Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte Recipe

No espresso machine? No problem! Learn to make a delicately sweet honey lavender oat milk iced latte using instant coffee.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Waka Coffee. All opinions are my own.

• Instant coffee can be used to make a variety of hand-crafted coffee beverages right at home.
• This Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte calls for just a few ingredients, and can be made in minutes.
• For best results, make your own honey lavender simple syrup by following along with our signature recipe below.
• Grab the Substitute Ingredients Cheatsheet if you’re running low on an item for this iced latte recipe. Click here to jump right to it!

In just the past year, the home coffee brewing trend has seen exponential growth. From specialty brew methods and recipes to new techniques and tools, more and more people are learning to brew the coffee drinks that they used to regularly enjoy from their local coffee shop right at home. And one especially creative and inexpensive way to make your own hand-crafted coffee beverages at home is through the use of instant coffee. That’s right, we said it.

Instant coffee, if done right, has the potential to completely transform your home coffee routine. With instant coffee, there’s little to no prep work (besides boiling water), hardly any cleanup, and it’s more sustainable (no more paper cups!). On top of its convenience, instant coffee is also incredibly versatile in terms of the recipes you can use it for.

To show you just one way you can make use of instant coffee at home, we’ve created an Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte.

Read on for our best tips on how to make the tastiest Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte in just a few minutes!

WATCH THE INSTANT ICED HONEY LAVENDER OAT MILK LATTE VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE:

Honey Lavender Simple Syrup Tips

Prepare the homemade honey lavender syrup first to allow it plenty of time to cool.

Before anything else, prepare the homemade honey lavender simple syrup. The recipe for this simple syrup can be found in the recipe section at the bottom of this post or by clicking here. The reason to start with the syrup is to allow it plenty of time to cool before using it in the Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte recipe.

This cooling period is also the steeping period. The lavender flowers are left in the syrup while the syrup mixture cools. Therefore, the longer you let it cool/steep, the stronger the lavender flavors. Usually, about 15 to 20 minutes of steeping time is sufficient to get the right amount of lavender flavors.

After it has cooled completely and/or has reached your desired lavender strength, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the flowers. Store it in a small mason jar or a small container (with a lid), and place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. It will keep in the fridge for about 7 days after preparing it.

Find organic culinary-grade dried lavender flowers at your local grocer or from an online retailer.

Though I almost always prefer fresh ingredients for my recipes, in this instance I found that fresh lavender proved to make a less than desirable lavender honey syrup. Therefore, I highly recommend using organic culinary-grade dried lavender flowers instead of fresh lavender flowers/stems. I’ve found that dried lavender flowers provided the strongest, lavender-forward flavor. And I always prefer to buy organic when I can for the purest and richest of flavors.

You are most likely to find culinary-grade dried lavender flowers online, but you may be able to find some at a high-end grocery store. For a list of the exact ingredients I used in this recipe, jump down to the resource section to view my shopping list by clicking here.

Any extra honey lavender simple syrup can be used for cocktails, pancakes, lemonade & more.

The recipe for the honey lavender simple syrup yields about 1/4 cup. With that being said, you will have extra syrup since the iced latte recipe below calls for only 1 tablespoon. The good news is that you can use the rest of the simple syrup for making additional lattes, cocktails, or even fancy lemonade.

There’s so much you can do with this syrup, so feel free to get creative with it. One of my favorite things to do with lavender syrup is to incorporate it into my baking. Check out this Moist Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Cake with Lavender Glaze if you love lavender baked goods.

Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte Tips

The “instant” part of this iced latte recipe comes from the use of instant coffee instead of espresso. 

Espresso is traditionally used when making lattes (along with foamed milk). If you’re not familiar with this term, espresso is basically concentrated coffee produced when hot water is forced through very fine coffee grounds (with a yield of about 2 oz. or less). This process is most often achieved with a machine. 

However, knowing that not everyone has access to an espresso machine at home, there are several substitutions you can use to make and enjoy your own DIY lattes at home. One excellent substitution is instant coffee. Now, you might be thinking that instant coffee is quite different than espresso. But if you prepare it with the right technique, you can create an espresso-like concentrate.

An espresso-like concentrate is simply an extra strong cup of coffee that mimics the taste and strength of a shot of espresso. The directions for how to prepare instant coffee this way can be found below, but first let’s talk about how to choose the right type of instant coffee for the best iced latte flavors.

Find a high-quality specialty instant coffee that’s pure in ingredients and full of flavor.

