Bring a little holiday cheer to your morning routine with this gingerbread coffee latte recipe! Get cozy with this delicious seasonal coffee recipe anytime you’d like, without having to pay big-bucks for it. Quick, easy, and festive!
This gingerbread coffee recipe is the perfect coffee for the holiday season. Filled with warm winter spices, this easy coffee recipe is sure to make you smile.
If you love the warm winter spices of this homemade holiday coffee recipe, you’ll also love this Biscoff Cookie Butter Latte! This Maple Cinnamon Coffee with Collagen is another wonderful day-to-day coffee that has a lovely spice profile you may enjoy as well.
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Cafe Au Lait Vs Latte
‘Cafe au lait’ is the French way to say ‘coffee with milk’. A cafe au lait is made with strong brewed coffee and steamed milk, and most often served with equal parts coffee to milk (there is no hard and fast rule on this ratio though).
A latte on the other hand is made with espresso, steamed milk, and topped with foamed milk. A latte will generally contain 1-2 ounces of espresso and 8+ ounces of milk.
Why You’ll Love this Winter Coffee Recipe
You can’t get this seasonal favorite at Starbucks anymore. Starbucks retired their gingerbread latte in 2019.
Cost effective. No need to spend $$$ on seasonal coffeehouse drinks, especially when you can make an even better version at home!
The most delicious Christmastime coffee. Coffee accented with warm winter spices, reminiscent of a gingerbread cookie. SO GOOD.
Super easy to make! Seriously, you’ll be surprised how easily you can make this coffeehouse favorite at home. The homemade gingerbread syrup comes together in just 10 minutes. Once you have the syrup prepared, this coffee can be made in minutes!
Ingredients Needed
Hot, Strong Brewed Coffee: put your morning coffee on to brew as usual.
Gingerbread Simple Syrup: homemade gingerbread syrup is great for all kinds of holiday drinks, and packed with warm winter spices.
Milk: you can use whatever milk you prefer (dairy or non-dairy) in this winter coffee recipe. I recommend using 2% or whole dairy milk.
Ground Cinnamon (optional): while the gingerbread simple syrup has a wonderful spice profile, a dash of cinnamon on top of this latte is a nice touch.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Top with whipped cream. Go all-out and add whipped topping to your gingerbread latte!
- Top with a gingerbread whipped cream. Take it a step further an make your own gingerbread spiced whipped cream by whipping together ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and 1 Tablespoon of gingerbread syrup. This can be done with a handheld milk frother.
- Use espresso instead of strongly brewed coffee. Instead of using approximately ⅓ cup of milk and 1 cup of coffee, use 2 shots of espresso (which is 2 ounces, or ¼ cup) and about 1 cup of milk.
- Make an iced gingerbread coffee. Allow your coffee to cool at least to room temperature (or use cold brew coffee). Add all ingredients to a tall glass with ice. No frothing required for an iced gingerbread latte.
- Make a decaf gingerbread latte. If you’d like to enjoy a cozy gingerbread coffee at night, or cannot have caffeine, use your favorite decaf coffee blend in this recipe.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Warm milk in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Froth with a handheld milk frother and set aside.
Step 2: Add gingerbread syrup to a mug.
Step 3: Top with freshly brewed coffee until the mug is about ⅔ full.
Step 4: Stir to combine.
Step 5: Pour the frothed milk over the coffee.
Step 6: Optionally, top with a dash of ground cinnamon and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Make sure to shake your gingerbread syrup before using it. If you’ve premade your simple syrup, shake it before use to redistribute the spices.
Want to reduce the number of dishes you use? Warm and froth the milk mixture in the mug you plan to use. If you don’t care too much about the amount of frothy milk on top of your gingerbread coffee, warm and froth the milk mixture in the mug you plan to use. Then add the gingerbread syrup and coffee, stir, and top with a few dashes of cinnamon.
Add a boost of nutrition by including a scoop of collagen in your gingerbread coffee! If you want to add some nutrition and protein to your morning coffee, adding a scoop of collagen to your warmed milk before frothing it is a great option! I like and use this collagen in my morning coffees.
Helpful Equipment
- Handheld Milk Frother – an inexpensive and small piece of equipment that can be used daily!
Recipe FAQs
For dairy milk, 2% or whole milk are both great options. Note: the higher the fat content is in your milk, the better it will froth. For non-dairy milk: I find that oat milk froths the best for coffees. However, many people enjoy almond milk as well.
Gingerbread simple syrup can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
If you do not have a handheld milk frother, you have a few different options.
Option 1: Place warm milk into a blender and blend until doubled in size.
Option 2: Place warmed milk into a large jar, seal the lid tightly, and shake until the volume has increased (shaking vigorously for about 1 minute).
Option 3: Warm your milk on the stove over medium heat until starting to steam (do not boil!). Turn off the stove and whisk until frothy.
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Gingerbread Coffee
Ingredients
- ⅓ C milk of choice (I use whole or 2% dairy milk)
- 2-3 tablespoon gingerbread syrup (see below for recipe link)
- Up to 1 C of hot, strongly brewed coffee
- Ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- Brew your morning coffee as usual
- Pour milk into a liquid measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to warm it up
- Froth warmed milk with a handheld milk frother
- While the milk is warming up, add gingerbread syrup and coffee into your mug. Fill your mug about ⅔ full with coffee
- Top with frothed milk and a few dashes of cinnamon
- Sip and enjoy!
Notes
- Top with whipped cream. Go all-out and add whipped topping to your gingerbread latte!
- Top with a gingerbread whipped cream. Take it a step further an make your own gingerbread spiced whipped cream by whipping together ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and 1 Tablespoon of gingerbread syrup. This can be done with a handheld milk frother.
- Use espresso instead of strongly brewed coffee. Instead of using approximately ⅓ cup of milk and 1 cup of coffee, use 2 shots of espresso (which is 2 ounces, or ¼ cup) and about 1 cup of milk.
- Make an iced gingerbread coffee. Allow your coffee to cool at least to room temperature (or use cold brew coffee). Add all ingredients to a tall glass with ice. No frothing required for an iced gingerbread latte.
- Make a decaf gingerbread latte. If you’d like to enjoy a cozy gingerbread coffee at night, or cannot have caffeine, use your favorite decaf coffee blend in this recipe.
Sara says
So good!! Love a winter coffee and this hits the spot!
Meredith says
Happy to hear this brought you some joy! Thanks for giving my recipe a try ❤
David says
Scratches that ‘fancy coffee’ itch for a fraction of the price!
Meredith says
🙌🙌🙌 yes!! and homemade tastes soooo much better too. glad you enjoyed this DIY gingerbread latte!
Erica says
Holy flipping moly! This stuff is ridiculously fantastic. I made some so my husband and I could enjoy it on Christmas morning and I’m thinking I’ll be making it quite often! He raved about how good it was. One cup of coffee is usually enough for me, but with this homemade gingerbread syrup in it… I may have had two cups. Don’t tell. Lol
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so glad you both loved it, and that it will be added to your normal rotation! Thank you so much for making my recipe