How to Make an Iced Latte at Home: Ratio & Recipe

As the weather warms up across Australia, the iced latte becomes the go-to drink for a lot of us. The good news is that a café-quality iced latte is one of the easiest drinks to make at home. If you can pull a decent double shot, you are most of the way there.

The Iced Latte Recipe

Here is the recipe we come back to for a standard 300 to 350 ml glass:

• Espresso: a double shot, around 18 to 20 g of ground coffee in and 36 to 40 g of espresso out, in roughly 25 to 30 seconds (a 1:2 brew ratio)
• Milk: 150 to 180 ml of cold milk, straight from the fridge
• Ice: enough cubes to fill the glass about two thirds of the way
• Optional: a teaspoon of sugar syrup or your favourite flavoured syrup

That works out to roughly one part espresso to four or five parts milk, which keeps the coffee flavour front and centre while still tasting smooth and creamy. If you like it stronger, drop the milk back towards 120 ml. If you prefer it milder, add a little more milk rather than pulling a weaker shot, because a thin shot tastes watery once the ice starts to melt.

Step by Step

1. Chill your glass. Pop it in the freezer for a few minutes, or fill it with ice and water while you prepare everything else, then tip the water out.
2. Add ice and milk. Fill the glass about two thirds with ice, then pour in your cold milk. Stir through any syrup now, because syrup will not mix in easily once the drink is cold.
3. Pull your shot. Brew a double espresso into a small jug or shot glass rather than straight onto the ice.
4. Pour slowly over the top. Pour the espresso gently over the milk. It will sit on top and slowly cascade through, giving you that layered café look.
5. Stir and enjoy. Give it a stir before your first sip so every mouthful is balanced.

Brewing into a jug first stops a stream of hot espresso hitting the ice directly, which melts it faster and dilutes your drink.

Getting the Shot Right

Because an iced latte is so simple, the espresso does all the heavy lifting. Cold drinks mute sweetness and make bitterness and sourness easier to notice, so a shot that is slightly off will show up more in an iced latte than in a hot flat white. Aim for a balanced, well extracted shot: if it tastes sour, grind a little finer; if it tastes harsh and bitter, grind a little coarser.

If you want to check your numbers, our espresso brew ratio calculator works out the dose, yield and target shot time for you, so you can start from a solid baseline before tweaking to taste. For a deeper walkthrough, read our espresso dial-in guide.

Choosing Your Beans and Milk

Medium and darker roasts with chocolate, caramel and nutty notes tend to shine in milk, hot or cold, and a blend designed for espresso is a safe starting point. Lighter, fruity single origins can be lovely too, especially if you enjoy a brighter, more refreshing drink.

Full cream milk gives the richest, silkiest texture. Oat milk is a popular alternative because its natural sweetness and body hold up well against espresso. Almond and soy work as well, though they tend to taste a little lighter.

Common Iced Latte Mistakes

• Too little ice. A half filled glass melts quickly and waters the drink down. More ice actually means less dilution.
• Single shots. One shot gets lost in a tall glass of milk and ice. Stick with a double.
• Stale beans. Coffee loses aroma over time, and that loss is even more noticeable in a cold drink. Buy in amounts you will use within a few weeks.
• Making it ahead. An iced latte is best made fresh. If you want something you can batch for the week, try our cold brew method instead.

What It Saves You Over Summer

Over a long Australian summer, it is easy to grab an iced coffee on the way to work most days, and those café visits add up. Pop your usual café price and how many you buy each week into our coffee savings calculator to see what a summer of home iced lattes could put back in your pocket.

Ready to Make Your Own?

Start with a balanced double shot, plenty of ice and cold milk, and you will have a café-quality iced latte in a few minutes. Use our Brew Guide and Ratio Calculator to nail your espresso recipe, then try the Coffee Savings Calculator to see how much you could save by making your summer coffees at home.