• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Nerd Cooks
  • Recipe Index
  • Outside of the Kitchen
    • A Nerd Travels
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes for Spring
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes for Spring
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Non-Alcoholic » Coffee

Caramel Macchiato

Oct 28, 2022 · Modified: Mar 12, 2023 by Lauren Pacek · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I love it when you share my recipes!

10 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Flipboard
  • Mix
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Try this homemade version of the Starbucks drink, the Caramel Macchiato. Foamed milk, espresso, and caramel drizzle make for a tasty drink.

The Caramel Macchiato is one of the most popular drinks sold at Starbucks, and for good reason. It's rich, sweet, and oh-so-cozy. You can save yourself some $$ and time in the drive thru by making this drink at home.

I have lots of other really delicious coffee drinks on this site, too. My Blonde Vanilla Latte is another great hot coffee drink option, while my Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte will energize you while keeping you cool.

a caramel macchiato in a glass mug, with caramel drizzle on top
Jump to:
  • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • 💭 What is a Caramel Macchiato?
  • 📝 Ingredients
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a Caramel Macchiato
  • 🔗 More Starbucks copycat recipes and coffee drinks
  • ❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks
  • 🖤 Share your creations and follow me on social media!
  • ✨ Recipe
  • 📌 Pin this recipe for later!

🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • It looks fancy, but is so easy to make. Seriously, so so easy. If you can froth milk and pour some espresso into a mug, you got this.
  • It tastes great. It's warm, cozy, and delicious!
  • It's a Starbucks copycat recipe. Love Starbucks? Making this copycat recipe at home will save you so much time and money.

💭 What is a Caramel Macchiato?

A Caramel Macchiato is one of the super popular Starbucks espresso drinks, made with steamed milk, vanilla syrup, espresso, and caramel sauce.

Unlike when making a latte, where the espresso goes into the mug first and is topped with milk and foam, you start out making a caramel macchiato by warming and frothing your milk. The espresso then gets poured through the foamy milk, resulting in a dark mark on top of the milk foam. This is where the drink gets its name: "macchiato" means "marked" in Italian.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a caramel macchiato without a nice drizzle of caramel sauce on top of the milk foam.

📝 Ingredients

Though it's a really delicious and impressive looking drink, it requires only 4 ingredients. Let's walk through them.

ingredients for making caramel macchiato
  • Vanilla syrup: You can use store bought or homemade vanilla syrup. It's so easy to make your own (and it tastes so good) that I recommend that you make your own.
  • Milk: You can use whatever milk you prefer. I favor oat milk, but almond and cow's milks also work very well in this recipe.
  • Espresso: You can make your espresso using whatever method you prefer: espresso machine, Moka pot, AeroPress, French press... I use my Nespresso Vertuo machine.
  • Caramel sauce: If you have a favorite homemade caramel sauce recipe, you can use that. However, I use store bought caramel sauce.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make a Caramel Macchiato

I'll walk you through how to make a caramel macchiato at home, including instructions for how to do it whether you own a milk frother and/or espresso machine or not.

With a milk frother and an espresso machine

You'll start out by warming and frothing the milk and pouring it into a mug. I used a glass mug so you can see how this drink gets built.

frothed milk in a glass mug

Next, gently pour your espresso into the mug, through the foam. If you use a glass mug, too, you'll see how it creates layers within the drink: milk on the bottom, espresso in the middle, and foam on top.

Note that signature dark mark on top of the foam.

a caramel macchiato in a glass mug, the layers of the drink are labeled

After that, don't forget to drizzle a healthy amount of caramel sauce on top of the foam. Some will sink into the drink, and some will sit on top of the foam, so don't fret.

a caramel macchiato in a glass mug, with caramel drizzle on top

Without a milk frother

If you aren't an owner of a milk frother, you can still froth your milk for this drink! A couple of options include using a French press or a whisk. Check out this post to learn more.

Without an espresso machine

If you don't own an espresso maker, the next best choice would be to brew some really strong coffee. It won't be exactly the same, but will work in a pinch.

You could also use instant espresso. It comes in powdered form, and all you need to do is add hot water. This wouldn't be my first choice, but is another option for you to consider.

🔗 More Starbucks copycat recipes and coffee drinks

I have loads of more Starbucks copycat recipes. Click on any of the photos below to see some of them. The links below will take you to other delicious coffee recipes, too.

