Do you want to learn how to make the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso from Starbucks at home? Try this copycat recipe! You only need a few basic ingredients and you might even end up liking it more than the one from Starbucks!
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Why This Recipe Works
- It's just like Starbucks! - The recipe calls for the same amounts of everything so it's super similar to what the brown sugar shaken espresso tastes like.
- You can use the same coffee - The flavor of the final drink will greately depend on what coffee beans you use. If you want it to be the exact same, get blonde espresso roast beans directly from Starbucks. I use their capsules in my Nespresso machine for this drink!
- It's fun to make! - Making a shaken espresso is like making a cocktail but instead of alcohol, you get a nice caffeine kick to wake you up in the morning.
- It's healthier - The recipe still uses brown sugar but when you make it at home, you know exactly how much sugar goes in!
- Cheaper than Starbucks - This probably comes as no surprise but making your morning lattes at home is much cheaper than buying them at a coffee shop! Your favorite coffee shop also probably always uses the same beans but at home, you can buy different kinds and change it up every day!
Ingredients Notes
- Brown sugar - This is used to make the syrup. Both light and dark brown sugar work great! Dark brown sugar will have a stronger molases flavor.
- Vanilla extract - This one is definitely optional but it compliments all the other flavors really well and I highly recommend it. You could also use vanilla powder or vanilla paste.
- Espresso - You need 2-3 shots of espresso for this drink. Starbucks adds 2 shots to a grande drink but I usually find that too intense. Especially if you use Nespresso, like I do, and you use their settings for espresso which is set to 40ml. A regular espresso is usually 30-35 ml. Use decaf or half decaf if needed.
- Oat milk - There are a lot of oat milks on the market today. I try to use the ones that say barista on them because they froth the best (Earth's Own Barista is my favorite). This drink doesn't need any frothing so any oat milk will do but the barista ones usually tend to be creamier. An oat creamer also does works here (Elmhurst is my fav).
Toasted Vanilla Syrup
Starbucks has come out with the new shaken espresso with toasted vanilla instead of the classic brown sugar syrup. Do you like it? I'm curious, you can let me know in the comments below!
I'm honestly not a fan of it so I didn't try creating my own version. To me, the syrup tastes like roasted hazelnuts and vanilla so to make the syrup, I recommend roasting hazelnuts and simmering them with sugar and water, and adding vanilla.
It's hard to get the 'toasted' part of the flavor but you can use the Toasted Marshmallow syrup by Monin with vanilla extract to get that toasted vanilla flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Brown sugar syrup
I have two versions of how you can make this drink. Either you can make a brown sugar syrup that you can store for about two weeks, or you can do the lazy version and mix brown sugar right into your espresso!
- The lazy version: Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract to the bottom of a mason jar, brew the coffee over it and swirl it to mix them together. The sugar will melt and you won't have to make any syrup!
- The syrup: Mix equal parts of brown sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract and transfer to a glass jar. Cool completely before closing with a lid and storing in the fridge.
- Bonus! Store-bought: There are brown sugar syrups you can buy, like the ones from Monin or Torani. I prefer Monin over Torani because their syrups don't have preservatives. Keep in mind the syrup will have also have regular cane sugar along with the brown sugar and flavors. Homemade is always best but if you need a shortcut, a store-bought syrup is an option!
Shaken Espresso
- Add 2 shots of espresso, 1-2 tablespoons of the brown sugar syrup to a mason jar or a cocktail shaker with about 1 cup of ice. Close with a lid and shake vigorously for about 5 seconds.
- Pour into a tall glass with the ice and top up with oat milk. You can add as much milk as you like, I usually add anywhere from a splash to ½ cup. Starbucks doesn't add too much milk to this drink, I'd say 2-4 tablespoons is the amount they add.
Serving and Storing
Once you make the drink, it should be served right away. You can store the syrup in a jar in the fridge for about 2 weeks. If you want it to last longer, you can add a splash of vodka to preserve it for a little longer.
FAQs
It's freshly brewed espresso shaken with ice and syrup the same way you would shake a cocktail. It makes the coffee frothy and light without frothing the milk.
Their shaken espresso has 2 shots in the Tall size, 3 shots in Grande, and 4 shots in Venti.
Yes, you can substitute it 1:1 (2 shots of espresso are 60-80ml) or you can adjust the amount and add a little more because espresso tends to be stronger and more concentrated than other types of coffee.
Yes and yes! Both this recipe and the original Starbucks versions are completely vegan. They both use oat milk.
More Starbucks Inspired Drinks
Easy homemade versions of popular Starbucks drinks are my favorite recipes to create so there is definitely more to come but here are four of my favorites! To see the latest and greatest, check out the Non-Alcoholic drinks category!
📖 Recipe
Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A homemade version of the popular brown sugar shaken espresso drink from Starbucks. It's easy to make and much cheaper than Starbucks!
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Syrup:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Shaken Espresso:
- 1 cup Ice
- 2-3 shots of espresso
- 2 tbsp brown sugar syrup
- ¼-½ cup oat milk
- Cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, mix together the brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour into a heatproof glass jar and set aside to cool.
- Brew your espresso and pour it into a tall mason jar with about 1 cup of ice. Add the syrup, cover with a lid and shake vigorously for 5 seconds.
