Yes, this Cafe Latte Caramel Macchiato THM – S – Low Carb is as good as it looks and yes it is sugar-free!
Admittedly this is another one of those recipes that I have made and enjoyed for months and finally felt so guilty that I just had to share it now.
This style of coffee drink known as cafe macchiato or sometimes as latte macchiato is served worldwide and known as “stained milk”.
I found some good info in this link when I was reading on the subject. Normally cafe lattes are a combination of milk stained with a small amount of espresso. I love espresso, but don’t own a machine so I rely on cold brewed coffee for this drink.
I highly recommend my newest find in cold brew coffee Stok Unsweetened because it just delivers that clean fresh flavor that makes these coffee drinks work. It’s available in grocery stores.
I make it with a combination of unsweetened almond milk and half and half which is the best approximation to whole milk that I have ever found.
You can easily sub in cream to lower the carbs even more and increase the fat, but for Trim Healthy Mama’s like myself this drink fits perfectly as an S snack .
Since cold brewed coffee is not as strong as espresso I always use more and generally use a 1:1 ratio of milk to coffee and then add in whichever syrup I prefer. For this drink, I like to use the vanilla/caramel syrup that makes this drink a ringer for the sugary commercially available Caramel Macchiato drinks sold in coffee houses.
Over the last few years, I have made several different coffee drinks and coffee syrups until I finally combined them all in one place last winter when I published the Sugar-Free Coffee House Syrup post.
In that post, I included the blended Tiramisu Smoothie which is a unique dessert drink and the totally refreshing Iced Mock Cinnamon Dolce drink. This Macchiato is definitely in the same class as those two cold coffee drinks and I am so privileged to be able to share it with you all now.
This drink was designed to fit perfectly into these 24 oz glasses. (You can use a quart jar too, just add more ice!) I love these though because they fit into a standard cup holder for your car just like a 16 oz would, but they are taller. They are also handy to use in the freezer too!
We love these glasses! They are 24 oz instead of 32 but I normally just make my drinks by the quart as usual and have these glasses to pour over into when I’m on the run. A standard wide mouth jar lid fits the top for storage or if you’re buying a sipper top and straw for them.
Get updates and info by following me on *Instagram *Pinterest *Facebook and let’s connect over at THM Southern Foodies with Nana’s Little Kitchen.
Watch for affiliate links to products I have used in these recipes when testing them and those which I can fully recommend.
For this recipe I recommend these ingredients: (aff links)
Trim Healthy Mama’s Gentle Sweet (the closest sweetener to real sugar)
or Pyure Organic Stevia Blend– also available at Wal-mart stores
Xanthan gum – I’ve heard xanthan is available at Wal-mart but this is the only brand I’ve ever used.
Caramel flavoring– inexpensive and it works – available at Wal-mart
or try this yummy organic caramel flavoring for a little more but adjust the amounts.
I do love these jars and reorder whenever I get low but availablity and prices really vary on Amazon so if you just click over and check around you can see what’s available. Aff link:
Cafe Latte Caramel Macchiato
Ingredients
Syrup Ingredients:
- 1 cup VERY hot water
- 1/2 cup Gentle Sweet Sweetener or 1/4 cup Pyure or Truvia still good but not quite as sugary tasting
- 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum serves as a binder and this syrup will not separate at all
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract I use a high quality organic to insure a clean flavor
- 1/4 teaspoon caramel flavoring I use Watkins and get it at Wal-mart - The key is keeping the amount of caramel flavoring very small here.
Latte Ingredients:
- 1/4- 1/3 cup caramel latte syrup to taste
- 3/4 cup unsweetened original almond milk I love blue diamond
- 1 1/2 tablespoon collagen protein optional for snack purposes to meet protein requirements
- 1/4 cup half and half or to lower carbs you can use 2 tablespoons or more heavy cream
- 1 cup cold brewed coffee or strong brewed high quality cold coffee
Instructions
Syrup Instructions:
-
Heat water to almost boiling and remove from the heat then quickly WHISK in sweetener, binder, and flavorings to make the vanilla/caramel syrup.