  • a glass mug full of starbucks medicine ball tea
    Starbucks Medicine Ball
  • iced cinnamon dolce latte topped with whipped cream on a wooden tray
    Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte
  • a small jar full of cinnamon dolce sprinkles, a small spoon with cinnamon dolce sprinkles in front
    Cinnamon Dolce Sprinkles
  • two glass mugs full of caramel apple spice
    Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice
  • Maple Pecan Latte from Desserts and Drinks
  • S'mores Latte from Inside Bru Crew Life
  • Lavender Latte from A Nerd Cooks
  • Apple Crisp Macchiato from The Cookie Rookie
a caramel macchiato in a glass mug, with caramel drizzle on top

❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks

How do I make an upside down caramel macchiato?

Start by drizzling caramel into your mug or cup, then follow that with espresso, milk, and then vanilla syrup.

How do I make an iced caramel macchiato?

Follow the same general process as you would to make a hot caramel macchiato, but don't warm the milk, just froth it a bit.

What if I don't have an espresso machine?

You can use very strong coffee or instant espresso, instead.

What if I don't have a milk frother?

Check out this post to learn more.

What kind of milk should I use?

Use whatever milk you prefer. I like oat milk, but use whatever you like.

🖤 Share your creations and follow me on social media!

Subscribe to the A Nerd Cooks Newsletter to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

I love seeing when you share my recipes! Please tag me on Instagram @anerdcooks so I can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below!

✨ Recipe

a caramel macchiato in a glass mug, with caramel drizzle on top

Caramel Macchiato

Lauren Pacek
Try this homemade version of the Starbucks drink, the Caramel Macchiato. Foamed milk, espresso, and caramel drizzle make for a tasty drink.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
Additional Time 0 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Course Coffee
Cuisine American
Servings 1
Calories 216 kcal

Equipment

  • Nespresso Vertuo
  • Milk frother
  • Mugs

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces milk of choice
  • 1 ounce vanilla syrup
  • 2 ounces espresso
  • caramel sauce for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Warm and froth your milk of choice. Pour in into a mug.
  • Brew your espresso into a separate cup. Add the vanilla syrup to the espresso.
  • Pour the espresso into the mug with the milk, pouring it through the foam on the top of the milk.
  • Drizzle caramel sauce on top of the foam.

Notes

  • I've made this recipe using cow's milk and oat milk, both with great success
  •  

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 9gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 263mgSugar: 36g

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Keyword caramel macchiato
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

📌 Pin this recipe for later!

pinterest pin for caramel macchiato

More Delicious Coffee Drink Recipes

  • a mug full of blonde vanilla latte on a wooden tray
    Blonde Vanilla Latte
  • an iced vanilla latte in a glass
    Iced Vanilla Latte
  • a glass of iced peppermint mocha
    Iced Peppermint Mocha
  • an iced pumpkin spice latte with a metal straw
    Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

I love it when you share my recipes!

10 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Flipboard
  • Mix

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Lauren! I'm the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at A Nerd Cooks. I'm a 30-something wife, mom, and scientist with a passion for mixing cocktails, brewing buzzy coffee drinks, and making other delicious beverages at home.

More about me →

Recipes for Spring

  • a nearly head on view of 2 coupe glasses full of lavender martinis
    Lavender Martini
  • two glasses of lavender lemonade garnished with lemon wheels and lavender sprigs
    Lavender Lemonade
  • small jar filled with lavender simple syrup
    Lavender Simple Syrup
  • a glass of strawberry lemonade vodka cocktail garnished with mint
    Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail
  • a 45 degree angle photo of two strawberry mojitos, a bottle with red strawberry simple syrup in the background
    Strawberry Mojitos
  • three stemless champagne flutes with red liquid and bubbles
    Rossini Cocktail

See More Recipes for Spring →

Popular Recipes

  • three shot glasses with green tea shots
    Green Tea Shot
  • Homemade Sour Mix | A Nerd Cooks
    Homemade Sour Mix
  • backlit view of 3 dirty shirley cocktails
    Dirty Shirley
  • three white tea shots on a brown wooden tray
    White Tea Shot
  • three baby guinness shots, with liqueur bottles in background
    Baby Guinness Shot
  • close up, straight on view of small bowl of dark cherries in foreground, old fashioned cocktail and bottle of luxardo liqueur in background
    Homemade Luxardo Cherries

Copyright © 2023 A Nerd Cooks on the Foodie Pro Theme

10 shares