A vanilla latte is a regular latte sweetened with vanilla: a double shot of espresso (about 2 oz), 6 to 8 oz of steamed milk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup stirred into the espresso before the milk goes in. Serve it hot with a thin layer of foam, or pour it over ice and cold milk.

It is the simplest flavored latte, because vanilla softens the espresso without covering it. If you have never made the plain drink, our guide on how to make a latte covers the base method first.

The short answer

Hot vanilla latte Iced vanilla latte
Espresso Double shot, about 2 oz (60 ml) Double shot, about 2 oz (60 ml)
Vanilla syrup 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml)
Milk 6–8 oz, steamed to 60–65 °C (140–150 °F) About 6 oz, cold
Ice None Fill a 12–16 oz glass
Cup 10–12 oz 12–16 oz glass
Caffeine (home, double shot) About 126 mg About 126 mg

These are typical home amounts, not an official standard. Start with 1 tablespoon of syrup and add more to taste.

What is a vanilla latte?

A vanilla latte is espresso and steamed milk with a thin layer of foam, flavored with vanilla syrup. Starbucks’ current US version, the Blonde Vanilla Latte, is described as Blonde Espresso, steamed milk and vanilla syrup, and its syrup lists sugar, water and natural flavors as the main ingredients.

The base keeps a latte’s usual balance of about one part espresso to three to five parts milk. Vanilla is the most neutral of the café flavors, which is why it pairs with almost any roast and milk. For other syrups and spices, see our guide to latte flavors; for a nuttier drink, try a hazelnut latte.

Vanilla latte vs French vanilla latte

A French vanilla latte is the same drink made with a French vanilla syrup, which is a richer, more custard-like vanilla. Torani, for example, describes its French Vanilla syrup as tasting of rich vanilla ice cream with faint floral notes. Its regular and French vanilla syrups list the same 80 kcal and 20 g of sugar per 2 tablespoons, so only the flavor changes.

How to make a vanilla latte at home

Diagram of a hot vanilla latte in a 12 oz cup with 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup, a 2 oz double shot, 6 oz of steamed milk and a thin foam layer, next to an iced vanilla latte in a 16 oz glass with 6 oz of cold milk, ice and the sweetened double shot on top

To make a vanilla latte at home, stir vanilla syrup into a fresh double shot, then pour in steamed milk. Starbucks’ home recipe uses 2 tablespoons of syrup, one shot and a cup of milk; the version below uses a double shot for a stronger coffee taste.

  1. Warm the cup. Rinse a 10–12 oz cup with hot water.
  2. Add the syrup. Pour 1–2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup into the cup.
  3. Pull the espresso on top. Brew a double shot straight into the cup and stir so the syrup mixes evenly while the coffee is hot.
  4. Steam the milk. Steam 6–8 oz of cold milk to 60–65 °C (140–150 °F), the range Breville gives in its espresso machine manual, with only a short stretch for a thin foam.
  5. Pour. Pour the milk into the center of the cup, then spoon any leftover foam on top.

Our step-by-step guide on how to steam milk shows the wand technique, pitcher sizes and how to fix flat or bubbly milk.

Vanilla latte with oat or other plant milk

Barista-style plant milks work well in a vanilla latte, and vanilla suits oat milk’s light cereal sweetness. Use the same amounts, and see our oat milk latte guide for steaming tips.

How to make an iced vanilla latte

An iced latte with a straw in a tall glass next to a glass bottle of milk

An iced vanilla latte is sweetened espresso poured over cold milk and ice, so there is nothing to steam. USDA’s reference iced latte uses about 62 g of espresso, 183 g of milk (about 6 oz) and a cup of ice, a ratio near 1:3.

  1. Sweeten the espresso. Stir 1–2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup into a freshly pulled double shot.
  2. Fill a glass with ice. Use a 12–16 oz glass.
  3. Add the milk. Pour in about 6 oz of cold milk.
  4. Top with espresso. Pour the sweetened shot over the milk and stir before drinking.

Syrup mixes into cold milk easily, while granulated sugar dissolves poorly in cold drinks. If the drink tastes watery, let the shot cool for a minute before pouring it over the ice.

How to make vanilla syrup at home

Dark cured vanilla bean pods on a cream satin cloth

Homemade vanilla syrup is a 1:1 sugar syrup simmered with a split vanilla bean or finished with vanilla extract. This is Starbucks’ published home recipe:

With a vanilla bean With vanilla extract
Sugar 1 cup 1 cup
Water 1 cup 1 cup
Vanilla 1 bean, split lengthwise 1 1/2 tbsp extract
Method Boil, then simmer 5 minutes with the bean; strain once cool Boil, then simmer 5 minutes; stir in the extract once cooled

Note that the extract goes in only after the syrup has cooled. Starbucks’ recipe says to keep the syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks; use a clean bottle with a tight lid, and make small batches you will finish quickly.