Be sure and whisk after each additional ingredient. This will make four (or more) drinks and keeps in the fridge for weeks.
Latte Instructions:
-
Fill a 24 oz jar half full of ice.
-
Pour in 1/4 to 1/3 cup latte syrup and top that with a mixture of the almond milk, 1/2 and 1/2 or cream, and optional collagen protein.
-
Carefully pour the beautiful coffee over this mixture and you will have a perfect glass of a coffee drink so yummy you will only need to go to the coffee house for ambiance and to visit friends!
Recipe Notes
Be sure and whisk after each additional ingredient. This will make four (or more) drinks and keeps in the fridge for weeks.
Hello, Thank you for all the great THM friendly recipes. I really am excited about your coffee drinks! I was wondering if there is something I could substitute for the collagen protein in the is recipe. Thank you!
Hi Ann! The collagen blends very easily into this drink and packs a protein punch too so that’s why I recommended it. If you plan to drink it with a meal or as a dessert coffee and there is plenty of protein in the meal already then you may omit it. If you want to drink it alone it will be filling enough as a snack, but you will need to blend in another form of on plan plain protein and you will need use the amount specified as a serving for that protein. I would just mix the ingredients without ice first and then blend the protein in and add the ice last. I have used a frothier for this purpose or even mixded it in a blender before pouring over the ice. Hope this helps and that you will enjoy your coffee drinks 🙂
Hi Teresia! Thank you for the info. I have the THM cookbook now and after reading about the collagen, I decided I better have that in my THM arsenal. 🙂 I will be using that now when I make this drink. Thank you, once again, for the great recipes!
P.S. I LOVE drinking out of canning jars, too. 🙂
Congrats on getting your cookbook and the wonderful collagen, Ann! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I am rolling on the floor, cracking up!! I’ve been drinking out of one of those glass jars for MONTHS now, and my hubs and boys all think I’m NUTS. But, as you pointed out, they fit in the hand and the cupholder better. And they take a good amount of coffee! I can’t wait to try these, ’cause I love the Caramel Macchiato too (and I just spied the Cinnamon Dolce that I thought I’d never get again, YAY).
Hi Stacey and I’m glad you found a fellow fan of these jars! I’m also glad you found the Cinnamon Dolce too, because it is so refreshing! The convenience of making this Macchiato will have you hooked in no time, it just so nice to just walk into the kitchen and mix up a first class coffee drink.
Well, you’re now my favorite person. Thank you so very much for all these delicious recipes and delightful pictures. I’m a visual learner so the pictures make an impression!
Thanks Kim! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes and thanks for letting me know it is a big encouragement.
Could this be served hot if I warm the milk and half and half and still be as good?
Hi Kimberly and it is very good hot! We’re still waiting on our cool weather here so I haven’t gotten around to posting it that way yet 🙂
Hi! Do you think monk fruit extract would work for the caramel syrup? (I use pure monk brand) It doesn’t require much so I am wondering if it will work or not? The others make me have an itchy reaction but I would love to try this recipe! 🙂
Hi Jasmin 🙂 I’m sorry but I’ve never tried that sweetener. Just try making a half batch and if it goes well I’d love to know! The volume shouldn’t matter in this recipe so I’m thinking it might work but will just depend on how that flavor reacts with the caramel etc. Good luck!
Hello, I am wanting to make this but I don’t have any xanthum gum. I do have “Gluccie”. Will that be a good substitute and if so, how much would you recommend?
Hi Holly. I don’t sub the gluccie because it continues to thicken as the syrup sits up and can easily get way too thick. If you have the THM gluccie it might work differently because I’ve only used the Now brand. Also, you can leave it out but remember that it might separate when stored as that amount of xanthan is just a binder to hold the ingredients together.
