Once you start hearing whispers of Gingerbread Lattes on the streets, you know it’s officially winter and the start of the festive season! Instead of sitting around googling when Starbucks is going to bring back their famous gingerbread latte in stores, I urge you to take matters into your own hands and make it at home yourself! This Gingerbread Latte recipe is easy to make and doesn’t require molasses – a few simple pantry ingredients are all you need to whip up a cafe-style coffee at home in no time.
What is a Gingerbread Latte
A gingerbread latte is a coffee drink flavoured with warming spices traditionally associated with gingerbread cookies, including ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The drink became especially popular through coffee shops during the festive season and combines espresso, steamed milk and gingerbread-flavoured syrup for a cosy holiday-inspired coffee.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Gingerbread Latte Recipe
The key to a gingerbread latte is all about the gingerbread syrup. If you can get ready-made ones (e.g. Monin Gingerbread Syrup), then that’s great and convenient. However, homemade gingerbread syrup is just always a tad bit better, in my opinion. It allows you to customise the flavours and sweetness to your own preference, and it’s honestly not so difficult to make at all. You can even make the gingerbread syrup in a bigger batch and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks. This gingerbread latte recipe is the quintessential winter classic and a proper hug in a mug.
What Is Molasses and Do You Need It for a Gingerbread Latte?
Molasses is a thick, dark syrup produced during the sugar-making process. It’s commonly used in American baking and gives gingerbread cookies, cakes and drinks their distinctive deep caramel flavour and dark colour. Molasses has a rich, slightly bittersweet taste with notes of toffee, caramel and burnt sugar. In the UK, the closest equivalent to molasses is black treacle. While the two are similar, black treacle is generally sweeter and slightly less bitter than traditional American molasses. Many UK recipes use black treacle instead of molasses in gingerbread bakes and desserts.
Whilst one may argue that molasses is an essential ingredient to yield an authentic gingerbread flavour, a combination of dark brown sugar, honey and warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg is sufficient to recreate the cosy flavour profile of classic gingerbread. Moreover, dark brown sugar naturally already contains molasses, which helps provide some of the depth and caramel notes traditionally associated with gingerbread, while honey adds a gentle sweetness and richness.
How to Make a Gingerbread Latte at Home without Molasses
Ingredients You Need
- Espresso / Coffee
- Milk – I like whole milk for its creamy texture, but you can use any milk of your choice
- Double Cream
- Gingerbread Syrup
Ingredients for making a gingerbread syrup without molasses
- Fresh Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Honey
- Water
Recipe Notes
- For the strongest coffee flavour, use freshly brewed espresso. If you don’t have an espresso machine, strong coffee from a Moka pot, Aeropress, Nespresso capsule machine, or even instant coffee will work.
- Adjust the sweetness to suit your taste. If you prefer a sweeter gingerbread latte, add an extra teaspoon of honey or brown sugar. For a less sweet version, simply reduce the sweetener slightly.
- Ground spices lose their potency over time. For the best gingerbread flavour, use fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves that have been opened within the last year.
- Feel free to play around with other warm spices to make your gingerbread syrup. For example, the likes of star anise and orange peel work really well.
- If you’re making the gingerbread syrup ahead of time, allow it to cool completely before storing it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It should keep well for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe FAQs
Browse for More Easy Winter Drinks Recipes
French-Style Parisian Hot Chocolate
Biscoff White Chocolate
Easy Gingerbread Latte (without Molasses)
Equipment
- Electric Hand Whisk
Ingredients
- 1-2 shots Espresso see recipe notes for instant coffee
- 2 tbsp Gingerbread Syrup
- ⅓ cup Milk
For the Gingerbread Cream Foam
- ¼ cup Double Cream
- 1 tbsp Gingerbread Syrup
For the Gingerbread Syrup
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger grated
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- 2 Cloves
- ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder plus more for sprinkling later
- ⅓ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Honey
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
Making the Gingerbread Syrup
- Add water, grated ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon powder, dark brown sugar, and honey into a small saucepan over medium heat.1 tsp Fresh Ginger, ¼ tsp Nutmeg, 2 Cloves, ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder, ⅓ cup Dark Brown Sugar, 2 tbsp Honey, ½ cup Water
- Stir continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is brought to a gentle simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the syrup simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Storing Leftover Gingerbread Syrup: allow the syrup to cool down completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Making the Gingerbread Latte
- In a mug, add 2 tbsp of the Gingerbread Syrup to your freshly brewed espresso. Stir well to combine.1-2 shots Espresso, 2 tbsp Gingerbread Syrup
- Heat milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Whisk the milk with an electric frother till frothy.⅓ cup Milk
- Pour the frothed milk into the mug and stir gently.
Making the Gingerbread Cream
- Make the gingerbread cream by whisking together Double Cream and 1 tbsp of Gingerbread Syrup until thick & creamy.¼ cup Double Cream, 1 tbsp Gingerbread Syrup
- Top the coffee with gingerbread cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder if desired and serve immediately!
Notes
- If using instant coffee, mix together 1 tbsp instant coffee with ¼ cup of hot water per espresso shot.
- Using fresh ginger and fresh spices is highly recommended as it has an impact on the flavour.
- Feel free to play around with other warm spice combinations as well. For instance, the addition of star anise and/or orange peels have been a common pick too. Depending on your personal taste, adjust the amounts and add/remove ingredients to find that perfect sweet spot for yourself.
Save & pin this recipe!
