Caramel Macchiato {Starbucks Copycat Recipe} — 🍮❤️☕️ An EASY, at-home recipe for the beloved coffee shop drink! It tastes AMAZING and your wallet will thank you! No espresso maker or milk frother required!
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Hot Caramel Macchiato Recipe
If there’s one drink that I’m prone to ordering when I go to a coffee shop, it’s a caramel macchiato. I have a passion for all things caramel.
This easy, at-home recipe tastes amazing, you’ll save yourself a trip to the coffee shop, and your wallet will thank you, too. It’s perfect for chilly weather, holiday brunches, or as ‘dessert’ after a holiday meal and celebration you’re hosting. It’s rich, creamy, decadent, and wonderfully caramelly. The only difference is that you don’t have to make a trip to your local coffee shop.
You can’t have a caramel macchiato without caramel sauce. So, I made my own by using my recipe for Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce. While you could cheat and use store-bought sauce, it just doesn’t taste the same and I urge you to make your own.
You will have some leftovers and could avoid that by making a half batch, but why? It’s perfect to store in a squeeze bottle in the fridge. Then, you can easily add a drizzle of caramel sauce to your favorite caramel brownies, caramel ice cream, caramel apple muffins, or of course to make more caramel macchiatos with a ton of flavor.
What’s in a Caramel Macchiato?
The caramel macchiato ingredients list is short and sweet:
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Corn syrup (optional)
- Horizon Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Espresso shots or brewed coffee
- Horizon Whole Milk – If needed, you can use milk alternatives like coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or soy milk to accommodate a food allergy. Just keep in mind that the taste and texture of the drink will change depending on what you use
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make a Caramel Macchiato at Home
The caramel syrup is easy and is just a mixture of 3 ingredients: sugar, water, and Horizon Heavy Whipping Cream. Add vanilla extract, simple syrup, vanilla syrup, or salt, optionally.
- Prepare the homemade caramel sauce.
- Reduce the heat to low, and very slowly add the heavy cream. Then, add the vanilla and salt, if using. Transfer the thickened sauce to a glass, and allow it to cool. Or, drizzle it along the sides and in the bottom of the cup.
- Use an espresso machine to brew a shot of espresso (or two), or brew pot coffee with freshly ground coffee beans for the best flavor. Pour the liquid into a mug.
- Froth the milk, or warm it in the microwave, and whisk. You won’t achieve a foamy, creamy milk topping with cold milk! Then, pour it into the mug of hot espresso or coffee. Adjust the sweetness to taste.
- Add a dollop of Cocowhip on top of the milk. Then, add an extra caramel drizzle on top of the drink. If you really want to treat yourself, add a drizzle of chocolate syrup, too.
Tips for Making a Hot Caramel Macchiato
When making the caramel sauce, I highly recommend having all the ingredients in place nearby (including hot mitts and a glass jar or heat-safe container). You’re working with boiling sugar and your full attention on the recipe is necessary.
If you’re unsure whether the caramel sauce is done or not and you’re going to err on under or overcooking the caramel, undercook it. Overcooking results in caramel hard candy, not caramel sauce.
Let the caramel sauce cool to room temperature before using. You do NOT want to drink it when it’s hot (it’s basically molten sugar at that stage).
Recipe FAQs
The corn syrup is not absolutely necessary. It can help prevent crystallization and keep the caramel sauce a bit smoother, but if you just take your time and watch the caramel closely you can omit it.
Of course! Feel free to use whatever coffee or espresso you like. Just be sure to pick a flavor that will pair well with the caramel sauce like a vanilla bean for caramel option.
Yes, just use iced coffee or espresso, and follow the steps as normal.
Caramel Macchiato {Copycat Recipe}
Equipment
- 1 Medium High-Sided Saucepan
- 1 Coffee Mug
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon light-colored corn syrup, can be omitted but helps reduce crystallization
- ½ cup Horizon Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste for ‘salted caramel’ sauce
Coffee
- 2 shots freshly brewed espresso or about 6 ounces strong freshly brewed coffee
- ¼ to ½ cup Horizon Whole Milk, frothed or warmed
- So Delicious CocoWhip
Instructions
Make the Caramel Sauce:
- Have all the ingredients in place including hot mitts and a glass jar or heat-safe container nearby. You’re working with boiling sugar and your full attention on the recipe is necessary.
- To a medium/large high-sided saucepan (use a pan much larger than you think you’ll need because the sauce will bubble very vigorously at the end), add the sugar, water, corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking until sugar has dissolved.
