This Starbucks copycat Chestnut Praline Latte is the perfect latte for Christmas! It's made with homemade chestnut praline syrup and you can make it both hot or iced. Top it with whipped cream and a crunchy sugar topping. The drink is vegan-friendly and just like Starbucks!
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Why This Recipe Works
Starbucks at home - Starbucks copycat recipes are my absolute favorite to make! Making your own at home is cheaper, easy, and healthier than going out to buy them! My all-time favorite Starbucks coffee drink is the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso but this latte definitely comes as a close second!
The best Christmas drink - Chestnut roasting is one of the best Christmas smells and with toasted pecans, it makes the perfect holiday latte! My other two favorites are this Vegan Eggnog Mocha and the Christmas Spiced Hot Chocolate but this chestnut latte definitely takes the cake!
Chestnut praline syrup - The homemade syrup is the best part of this drink! Use it in lattes (hot or iced), hot chocolate, in cocktails, or drizzled-over pancakes. You can also use store-bought syrup (Monin is usually my choice) but it will never be as good as homemade, especially with this flavor because it's hard to replicate.
Easy and simple - Although the recipe calls for homemade syrup, it's still really easy and doesn't require any complicated ingredients. You don't have to roast and peel the chestnuts, simply buy cooked (usually steamed) chestnuts and roast them along with pecans to get them toasted a little bit and enhance their flavor.
Ingredients
- Chestnuts - I recommend using packaged precooked chestnuts. They're already peeled and ready to eat. You can also roast your own if you can't find any packaged.
- Pecans - Raw pecans is what you should look for. You're toasting them yourself so you'll need them to be raw, unroasted.
- Sugar - I used a mix of dark brown sugar and cane sugar in a 3:1 ratio. You can use just brown sugar, dark brown sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, agave, or coconut sugar/nectar. Any sugar alternatives that can be used in a 1:1 ratio also work. Keep in mind that using a different type of sugar will change the flavor of the syrup.
- Espresso - This latte calls for two shots for espresso, same as a grande-sized latte at Starbucks. If you like to order a Venti, add 3 shots. A tall drink has one shot of espresso.
- Oat milk - To keep this drink vegan, I opted for oat milk. You can use any milk you usually get in your lattes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Chestnut Praline Syrup
- Preheat your oven to 350F or 175C.
- Add pecans and chestnuts to a baking sheet. Break up the chestnuts into halves or quarters so they can toast better on the inside.
- Roast them for 10 minutes until very fragrant. Keep an eye on them to make sure the nuts don't burn.
- Roughly chop the pecans and chestnuts and add them to a medium saucepan. Add dark brown sugar, cane sugar, and water.
- Bring everything to a boil stirring often to make sure the sugar dissolves and doesn't burn. Lower the heat and simmer the syrup for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Take the syrup off the heat, add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Stir and allow the syrup to cool for 10 minutes before straining and transferring it into a jar.
- Let the syrup cool completely before closing with a lid and storing in the fridge.
Hot latte: Use a milk frother that warms up your milk or warm it up on the stove before frothing. Pour it into a mug, add one or two shots of espresso and the chestnut praline syrup. Top the drink with whipped cream and a sugar topping (turbinado sugar mixed with cinnamon).
Iced latte: Froth your milk using a milk frother with a cold setting. Brew your espresso while it's frothing. Fill a tall glass with ice, pour the frothy milk over the ice, and add espresso, and the syrup. Serve with a straw and top with whipped cream if desired.
Serving and Storing
You can serve the latte iced or hot. Top it with whipped cream and praline topping to make it extra fancy. For the topping, I make a lazy version with just turbinado sugar and cinnamon just like I did for this Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte. It's crunchy and takes only a minute. If you want to make it more similar to Starbucks, you can toast some pecans, chop them up and add to the sugar. Finely chopped candied pecans would also be delicious sprinkled on top!
The drink should be enjoyed right away but the syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
FAQs
Definitely! Don't warm up your milk and use the cold frothing settings on your milk frother. Fill a tall glass with ice, add the frothy milk, 1-2 shots of espresso, and the homemade syrup. Top up with whipped cream and enjoy!
Tall has one shot of espresso, grande has two, and venti has three. This is true for all of their lattes. Their shaken espresso has one extra shot for every size.
More Starbucks Coffee Drinks
Homemade Starbucks copycat drinks are my favorite recipes to recreate and share. If you want to see the latest ones, head over to the Starbucks Drinks category. Below are my four favorites for fall and winter! I'm a big fan of iced coffee so most of these drinks are iced but they can easily be made hot!
- Iced Pumpkin Spiced Latte (the best latte for fall!)
- Iced Apple Crisp Macchiato (also really delicious hot)
- Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte (simple but sooo tasty)
- Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate (a Christmas classic!)
📖 Recipe
Chestnut Praline Latte
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cooling time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte is the perfect Christmas latte! It has homemade syrup and you can make it both hot or iced.
Ingredients
Chestnut Praline Syrup
- ½ cup raw pecans (55g)
- 5-6 peeled cooked chestnuts (100g)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
Chestnut Praline Latte
- 2 shots of espresso
- ½ cup oat milk
- 1-2 tablespoon chestnut praline syrup (or to taste)
- Whipped cream (optional, I used coconut)
Instructions
Chestnut Praline Syrup
- Preheat your oven to 350F (175C).