- Pour into a tall glass including the ice. Top up with oat milk and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
Notes
Different Starbucks cup sizes have different amounts of coffee and syrup. Their shaken espresso pumps of syrup are supposedly only half pumps. The regular pump is about ½ tbsp. I find the Starbucks syrup sweeter because it uses regular cane sugar along with brown sugar and this recipe only has brown sugar so I use more of it.
Here is the rundown of what Starbucks uses:
- Tall - 2 shots espresso, 3 pumps of syrup (approx. ½-1 tbsp)
- Grande - 3 shots, 4 pumps (1-2 tbsp)
- Venti - 4 shots, 6 pumps (2-3 tbsp)
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Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Tosha says
How do you keep the syrup from getting too hard?
Veronika Sykorova says
The syrup should stay liquid and pourable even in the fridge. It never hardens. It will only harden if you don't add enough water or cook it for way too long which would create hard caramel. Make sure your sugar and water ratio is 1:1.
Liz says
This sounds yummy! I need to start trying some of the coffee recipes at home! Thanks for the share!
Freya says
This sounds so delicious! I love brown sugar anything and I love that it’s already vegan!
Michele says
I love copycat recipes and this is one I have to make because it looks and sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing. I'll be trying this one soon.
Mikayla says
Had I not been standing in my kitchen making this myself, I would have thought it came straight from Starbucks. I think I may play a bit with a few flavor adds.
Devan says
Veronika this looks so good! Thank you for sharing this - I can't wait to try it. One of my favourite drinks at Starbucks and just like you mentioned - a great way to save money at home.
Shelley says
You are my HERO!!! I seriously love this drink - it's my little treat every once in awhile when I happen to reward myself with a Starbucks adventure. And now I can make it at home! I'm so excited - so happy to find this recipe! Thank you!!
Colleen says
I love this drink at Starbucks, so I was so happy to see this recipe. Now I can have it anytime at home and save myself some $. Thank you!
Amanda says
I love this Starbucks drink, and it turned out so good! The brown sugar simple syrup added such a rich flavor, and it was super easy to whip up.
veenaazmanov says
Homemade is surely delicious and healthier. Would love to try this for the Summers. Cooling and filling too.
Aya says
This beats starbucks! The iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso is delicious and addictive. I love it, it is my new favorite drink!
Sarah says
I bought Torani brown sugar cinnamon syrup and this is FAR better. Like night and day. It's a little different from Starbucks (I even used the Starbucks blonde espresso) but it's good enough to prevent me from getting Starbucks, which says something!
Katie Crenshaw says
I loved how this turned out. It was the perfect pick-me-up to start my morning with. I will be making this often!
Amy Liu Dong says
This espresso looks so tasty, it has everything we love. The color it gives makes it enticing and tempting. Plus it's easy to prepare and make.
Moop Brown says
I'm always looking for more vegan recipes to try and this one looks super tasty and like a great drink to start the day off with
Silvia says
Thank you!!! I discovered oat milk a few months ago and I want to add it to every single thing and it goes so well in this shaken expresso.
Susan Marshall says
Thank you for the recipe and including the lazy version instructions. I tried that one first and it was very tasty. I’m new to espresso so I’m not sure how much a shot is. I think maybe I didn’t use enough but it was still good and I look forward to playing with it until I get it right. I also look forward to saving a little money with fewer trips to Starbucks.
Courtney says
I made it this morning on my day off and it is so delicious! It tastes just like I got it from Starbucks! Definitely going to try out more of your recipes in the future!
Veronika | thehealthfulideas says
I see, okay. Not sure how one would know whether or not someone who comments actually tried it or not though?
Sherri Miles says
I just made this and it is AMAZING!!! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The brown sugar syrup is so good! I want to drink it by itself…lol When I got Covid a few years ago and lost my taste and smell, it never truly came back, but then I got something called parosmia where the nerve endings in your nose are trying to repair itself and misfiring which causes everything to smell rancid or like rotting flesh. It is now been a year and a half and I can finally drink coffee. Coffee was the absolute worst so I am in heaven drinking this right now! Thank you so much for posting it!
Nichole says
This tastes exactly like Starbucks! Thank you!
Megan says
Just made, flavor is a lil weak compared to Sbux so I'll have to tweak it.
Also confused why there are so many 5 star reviews from "excited to try" people. So here's my review from an *actual* "I tried the recipe" person.
Veronika Sykorova says
It's always hard to mimic the flavors of a syrups with natural or artificial flavors exactly. I recommend trying dark brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor, hope that helps!
E says
Thankyou for this great recipe! Tastes just like my fav Starbucks….gonna save me SO MUCH 💵💰💰💰💰👸
Emily says
I tried the recipe 5 minutes ago. I do have a nepresso espresso machine. I used the Starbucks blond espresso pods which luckily were at my local Walmart. I added about. 1 TBS dark brown sugar poured in the espresso, shake 5-10 seconds added ice and Oatmilk… stirred. EXACTLY LIKE THE STARBUCKS DRINK 100%.
I’m obsessed with the Starbucks drinks so trust me it tasted exact
madhu says
great recipe! very easy to follow and saves buying a massive bottle of syrup!! thank you for this :)