Once you start hearing whispers of Gingerbread Lattes on the streets, you know it’s officially winter and the start of the festive season! Join the festivities with this easy homemade Gingerbread Latte, combining freshly brewed espresso with creamy milk, warming gingerbread spices, and a luscious gingerbread cream topping. Best of all, you don’t need molasses to make it! Instead, this recipe uses an easy homemade gingerbread syrup made with dark brown sugar, honey, fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s wonderfully warm and spiced with just the right amount of sweetness, perfect for turning your everyday coffee into a cosy, festive coffee-shop treat at home.
What is 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
- No molasses needed. You don’t need to hunt down molasses or black treacle for this recipe. Dark brown sugar, honey and warming spices create plenty of rich gingerbread flavour.
- Easy homemade gingerbread syrup. It only takes a few minutes to make, and you can prepare a larger batch to keep in the fridge for your next coffee.
- Perfectly cosy and festive. Fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves give the latte that classic warming gingerbread flavour that’s perfect for autumn, winter and Christmas.
- Coffee-shop style at home. Espresso, frothy milk and a rich gingerbread cream topping make this feel a little more special than your everyday coffee.
- Easy to customise. Adjust the sweetness, use your favourite milk or serve it over ice for an iced gingerbread latte.
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 Homemade Gingerbread Syrup (without molasses)
Sure, you can easily find ready-made gingerbread syrup (e.g. Monin Gingerbread Syrup) at the supermarket. But a homemade gingerbread syrup is just always a tad better, in my opinion! The homemade gingerbread syrup is what gives this latte its signature warm and festive flavour, and it’s super easy to make.
Ingredients You Need
- Fresh Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Honey
- Water
Making Homemade Gingerbread Syrup Step-by-Step
- Add the water, fresh ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, dark brown sugar and honey to a small saucepan. Heat gently while stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture reaches a gentle simmer.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This allows the spices to infuse into the syrup and the mixture to thicken slightly.
- Remove from the heat and set aside. You can use the syrup straight away for a hot gingerbread latte or allow it to cool completely before storing it in the fridge.
How to Store Homemade Gingerbread Syrup
Allow the homemade gingerbread syrup to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight jar or bottle. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
This makes it particularly handy to prepare ahead during the festive season. Make a larger batch, and you’ll have homemade gingerbread syrup ready whenever you’re craving a quick gingerbread latte. Give the syrup a quick stir or shake before using if the spices have settled at the bottom.
How to Make a Gingerbread Latte at Home
Ingredients You Need
- Espresso
- Milk – I like whole milk for its creamy texture, but you can use any milk of your choice
- Gingerbread Syrup
- Double Cream / Heavy Cream
Gingerbread Latte Recipe Tips
- 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.
- Don’t overheat/boil the milk. You want the milk hot enough to steam and froth but not aggressively boiling, which can negatively affect its flavour and texture.
- 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.
Gingerbread Latte Variations
Iced Gingerbread Latte
Fancy the festive flavours without the hot drink? Turn this into an iced gingerbread latte instead.
Allow your espresso to cool slightly, then stir in the gingerbread syrup. Fill a glass with ice, pour over cold milk and add the gingerbread espresso mixture. You can finish it with the gingerbread cream topping or simply add a splash of cream for a lighter drink.
Dairy-Free Gingerbread Latte
You can easily make this gingerbread latte dairy-free by swapping the milk for your favourite plant-based alternative. Barista-style oat milk is particularly good as its naturally creamy texture complements the warming gingerbread spices, and it froths well.
Simply leave off the gingerbread cream or replace the cream with a suitable plant-based whipping cream.
Common Recipe FAQs
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Easy Gingerbread Latte (without Molasses)
Equipment
- Handheld Milk Frother
Ingredients
- 1-2 shots Espresso see recipe notes for instant coffee
- 2 tbsp Gingerbread Syrup
- â…“ 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
- â…“ 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.â…“ 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.Â
- 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.
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