When it comes to selecting the right kind of instant coffee for this recipe, quality is key. The better the ingredients, the better the iced latte. It’s essential to find an instant coffee that is pure in its ingredients (meaning it’s just made from coffee beans) without any fillers and one that is bursting with flavor.

One brand that I am a huge fan of when it comes to instant coffee is Waka Coffee. Waka Coffee is unlike most other instant coffee brands in that they use only Arabica beans, which is what you’ll find at most local specialty coffee shops. Additionally, this coffee company uses a freeze-drying process that preserves the coffee’s aroma and depth of flavor.

This flavor and quality is what makes all the difference in this iced latte recipe. If your instant coffee is lacking in flavor, you’ll miss out on that traditional espresso-forward taste ideal for making lattes. So be sure to look for a high-quality instant coffee when planning to make this recipe for best results. You can find the exact type of instant coffee I used for this recipe in the resource section.

Combine the instant coffee with only 2 ounces of water to make an espresso-like concentrate.

After you’ve prepared the honey lavender simple syrup, you can begin the process for making the Instant Iced Honey Lavender Iced Latte. Don’t worry, this part goes much quicker than the syrup-making process.

In order to prepare instant coffee for an iced latte, you will be creating an espresso-like concentrate as mentioned above. To do this, you will simply combine the instant coffee with less hot water than normal. Typically, you would use about 1 to 2 teaspoons of instant coffee with about 6 ounces of boiling water to make a cup of coffee. To make an espresso-concentrate, you will use about 2 teaspoons of instant coffee with 2 ounces of boiling water. This 2 ounces of water is equivalent to 1/4 cup.

This creates that very strong coffee concentrate that mimics the strength of espresso essential for making a latte. Mix the water and instant coffee in a small glass. Set this glass aside while you grab the honey lavender syrup from the fridge.

Mix the honey lavender simple syrup into the hot instant coffee right away.

Immediately after mixing the instant coffee with the water, pour the 1 tablespoon of honey lavender simple syrup into the same glass containing the espresso-like concentrate. Mix together until the syrup has completely dissolved.

It’s important to add the syrup right after preparing the instant coffee because it will still be warm. This will help to completely dissolve the syrup. When the syrup is dissolved, set this this glass aside while you grab a another glass for preparing the foamed oat milk.

Use barista blend oat milk for a creamier iced latte and better foaming results.

When making lattes at home, it’s ideal to opt for a barista blend oat milk. The difference between regular oat milk and barista blends is that the manufacturer adds small amounts of oils, salts, or gums to help these types of milks froth properly. This will be especially helpful to you if you decide to foam the oat milk cold (described in the next point) before adding it to your serving glass.

Additionally, barista blends also tend to have a creamier texture and slightly sweeter taste that works better for making iced lattes.

An electric hand frother is ideal for foaming the oat milk.

Note: This milk foaming step is completely optional, so skip ahead if you don’t want cold milk foam in your latte.

If want to add a little more texture and creamy goodness to your latte, foam the oat milk prior to pouring it into your serving glass. The best way to do this is with an electric hand frother. This kind of tool is typically battery-powered and, as the name suggests, can be held in your hand.

For the proper foaming technique, start by pouring your oat milk in a separate glass leaving about two to three inches above the milk so it has room to grow. Next, you’ll completely submerge your milk frother wand into the oat milk (so it’s just above the bottom of the glass). Then, you’ll turn it on and let it run for about 15 seconds. Slowly, bring the foam wand just below the surface of the milk. You should see more foam starting to form. Turn it off after about 30 to 45 seconds or until your desired texture has been reached.

Pour the instant coffee & syrup mixture into your serving glass at the last minute.

Next, prepare a serving glass filled with plenty of ice, and add your oat milk to the glass. If adding foamed oat milk, ensure that the glass is large enough to contain all of the foamed milk. Next, pour in the instant coffee and syrup mixture, and gently stir. Taste test the drink and add more syrup if necessary.

Garnish your Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte with lavender sprigs.

For extra decoration, you can garnish your Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte with dried or fresh lavender sprigs. This will make your drink look all the more elegant, perfect for serving at brunch or parties.

Don’t have all of the ingredients? No worries – download this substitute ingredient list!

If you are missing a couple of the ingredients for this recipe, chances are you can still make a great-tasting iced honey lavender latte by substituting an ingredient or two from our list of substitute recommendations!

Download your copy of the Substitute Ingredients Cheatsheet by signing up to the Baked, Brewed, Beautiful newsletter. Sign up right below!

VIEW MY AMAZON SHOPPING LIST FOR THIS INSTANT ICED LATTE

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Instant Iced Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte Recipe