For a quick shortcut without syrup, stir a few drops of vanilla extract and your usual sweetener into the hot espresso. Extract alone adds flavor but no sweetness.

How to make a vanilla latte without an espresso machine

You can make a vanilla latte without an espresso machine by using about 2 oz of strong coffee and frothed milk. Starbucks’ home recipe allows 2 oz of moka pot coffee in place of a shot, and our guide on how to use a moka pot covers that method.

  • Coffee: about 2 oz of moka pot coffee, or very strong brewed coffee.
  • Milk: heat it to about 60 °C (140 °F) on the stove or in the microwave, then froth it with a French press, a whisk or a shaken jar.
  • Syrup: stir it into the hot coffee first, as with espresso.

The drink will taste less intense and have no crema, but the vanilla carries it well.

Sugar-free and skinny vanilla latte

A sugar-free vanilla latte uses a zero-calorie vanilla syrup, and a “skinny” vanilla latte usually adds nonfat milk too. Torani’s Sugar Free Vanilla, for example, lists 0 kcal and 0 g sugar per 2 tablespoons and is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

  • At home: a double shot, 6 oz of nonfat milk and sugar-free syrup comes to about 65 kcal and about 9 g of sugar, all of it lactose from the milk (estimate from USDA values below).
  • At Starbucks: the current US menu lists a Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte, made with protein-boosted milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup. A grande has 230 kcal, 15 g of sugar and 150 mg of caffeine.

Milk is the other big lever. Our guide to calories in a latte compares whole, 2%, skim, oat and almond milk.

Vanilla latte calories and sugar

A homemade vanilla latte in a 12 oz cup, with whole milk and 2 tablespoons of syrup, has about 195 kcal and 29 g of sugar. The milk and the syrup supply almost all of it:

Ingredient Amount Calories Sugar
Vanilla syrup (Torani label) 2 tbsp (30 ml) 80 kcal 20 g
Whole milk (USDA: 61 kcal, 5.05 g sugar per 100 g) 6 oz (183 g) about 112 kcal about 9 g
Espresso (USDA: 9 kcal per 100 g) Double, about 59 g about 5 kcal 0 g
Total about 195 kcal about 29 g

With 1 tablespoon of syrup, the total drops to about 155 kcal and 19 g of sugar. With nonfat milk (34 kcal per 100 g), the milk share falls from about 112 to about 62 kcal.

Starbucks vanilla latte: sizes, pumps, calories and caffeine

Bar chart of Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte calories and caffeine: Short 130 kcal and 85 mg, Tall 200 kcal and 85 mg, Grande 250 kcal and 170 mg, Venti 320 kcal and 170 mg, iced Grande 190 kcal and 170 mg, iced Venti 270 kcal and 255 mg, compared with a grande Caffè Latte at 190 kcal and 150 mg

Starbucks’ Blonde Vanilla Latte scales its vanilla by one pump per size, and its caffeine depends only on the number of Blonde shots. These are the standard recipes with 2% milk, from Starbucks’ nutrition pages:

Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte Shots Vanilla pumps Calories Sugar Caffeine
Short, hot (8 fl oz) 1 2 130 kcal 17 g 85 mg
Tall, hot (12 fl oz) 1 3 200 kcal 27 g 85 mg
Grande, hot (16 fl oz) 2 4 250 kcal 35 g 170 mg
Venti, hot (20 fl oz) 2 5 320 kcal 44 g 170 mg
Tall, iced (12 fl oz) 1 3 140 kcal 22 g 85 mg
Grande, iced (16 fl oz) 2 4 190 kcal 28 g 170 mg
Venti, iced (24 fl oz) 3 6 270 kcal 41 g 255 mg

Compared with a plain grande Caffè Latte at 190 kcal and 18 g of sugar, the four pumps of vanilla add about 60 kcal and 17 g of sugar. The iced grande has fewer calories than the hot one because ice takes the place of some milk.

How much caffeine is in a vanilla latte?

A vanilla latte has exactly the caffeine of its espresso, since vanilla syrup contains none. At home, a double shot of about 2 oz has roughly 126 mg, based on USDA’s 212 mg per 100 g of espresso, and a single 1 oz shot about 63 mg.

Starbucks’ one-shot tall Blonde Vanilla Latte lists 85 mg, slightly more than the one-shot tall Caffè Latte at 75 mg (150 mg for the two-shot grande). Milk and syrup dilute the taste, not the caffeine. Our guide to latte caffeine compares other sizes and drinks.

The bottom line

A vanilla latte is a double shot, 6 to 8 oz of steamed milk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup, stirred into the espresso before the milk. It works hot or iced, with dairy or plant milk, and a simple homemade syrup of sugar, water and vanilla gives you control over the sweetness. For fewer calories, use less syrup, a sugar-free syrup or nonfat milk.

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