- Break up the chestnut into quarters or halves and add them to a baking sheet along with pecans.
- Roast them for 10 minutes until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.
- Chop up both roughly and add to a medium saucepan with dark brown sugar, cane sugar, and water.
- Bring everything to a a boil stirring often to make sure the sugar dissolves and doesn’t burn.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Take the mixture off the heat, add vanilla extract and sea salt, stir, and allow to cool for another 10 minutes.
- Strain the syrup into a jar and allow it to cool completely before closing it with a lid and storing it in the fridge.
Chestnut Praline Latte
- Brew two shots of espresso. While it’s brewing, froth your milk. If you don’t have a milk frother that warms up your milk, warm it up first on the stove and then froth using a milk frother.
- Pour warm frothy milk into a glass cup and add espresso and the syrup.
- Top with whipped cream and praline topping (see notes) if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Chestnut Praline topping: I like making a lazy version which is just turbinado sugar mixed with a little bit of cinnamon. It adds crunch and spice but is really easy to make. You can also toast a few pecans in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes, finely chop them up and mix with the sugar and cinnamon. Finely chopped candied pecans would also be delicious!
Chestnut Praline syrup: The recipe yields 1 cup of syrup. Store the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Iced latte: You can make the same thing iced, just don’t warm up the milk. Fill a glass with ice, pour everything over the ice and enjoy!
Patricia says
This is even better than Starbucks due to the "real" ingredients! I love this drink so much - and yes - chestnuts are for the season! I can't wait to make this again and again!
Marta says
I made fresh chestnut puree and turned it into the praline syrup just for this recipe and when I tell you it is EVERYthing!! I can't wait to make it for these über-chilly days we have coming up.
Bernice says
YUM! I'm always looking for hot chocolate recipes and this one really caught my attention. I i l love the combination of chestnut and praline...seems a natural fit for me!
Christina Campbell says
This tasted nothing like Starbucks' drink. Does the syrup taste good? Yes. Just don't expect it to taste anything like the real thing. I was really hoping it would.. I feel the vanilla was overpowering as well. I've added that same amount to sugar and water to make a vanilla simple syrup.
Veronika Sykorova says
I'm sorry it wasn't what you expected but I'm glad you liked it anyway. Unfortunately the original Starbucks chestnut praline syrup has natural flavors and possibly even artificial flavors which is impossible to mimic with real ingredients but I still believe it's a great version of it without any additives.
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says
This chestnut praline latte is better than the original! Loved the look, the flavor, and how straightforward it is to make!
Colleen says
This chestnut latte is definitely better than the original! It's a perfect drink for the season and I'll be making it again. Thank you!
Erin says
I love all the flavors in this drink! It sounds so perfect for these cozy, cold nights. I just need to find some chestnuts!
Katie Crenshaw says
Wow!! This turned into a fantastic treat. It was warm, rich, and creamy! Loved the flavors.
Tammy says
Oooh that syrup sounds divine! What a delicious and warm drink to cozy up with! Sounds so comforting right now :D
Ann says
Oh this sounds tasty! Your presentation is so pretty! I love trying new drinks, especially coffee related!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
What a great seasonal drink! Such a great addition to add to our holiday brunch ! Thank you so much for sharing!
Rebe says
So what can I do with the leftover/already-used Pecans and chestnuts from the pan after the sauce is strained out? Do I just toss them out?
Veronika Sykorova says
You can keep put them on oatmeal, desserts, ice cream, or just snack on them. They'll keep in an airtight container for a week.
Emiry says
This recipe was so straightforward, simple, and ultimately, delicious!
Wanting a hint of spice, I added 1 tsp of a "Winter Spice Blend" I concocted to the syrup after all the sugar melted; here are the ingredients I used---in case anyone wants to add some of them as well---the mix makes over 2 tsp (don't add all of it to the syrup lol):
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon (add more, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 1/2 tsp Cloves
- A pinch of ground Star Anise (I just pounded a small petal of the spice with a mortar and pestle)
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
I also used 155g of chestnuts instead of both chestnuts and pecans, since I didn't have any of the latter on hand.
Overall, this syrup turned out amazing! It was like a fireside version o f the Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte; even more comforting and homey.
If you haven't tried it already, I whole-heartedly recommend this recipe!
Veronika Sykorova says
Thank you for the great review! I love the idea of adding the spices, that sounds amazing!
Crissy says
Which precooked chestnuts do you buy?
Veronika Sykorova says
My go-to is a brand called Dan-D-Pak organic chestnuts but I think it might only be available in Canada.
There is a US Amazon link in the ingredients list in the blog post (not the recipe card) that links to a brand called Galil. Most brands will be very similar as long as the chestnuts have no additives and come in a sealed bag.
Adrienne says
I’m going to make this soon, it sounds delicious and much healthier than the Starbucks syrups. I’m just wondering if you have found any way to use the nuts that are leftover after making the syrup?
Veronika Sykorova says
Definitely! You can stir them into oatmeal, put them on desserts, ice cream, or just snack on them. They'll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week but you can freeze them as well. I have a separate post just for the chestnut praline syrup and someone in the comments had an idea to put them on brie which sounds so good as well. I can imagine they'd be delicious on brie crostini like this Apple Brie Crostini or even this Whipped Ricotta Crostini.