- Allow the mixture to boil for 5 to 9 minutes, or as necessary, for it to turn caramel-colored, at which point it could be smoking slightly. The final stage where the mixture turns from pale amber to that perfect shade of caramel can go quickly, in less than 30 seconds, so keep a watchful eye and don’t let it burn or you’ll have to start over. Throughout the boiling time, you can swirl the pan gently or whisk the mixture every minute or so, but the less the sugary mixture gets on the sides of the pan, the better in preventing crystallization in the final sauce. Tip – If you’re unsure and you’re going to err on under or overcooking the caramel, undercook it. Overcooking results in caramel hard candy, not caramel sauce.
- As soon as the sauce has turned caramel-colored, reduce the heat to low.
- Very carefully and slowly, add the heavy cream. Stand back because mixture will bubble up considerably.
- Optionally, and very carefully, add the vanilla and optional salt, to taste. Stand back because mixture will bubble up again.
- Whisk until sauce is smooth and combined, and let it boil another 1 minute, which helps thicken it up.
- Transfer sauce to glass jar or heat-safe container (easiest to pour into a 2-cup measuring cup and then easily pour into glass jar). Allow sauce to cool uncovered to room temperature; sauce thickens considerably as it cools. Sauce will keep airtight at room temp for at least 1 month; set extra sauce aside. If sauce sets up overly firm or your kitchen is cold, zap it in the micro for 10 seconds to loosen it.
- Optionally, drizzle about 1 to 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce over the interior surface of a coffee mug. Skip this step if you don’t prefer a lot of caramel. Set mug aside.
Make the Coffee:
- Prepare the espresso or coffee and pour into the mug. Note – I find the drink is sweet enough with just the caramel and the whipped topping but if you think you want additional sweetener/sugar, add it now and stir to combine; set mug aside.
- If you have a milk frother, use it here. If not, add the milk to a glass measuring cup or other microwave-safe container and heat for about 1 minute on high power, or until milk is very warm but not boiling; alternatively this can be done on the stovetop. Whisk the milk for about 15 seconds to froth it up a bit.
- Add the warmed milk to the mug to taste, top with CocoWhip, drizzle with caramel sauce to taste, and serve immediately. Drink is best warm and fresh.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Fall Drink Recipes:
Caramel Apple Cider — Warm apple cider spiked with cinnamon, maple and almond extracts, apple chunks, and the mugs are rimmed with heavenly homemade salted caramel sauce! FAST, EASY, and so DELICIOUS!
Hard Apple Cider Mule — And after trying this twist on the Moscow mule, I think you’ll agree that autumn never tasted better.
Creamy Nutella Martini — This martini is creamy, smooth, and satisfying. The Frangelico adds hazelnut, cinnamon, and vanilla notes, while the Irish cream provides richness and creaminess.
Skinny Caramel Frappuccino— This drink is too good to be true! It’s cold, creamy, rich, and satisfying, plus it’s only 50 calories per serving.
Creamy Boozy Iced Coffee – This is the fastest and easiest method way to make iced coffee that I’ve tried, and I’ve tried plenty.
Homemade Baileys Irish Cream— Homemade Baileys Irish Cream comes together 1 minute, with ingredients you likely already have on hand. Rich, creamy, and the flavor is a dead ringer for store-bought!
Post is brought to you by Horizon. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #HorizonOrganic
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon. The opinions and text are all mine.
great
Is the corn syrup necessary in the caramel sauce? I am allergic to corn and all things made from corn.
It’s not absolutely necessary. It can help prevent crystallization and keep it a bit smoother, but if you just take your time and watch your caramel closely you can omit.
Just a helpful barista tip, macchiato is “to mark” the foam. Your coffee or espresso should be poured over top of the frothed milk to be a macchiato otherwise it’s just a latte. :)
I understand that but for people without a steamer/foaming tools, I think their final result will look better if they do it in the order I wrote, despite it maybe not being technically correct. Trying to give the home cook and the average person the ability to make something great at home.
Isn’t this missing vanilla?? Starbucks Caramel Macchiato has vanilla syrup and is topped with caramel
Feel free to add more. I add vanilla in my homemade caramel sauce and that’s enough for me.
Looking forward to trying this. All of my years of ordering caramel macchiatos from Starbucks and not until recently did I find out that they use vanilla syrup in it. It now makes sense that this is how they sweeten it without adding sugar.
I could use one of these right now! That froth drip is mesmerizing! YUM!
I could use one too, LOL! Late night editing session underway!
Yum!! My regular coffee seems a bit boring…..I could use one of these today! This looks delicious–especially with homemade caramel sauce.
It’s so good! It’s like drinking your dessert which is okay sometimes :)