Welcome to yumsjunction! Today I will be telling you how to make my absolute favorite coffee recipe. It is this iced lavender honey latte made with oat milk, but you could totally use any milk you want.
Seriously, it’s my go-to drink for spring and summer, and it’s just so refreshing. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Be Obsessed With This Drink
- It’s insanely refreshing: The perfect balance of floral notes and sweet honey to cool you down.
- Cafe-quality at home: You’re making a real-deal lavender syrup that tastes just like the craft specialty shops!
- Customizable: Don’t have an espresso machine? No problem. It works perfectly with cold brew concentrate.
If you love refreshing, customizable lattes like this, also try my My Go-To Healthy Smoothie That’s Secretly Packed With Good Stuff for a fruity twist!
What You’ll Need
Special Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Glass jar with a lid (for storing syrup)
- Espresso machine OR cold brew maker
For the Honey Lavender Syrup (Yields 8-10 lattes)
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Honey (clover or wildflower recommended)
- 1 tablespoon (2g) Dried culinary-grade lavender
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract (optional)
For the Iced Latte (16 oz serving)
- 2 shots Espresso (approx. 2 oz) OR ½ cup strong cold brew concentrate
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Honey lavender syrup (to taste)
- 1 cup (8 oz) Oat milk (or milk of choice)
- Ice (large cubes are best)
- Tiny pinch of dried culinary-grade lavender buds (for garnish)
Let’s Build the Latte!
1. Make the Syrup Base
Alright, so to start this syrup, grab a saucepan. You’ll want to take a half cup of water and put it in there. Then, for your honey, add equal parts, just like a regular simple syrup. This is gonna take the place of granulated sugar.
Pro Tip: Do keep in mind that the flavor of your honey is obviously going to influence the flavor of the final syrup, so be sure that you are choosing one that you really enjoy!
2. A Quick Warning About the Lavender…
Next, add your dried culinary-grade lavender. You can buy dried lavender in bulk online; it’s really easy to find. Just make sure it is labeled culinary grade so your syrup doesn’t end up tasting like soap!
I use about 1 tablespoon for this amount of syrup because it’s actually really potent. I would not recommend adding more until you know what that tablespoon kind of gives you. You want the lavender to be a subtle whisper, not a perfume!
3. Simmer & Dissolve
Just bring the syrup to a gentle simmer over medium heat so that the honey dissolves into the water. It does not take much! Do not let it reach a rolling boil.
4. Infuse & Cool
Remove the saucepan from the heat. What I personally like to do is let it sit off of the heat for about 15 to 20 minutes so the lavender really infuses into the syrup. It’ll also allow it to cool down completely so that when we make our iced latte, it doesn’t melt our ice or warm up our drink.
5. Strain
When it’s time to strain, grab a fine-mesh strainer and some sort of glass jar to strain it into, just to get those lavender flowers out. Stir in the vanilla extract if using. And then we have our delicious syrup!
If you love homemade syrup magic like this, also try my Hot Chocolate Protein Oats: Your New Favourite Pre-Workout Meal! for cozy mornings.
6. Prep and Sweeten the Coffee
To make the latte, there are a couple of ways you can go about the coffee part of it: If you have a machine, pull two shots of espresso. If you don’t have a machine, I really recommend a cold brew concentrate. It gives that really rich coffee flavor without needing fancy equipment!
The Secret Step: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of your honey lavender syrup right into the hot espresso (or cold brew). I like to add the syrup and the coffee together first so that they can really mix in.
7. Ice and Milk
Fill your 16 oz glass about three-quarters of the way with ice. Pour your 8 ounces (1 cup) of oat milk over the ice. I love using oat milk because the nuttiness pairs so perfectly with the floral lavender!
8. The Pour
Gently pour your sweetened coffee over the milk and ice. Give the drink a good stir, top with a little garnish of dried culinary-grade lavender if you’d like, and that’s it. Enjoy!
I am so excited to hear what you think about this recipe! Leave me a comment and let me know.
If you like this recipe Explore more recipes
FAQs
Why does my lavender syrup taste like soap?
This is a super common mistake! You always want to make sure you are buying culinary grade dried lavender. Lavender sold for crafts or sachets is treated differently and will give your syrup an overpowering, bitter, soapy flavor. Steeping the syrup for too long (over 30 minutes) can also draw out bitter notes.
Can I just put raw honey directly into my iced latte?
I don’t recommend it! Raw honey will not dissolve in cold milk or iced coffee—it will just turn into a hard, sticky clump at the bottom of your glass. Turning it into a simple syrup with water ensures it blends beautifully into cold drinks. If you want to skip the syrup step, you must whisk your raw honey directly into the piping hot espresso shots before pouring it over ice.
What kind of milk is best for a lavender latte?
I absolutely love using oat milk for this! The natural, subtle sweetness and slight nuttiness of oat milk pairs perfectly with the floral notes of the lavender. You can totally use any milk you want, but oat milk gives it that authentic, craft coffee-shop vibe.
How long does the homemade honey lavender syrup last?
Your homemade syrup will stay fresh in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for about 2 weeks. This recipe makes enough for 8 to 10 lattes, so you’ll be set for a while!
Iced Lavender Honey Oat Milk Latte
Course: BreakfastCuisine: American / CafeDifficulty: Easy10
servings5
minutes5
minutes180
kcal20
minutes30
minutesA refreshing, cafe-quality iced latte made with a homemade honey lavender syrup, robust espresso, and creamy oat milk. The perfect spring and summer pick-me-up!
Ingredients
- Equipment Needed:
Small saucepan
Fine-mesh strainer
Glass jar (for storing syrup)
Espresso machine or cold brew maker
- Ingredients:
- For the Honey Lavender Syrup:
½ cup (120 ml) water
½ cup (170 g) honey
1 tbsp (2 g) culinary-grade dried lavender
¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- For the Iced Latte:
2 shots (60 ml) espresso OR ½ cup (120 ml) cold brew concentrate
1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) honey lavender syrup
1 cup (240 ml) oat milk
1 cup Ice cubes
Pinch culinary-grade dried lavender (for garnish)
Directions
- Combine syrup ingredients: Add the water, honey, and dried culinary-grade lavender to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Dissolve the honey: Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly just until the honey dissolves. Avoid a rolling boil.
- Steep: Remove from heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes to infuse.
- Strain and store: Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass jar. Add vanilla extract if desired. Let cool completely before making your latte. (Store leftovers in the fridge).
- Prep the coffee: Brew 2 shots of espresso or measure your cold brew concentrate into a glass.
- Sweeten: Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of your cooled honey lavender syrup directly into the coffee.
- Build the drink: Fill a 16 oz glass ¾ full of ice. Pour in the oat milk.
- Combine: Pour the sweetened coffee mixture over the iced oat milk. Stir well, garnish with a pinch of lavender, and enjoy!
Notes
- Syrup Storage: The honey lavender syrup will keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!
- Pro-Tip for Honey: Always mix your syrup into the coffee first. If you try to mix straight raw honey into an iced drink, it will just clump at the bottom of your glass.
- Culinary Grade is Key: Make sure you are using culinary grade dried lavender. Craft-store lavender meant for sachets is often treated and will make your drink taste like soap!
- Milk Swaps: I highly recommend oat milk! The natural sweetness and nuttiness of the oats complement the floral lavender much better than standard dairy or almond milk.