Hey Teresia!! I absolutely love your recipes! Thanks so much for sharing! Can you tell me what brand vanilla extract you use? I am not familiar with any except the common store brands. Thanks!
Thanks, Jenny I’m so glad these recipes are a help :)! I usually get mine from Kroger and use the Simply Organic, Rodelle or any high-quality (generally organic for the sake of flavor purity) type brand that I can get on sale. Because I cook so much I buy the biggest bottle that I can afford, among the ones I like, and put it in a smaller used bottle to minimize losses in case of an accidental spill. You might check for sale on Amazon, Netrition, or Vitacost.com too. Hope this helps <3
I am addicted to this drink, it is by far my favorite but I am going through gentle sweet like crazy. Is there a way to cut gentle sweet in half and mix with another sweetener to help my gentle sweet last longer? Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying it, Heather. You can sub in truvia or pyure and use only 1/4 of the amount called for of the gentle sweet and sub in either xylitol or erythritol for the other 3/4. Or you might do half gentle sweet and half super sweet and use only half the amount called for with the gentle sweet but it will not be quite as naturally sweet flavored because there is a little conflict with cinnamon and stevia and that will be a higher concentration of stevia. Or of course, you can just sub in 1/2 the amount of the gentle sweet called for by using the truvia or Pyure. Hope this helps 🙂
I tried to use the affiliate link for the jars but it would not work. After several tries, it still would not work. Any suggestions? I will wait to hear from you before ordering. Thank you.
Let me check Dianne and I’ll get it fixed right quick. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Hi! First of all, this drink is AMAZING!! I even put it on the thm beginners Facebook page to share with some other ladies!! Anyway, I was wondering, do you happen to have the nutrition facts for this recipe? It’s not too big a deal if you don’t and I apologize if it’s on here and I just missed it ? Either way, thank you!!
Hi Caley, I’m so glad you enjoyed the drink and thanks so much for the facebook love! I don’t have nutrition facts on my recipes at this time. They are not required for THM and I simply designate if recipes are low carb or low fat or both. A low carb dish must come in at under 10 gms of approved carbs per serving and low fat must have under 5 gms of fat.
Thank you so much for the coffe drink syrups!!! I have missed my Carmel Macchiato! I read this last night & couldn’t wait to make it this morning. It’s GREAT ?????
Yay Tammy, I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! 🙂
Teresia – if this is a duplicate comment – delete it! I don’t see my question from yesterday – so I’m not sure if you have to approve the comments, or if something went wrong on my end. In another comment you said this was also good hot. What is the best way to accomplish that? Make it and then warm it all together? Warm is separately? Thanks for your help!
Hi Joy! No this is the first comment to come through to me. I have not posted this recipe as a hot or frozen drink but I have others that you can take a look at to see how it’s made. The Peppermint Mocha is a good one to check out. Just follow the directions for making the hot latte but sub in the caramel syrup instead of the peppermint. Hope this helps 🙂
Can use coffee made in my kerrig? If I let it cool??
Yes, use your favorite coffee in this if you’d like. I’ve also made it with espresso and cold brew; you will just use less of the espresso. I’ve also brewed extra of my morning coffee and saved it in a covered jar for the afternoon coffee. Enjoy!
Yesterday I made this as directed and then today I made it as a frappe, both delicious. I used the gentle sweet copycat from Joy Filled Eats https://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener/. Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe and I will be trying the others also.
Glad you enjoyed it Sherry and thanks for stopping by to let me know. 🙂
I made the syrup just like the instructions say and I used Gentle sweet. It loôked ok when I made it so I stuck it in the fridge. The bottom of the jar is filled with big crystals now. I used it in my coffee hoping my warm coffee would melt them but it didn’t work. It tastes good but I don’t like chewing my coffee! Lol. I was wondering if you had any suggestions. I seem to have the same kind of issue when I make skinny chocolate or anything where the sweetener should dissolve. Is it just me?
