Pecan Crunch Oat Milk Latte

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• Why You'll Love This Pecan Latte
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Storing and Make Ahead Options
• FAQs
• Similar Homemade Starbucks Lattes
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Pecan Latte

True pecan flavor - Unlike store-bought syrups, the syrup in this latte is made with real pecans, brown sugar, and vanilla. There are no weird ingredients, artificial flavors, or sweeteners. Just real simple ingredients and you can really taste the difference! Butter extract is my one secret (and optional) ingredient to make the syrup taste very similar to butter pecan or toffee nut syrup! It's so good!

Simple and easy - Making your own syrup and homemade toppings may sound like a lot of work but I promise you it's actually really easy and straightforward! You can make both the syrup and the crunchy caramelized pecans ahead of time so the latte takes you less than 5 minutes in the morning!

Better than a coffee shop - Making your own lattes at home is cheaper, healthier, and just as delicious as the latte at your favorite cafe! This one is inspired by the new pecan crunch latte from Starbucks. I haven't tried the original but I can promise you it's so much better homemade!

Don't skip the crunchy topping - The caramelized pecan topping is honestly the best part of this drink! It's made with pecans, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and sea salt. It's not as crunchy as caramel and when it sinks in your latte, the caramelized sugar and brown butter melt into the drink little bit, giving it the absolute best butter pecan flavor. It goes amazing with coffee and it makes this one of my all-time favorite lattes!

Ingredients

• Espresso - You'll need two shots of freshly brewed espresso for this latte. You can do regular, half-caf, or completely decaf.
• Oat milk - I like oat milk in my coffee the most so that's what I always use. You can use almond milk, cashew milk, whole milk, or any other milk you'd normally use in your lattes.
• Oat creamer - To keep the latte dairy-free (except for butter in the topping), I used oat creamer to make cold foam. Heavy cream mixed with milk is what's normally used. Either option works great. The creamer version will always result in a thinner cold foam than a regular heavy cream cold foam.
• Brown sugar - The syrup is made with brown sugar for a little more molasses flavor. You can use cane sugar if you prefer or go even darker with dark brown sugar for a stronger flavor.
• Pecans - Raw pecans are used for both the syrup and the topping. You can roast the pecans for the syrup first for a roasted pecan flavor but I don't find it necessary.
• Vanilla and butter extracts - Vanilla extract balances everything and adds that little something. You can also use vanilla paste or vanilla powder. Butter extract is optional but it goes really well with the pecans here and makes the syrup taste like a cross between butter pecans and toffee nut. I highly recommend it!
• Butter - Unsalted butter is used for the crunchy pecan topping. You can use regular or vegan butter here.
• Sea salt - You'll need a small pinch of sea salt for both the syrup and the caramelized pecans to bring out their sweetness and balance out all the flavors.

Variations and Substitutions

• Regular coffee - If you don't have an espresso machine, you can use regular brewed coffee, cold brew, or instant coffee. Keep in mind you will need to change the amount you use. Espresso is more concentrated so you need much less of it.
• Store-bought syrup - If you don't have time to make your own syrup or if you're allergic to nuts you can use store-bought syrup instead. I like this Praline Syrup by Monin - it's nut-free! Keep in mind not all store-bought syrups are nut-free.
• Warming spices - If you want to add a little more holiday flavor to this latte, add ½ teaspoon of homemade Gingerbread Spice or my favorite Christmas Spice (basically gingerbread but with more spices and no ginger)!

Step-by-Step Instructions

I highly recommend making the pecan topping and the pecan syrup ahead. They both last up to 2 weeks in the fridge and once you have them ready, the latte takes only about 5 minutes to make!

Pecan Crunch Topping

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Roughly chop pecans and add them to the baking sheet.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan on the stove and turn off the heat.
4. Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt while it’s still hot and stir until it forms thick paste.

5. Pour the mixture over the pecans and toss to coat well.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
7. Remove the pecans from the oven and allow them to cool and harden for at least 20 minutes.

8. Finely chop the pecans and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Pecan Syrup

1. Add brown sugar, finely chopped pecans, and water to a medium saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer stirring constantly until the sugar melts to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Simmer the syrup for 10 minutes.

4. Take the syrup off the heat and let it cool for 10-20 minutes. The longer the pecans steep, the stronger the flavor.
5. Strain the syrup into a bowl or a large measuring cup through a fine mesh strainer.
6. Transfer the syrup to an airtight glass jar and store in the fridge until ready to use.
7. Close with a lid once the syrup is cool.

Iced Pecan Crunch Oat Milk Latte

1. Fill a tall glass ¾ way up with ice.
2. Pour in milk. You can froth the milk if desired.

3. Add your pecan syrup.
4. Brew 2 shots of espresso and pour it over the ice and milk.

5. While the espresso is brewing, make cold foam by frothing the oat creamer with a milk frother. I like using this Nespresso milk frother but a handheld milk frother also works great.
6. Slowly pour the cold foam on top and sprinkle with pecan crunch. Enjoy!

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📖 Recipe