Ingredient Amount (12 oz / 350 ml cup)
Vanilla syrup 1–2 Tbsp (15–30 ml)
Milk 6 oz (180 ml), measured cold
Espresso Double shot, about 2 oz (60 ml)
Caramel sauce About 1 Tbsp (15 ml)
  1. Add the syrup. Pour the vanilla syrup into the bottom of a warm 10–12 oz cup.
  2. Steam the milk. Steam 6 oz of cold milk to 60–65 °C (140–150 °F), adding only a little air so you get a thin layer of foam. Our guide to steaming milk for espresso drinks covers the technique.
  3. Pour the milk. Pour the milk over the syrup and let the foam settle on top.
  4. Pull the espresso. Brew a double shot into a small pitcher or shot glass.
  5. Mark the milk. Pour the espresso slowly through the center of the foam. It settles into a darker band just under the surface.
  6. Drizzle the caramel. Draw a crosshatch of caramel sauce over the foam and serve right away.

These amounts give an espresso-to-milk ratio of about 1:3, the stronger end of a normal latte. For more milk, follow the cup sizes in our latte milk ratio guide. No steam wand? The frother, French press and jar methods in how to make a latte work here too, and Starbucks suggests about 2 oz of moka pot coffee as a stand-in for espresso.

How to make an iced caramel macchiato

Iced coffee in a tall glass with a dark espresso layer floating over cold milk and ice

An iced caramel macchiato uses the same layers with cold milk and ice, so there is nothing to steam. Starbucks’ home recipe uses two shots, 1 oz (2 Tbsp) of vanilla syrup and 0.75 cup of cold 2% milk, with ice to about half an inch below the rim.

  1. Syrup first. Pour 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of vanilla syrup into a 16 oz (475 ml) glass.
  2. Add the milk. Add 6 oz (180 ml) of cold milk and stir it into the syrup.
  3. Add ice. Fill the glass with ice to about half an inch below the rim.
  4. Pour the espresso on top. Pour a fresh double shot slowly over the ice so it floats in a dark layer.
  5. Finish with caramel. Drizzle about 1 Tbsp of caramel sauce over the top.

For a cold drink with no milk at all, try an espresso shakerato, which is espresso shaken hard with ice and a little syrup.

Homemade vanilla syrup and caramel sauce

You can make both sweeteners for a caramel macchiato from pantry ingredients, and each needs only a short simmer on the stove. These are Starbucks’ published home recipes.

Vanilla syrup Caramel sauce
Ingredients 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 vanilla bean (or 1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract) 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup half-and-half, a pinch of salt
Method Bring sugar, water and the split bean to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes; strain when cool. Stir in extract after cooling if using it Stir everything in a small pan over medium-low heat for 1 minute, then simmer on low for 10 minutes; cool
Storage Refrigerator, up to two weeks Refrigerator, up to one week

For more syrup ideas, see our guide to latte flavors.

Upside down caramel macchiato: should you stir it?

An upside down caramel macchiato reverses the build, so the espresso goes in before the milk and the drink comes out mixed. Starbucks lists “Upside Down” as a shot preparation option for both the hot and the iced drink. In practice, you get something very close to a vanilla latte with caramel.

Whether to stir the regular version is a matter of taste:

  • Don’t stir if you like the drink to change as you sip: espresso and caramel first, sweet vanilla milk at the end.
  • Stir if you want every sip to taste the same, with the vanilla pulled up from the bottom.

The one-shot iced recipe on Starbucks at Home’s Nestlé site stirs the syrup into the milk before the espresso goes on top, which keeps the layers but avoids a very sweet last sip.

How much caffeine is in a caramel macchiato?

Bar chart of caffeine in a Starbucks caramel macchiato: 75 mg in a Short or Tall, 150 mg in a Grande or hot Venti, and 225 mg in an iced Venti with three shots, compared with about 126 mg in a home double shot and 95 mg in 8 oz of brewed coffee

A caramel macchiato has only the caffeine of its espresso shots, because syrup, milk and caramel add essentially none. Starbucks lists 150 mg for a Grande, hot or iced. At home, USDA data puts espresso at 212 mg per 100 g, or about 63 mg in a 1 oz single and 126 mg in a 2 oz double.

Starbucks size Hot: shots / caffeine Iced: shots / caffeine
Short, 8 fl oz 1 / 75 mg Not offered
Tall, 12 fl oz 1 / 75 mg 1 / 75 mg
Grande, 16 fl oz 2 / 150 mg 2 / 150 mg
Venti, 20 fl oz hot / 24 fl oz iced 2 / 150 mg 3 / 225 mg

An 8 oz cup of brewed coffee has about 95 mg, which puts a Grande above a small coffee. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults. For more per-size numbers, see our guide to latte caffeine.

Caramel macchiato calories and sugar

A grande caramel macchiato has 250 calories and 33 g of sugar at Starbucks, made with 2% milk. A plain grande latte has 18 g of sugar from the milk alone, so roughly 15 g comes from the vanilla syrup and caramel.

Starbucks size Hot Iced
Short (8 fl oz) 120 kcal, 15 g sugar Not offered
Tall (12 fl oz) 190 kcal, 25 g sugar 180 kcal, 24 g sugar
Grande (16 fl oz) 250 kcal, 33 g sugar 250 kcal, 34 g sugar
Venti (20 / 24 fl oz) 310 kcal, 42 g sugar 350 kcal, 49 g sugar

Starbucks’ standard recipe scales the vanilla with the size: 1 pump in a Short, 2 in a Tall, 3 in a Grande and 4 in a hot Venti, or 5 in the iced Venti. At home, the milk sets the baseline: 6 oz of whole milk weighs about 183 g and adds about 110 kcal at USDA’s 61 kcal per 100 g. Syrup and sauce come on top. For milk-by-milk numbers, see calories in a latte.

Easy caramel macchiato variations

A caramel macchiato is easy to adjust without losing its layered character:

  • Less sweet: use 1 Tbsp of vanilla syrup or a sugar-free one.
  • Dairy-free: barista versions of oat and soy milk steam well; Starbucks lists almond, coconut, oat and soy milk among its options.
  • Lower caffeine: use decaf espresso, or half decaf, which Starbucks also offers as an option.

The bottom line

A caramel macchiato is a vanilla latte built in reverse: syrup and steamed milk first, espresso poured on top, caramel over the foam. At home, 1–2 Tbsp of vanilla syrup, 6 oz of milk, a double shot and a drizzle of caramel make a 12 oz cup, hot or over ice. Its caffeine depends only on the shots, and most of its calories come from the milk and the two sweeteners.

Sources