How to make a vegan and dairy-free Oat Milk Latte spiced with cinnamon and warming winter spices.
There's just nothing better than a warm latte on a cold morning. Sipping on one easily makes my top five simple-joys-of-life list.
I'll take a latte with any type of milk. Cow's, soy, coconut, almond, or cashew. As long as there are freshly brewed beans and warm, frothed milk, I'm content.
If I have my pick of milk varieties, though, I'm going with oat.
Oat milk is my favorite because it has a delicious, creamy texture and a neutral flavor. It works well in lattes of all types. Oat milk is also an environmentally friendly option, which is another bonus.
To celebrate oat milk in all of its glory, and to bump up the coziness factor of this latte, SPICES.
Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and gingerroot. Warm flavors that play off of the espresso and oat milk to create a comforting morning beverage that's ideal for cool winter mornings.
Instructions
First, heat up the oat milk with whole spices and brew the espresso.
Pour the oat milk into a small saucepan. Use your hands to break the cinnamon sticks in half and add them to the pot. Use a rolling pin to smash the cardamom pods and whole cloves and add those, too. Give it a stir and cook on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, brew the espresso or dark coffee.
Next, strain oat milk through a fine-mesh strainer and froth.
Once the oat milk is warm and just starting to bubble, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Place a small, fine-mesh strainer over a liquid measuring cup (as pictured). Then, pour the oat milk through the strainer to separate the spices.
Remove the strainer and vigorously whisk the milk until it's frothy and has bubbles. If you have an automatic milk frother, feel free to use it here instead of frothing by hand.
Pour the hot brewed espresso into the mug first. Then, pour in the warm, frothed milk.
Finally, dust with ground cinnamon. Use as much or as little as you want. To create the swirl design in the photos, I gently stirred the cinnamon into the latte at the end.
Can you make a latte without an espresso machine?
I use a stovetop espresso maker for this recipe. If you don't have espresso beans, you can also use regular brewed coffee. Just brew it like normal, but on the stronger side.
Is this recipe vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free?
The recipe itself is vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. For gluten-free, just be sure to check the package or use certified gluten-free oats if you're making your own oat milk.
How do you make oat milk from scratch?
You can make oat milk at home much like you'd make almond or other types of nut milk.
First, rinse the oats, then add them to the blender container with water, and blend. Before chilling, strain the milk through cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.
Want to give it a try? Omit the strawberries from this Homemade Oat Milk recipe.
Can you substitute a different type of milk?
You can use any type of milk for this recipe. Feel free to substitute with cow's, soy, almond, coconut, or cashew milk.
How to Make a No-Added-Sugar Latte
It depends on the type of milk you use. The recipe itself does not have any added sugars.
If you prefer your lattes to be sweeter, add a little sugar when you mix the spices with the milk. You could also use maple syrup if preferred.
Scaling the Recipe
As written, the recipe makes one 16-ounce latte. Adjust the quantities as needed to make more. Just note it'll take longer to heat larger quantities of milk, so the cooking time will increase alongside the total number of servings.
Want More Dairy-Free Drink Recipes?
Here are a few more recipes to try.
- Strawberry Oat Milk
- Toasted Coconut Iced Matcha Latte
- Berry Dragonfruit Smoothie
- Real Vanilla Bean Matcha Latte
- Sparkling Blueberry Hibiscus Iced Tea
- 1 ½ cups oat milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- 6 cardamom pods, smashed
- 10 whole cloves, smashed
- 1 inch piece ginger, halved
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup freshly brewed hot espresso coffee
- Ground cinnamon for serving (optional)
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Heat oat milk, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, whole cloves, ginger, and salt in a small saucepan over low-medium heat for 10 minutes, or until warm and just starting to bubble.
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Pour the warm oat milk through a fine-mesh strainer and into a liquid measuring cup. Whisk vigorously until the milk is frothy and has bubbles. (You may also pour the milk into an automatic frother if desired.)
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Pour the brewed espresso coffee into a mug. Pour frothed milk on top.
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Dust with ground cinnamon and gently whisk to create a swirl design if desired. Enjoy immediately.
Substitutions and additions: Substitute with any type of milk. Use dark brewed coffee instead of espresso if desired. Add sugar or your sweetener of choice if you want the flavor to be sweeter.
Gluten-free: use gluten-free oat milk to make this recipe gluten-free.
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Did you try this recipe?
Rate and leave a comment below, or tag me (@GratefulGrazer) on Instagram.
Ginger says
I'm looking for more ways to use oat milk! Definitey making this one - I love all the spices in it 🙂
Stephanie McKercher, RDN says
Thanks, Ginger! The spices make it extra cozy 🙂
Elle says
Mmm... that's a nice way to have coffee. I had everything except fresh ginger and espresso (thanks, Scandinavian baking heritage), so I used ground ginger in the pot and strong coffee otherwise. Ground cinnamon on top was worthwhile, just like the recipe. Usually I add sugar when I use oat milk in coffee, but I didn't feel the need today. The spices are providing comfort.
Stephanie McKercher, RDN says
The spices are so comforting, right? So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for commenting, Elle!
A says
Can I use ground cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves instead of whole for the milk infusing? What amounts would you recommend?
Ground spices are what I already have in my cupboard 🙂
Stephanie McKercher, RDN says
Hi A, you could use ground spices but I haven't tested the amounts. I'd probably try with relatively small measurements - about 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and just a pinch or ground cardamom and cloves since they can be pretty strong. Let me know how it goes if you try it. Thanks!