Hi Paula. Did you by any chance boil the syrup at all? That is the only reason that I can think that would make it crystallize. Just get the water to a boiling point but remove it from the heat and whisk everything in well and that should reoccur. At least I’ve never had it do that for me. Hope this helps.
Just wondering if you’ve ever tried Caribou’s Campfire Mocha or if you have a good copycat recipe for it. Your other coffee syrups are amazing.
Hi Susan! Thanks so much for letting me know that you’re enjoying these. I’ll have to check out that campfire mocha for sure! <3
Hi Teresia, are you still buying your Watkins Caramel flavoring at Walmart? Mine stopped carrying it, but before it did, Watkins seemed to have changed the formula. It was much lighter in color and the flavor wasn’t as intense. Anyway, I want to make this, but I’m going to have to order caramel flavoring and wondered if you still use Watkins. It’s very expensive on Amazon, so I may just try another brand. Do you have any other caramel flavoring suggestions?
Oh no! I hate to hear this. I attempted to order it from Trim Healthy Mama when I ordered some other extracts recently, but they were out of stock. I guess my next try would be Olive Nation which will be more expensive but it will probably be a purer product than Watkins. Please, let me know if you find one that you love if you get a chance, Tina.
I purchase at my local Menards. It’s less than $5 a bottle. If you don’t have one locally, they have it on their website too. This coffee drink it definitely worth it!
A friend of mine has a little boutique and for awhile she offered coffee. You know, the delicious kind, with flavored sugar/syrup added to a bit of coffee and lots of milk. They were amazing and I bought one once a week last spring/summer until I started THM. I assumed I’d given up iced coffee for life. And then I found this recipe!! It’s so amazing and tastes like it’s going to get me in trouble! Your recipe is a God-send. 😉 Like many of your recipes! I purchase my Watkins caramel extract at Menards because my local Wal-Mart doesn’t carry it. I wonder though, have you ever swapped the caramel for Watkins cocoa extract? I’d like to mix it up a bit, but hate to waste gentle sweet if you’ve already tried it and it’s not good. Thanks again for your recipe! You’ve saved me lots of guilty coffee moments.
Glad you enjoyed it, Tiffany! I think the cocoa extract would be great in it. Sorry I didn’t read your comment thoroughly enough before I emailed you. Let me know if you love it I’ll try it too. <3
Wowwwwwww- that. Is. Magic!!
I’m still speechless- even as I drink it! It’s perfect! The first time! Crazy!!
I used 1/4 c syrup, a Dunkin’ Donuts kcup and 1/4 cup half and half with the unsweetened almond milk. Perfect.
Thanks!!!!
Thanks, Carole! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I hope it will be a big help to you in your switch to healthier living. 🙂 <3
can you use this syrup in any other recipes for thm ?
Hi Carrie! Many of my syrups are interchangeable. This type, in particular, is the basic formula. Switch out maple flavoring for maple pancake syrup or caramel flavoring etc!
Is this syrup recipe supposed to have a pinch of salt in it? I noticed it is in your Cinnamon Dulce and your Peppermint Mocha, which I use every winter season, but not this one??
Just found your coffee drinks and Oh My this is delicious!…. sipping a quart jar full right now and thanking you! My syrup didn’t turn brown but still tasted great so i’m going with it. Maybe because I didnt cook on stove – heated water in microwave? But regardless this will be a go too for me! Thanks again!!
Hi Casey, I’m so glad you enjoyed the Macchiato. The Watkins caramel extract was making this drink dark but the formula may have recently changed, also the more natural extracts don’t have the dark flavor.
I love the dark flavor too though… 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe! It is my warm weather coffee go to. I do have a question. Can the almond milk, half and half, and some whey protein be blended and kept refrigerated to pour together with my caramel and coffee?
Hi Dee! I’m so glad that you enjoy the coffee. I’m sure you cold premix the almond milk and half and half but I’m not at all sure if the whey protein would break down or not. You could sub in 1 1/2 T of collagen instead of the protein powder and whisk that in quickly just before serving though.