If you're a fan of Starbucks' Pistachio Latte, you'll love this easy to make at home copycat version! Made with espresso, milk, pistachio syrup, and brown butter cookie topping, this is just the winter warm-up you need!
I admit, I was a little reluctant to jump aboard the pistachio latte train. But the more I thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. A deliciously sweet and nutty coffee made with the flavor of one of my favorite nuts? Count me in!
I finally headed to Starbucks to give it a go and instantly fell in love. I especially like it because it's sweet and nutty, but doesn't have that artificial pistachio flavor to it.
And it's the kind of drink that's easy to customize... I like a bit more espresso and a bit less syrup in my lattes, but some people like their coffee drinks sweeter and less caffeinated. No matter how you enjoy lattes, you can make this pistachio latte perfect for you!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
If you're a fan of Starbucks' Pistachio Latte, you'll love this easy-to-make-at-home version! Or if you've simple been wanting to try their pistachio latte, but don't want to wait in the Starbucks line or spend the money.
It's incredibly easy to make and like I mentioned above, it's also super easy to customize for your own tastes.
Ingredients
According to the Starbucks website, the pistachio latte consists of a few components, including a pistachio "sauce" and a salted brown butter cookie topping. I created recipes for both so you can make this latte at home as accurately as possible.
Here's everything you need for the latte:
- 2% milk (or the dairy or non-dairy alternative of your choice)
- Brewed espresso or strong coffee
- Pistachio syrup
- Brown butter cookie topping
- Crushed pistachios, for topping
For the Pistachio syrup, you'll need:
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Chopped pistachios
- Salt (if using unsalted pistachios)
And for the brown butter cookie topping, you'll need:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Salt (if using unsalted butter)
How to Make Pistachio Syrup
I wrote an entire post dedicated to making homemade pistachio syrup, but I'll also give you the rundown here. It's super easy!
Simple put water, sugar, and chopped pistachios in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil.
Lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until mixture has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and stir in salt if you used unsalted pistachios.
Strain the mixture into a bowl, leaving behind the pistachios.
Let your syrup cool completely before using. I recommend storing it in an airtight container like a mason jar. Check out my post for more ideas for using the syrup!
You can make the syrup in advance as it will stay good in your fridge for about a month.
If you prefer to purchase pistachio syrup instead of making it, here are some options:
- Torani Pistachio Syrup
- Amoretti Pistachio Praline Syrup
- Jordan's Skinny Mixes Pistachio Latte Syrup
- Monin Pistachio Syrup
How to Make Brown Butter Cookie Topping
Right before you're ready to make the pistachio latte, make the browned butter. It's super easy and should just take a few minutes!
In the recipe below, I detail how to make enough brown butter for one latte, but it's very easy to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe if you're planning to make multiple lattes.
In my photos, I made two servings of the brown butter.
Put butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. It's important that the saucepan be light color because you'll want to be able to see when the butter is browning.
Constantly stir the butter as it melts.
Once melted, it should start to bubble...
And in just a minute or two (or more if you're using more butter), you'll start seeing brown flecks on the bottom of the saucepan and the butter will start smelling nutty.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and continue to stir for another 30 seconds. Pour it into a small heat-proof bowl. If you used unsalted butter, stir in a pinch salt here.
Immediately stir in brown sugar until well combined. The brown sugar helps give this brown butter topping a "cookie" flavor.
If you make enough brown butter for multiple lattes but aren't going to use it all right away, store the leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge. When you're ready to use it, warm it in the microwave and stir until it's liquid again. You can also warm over very low heat on the stovetop.
How to Make Pistachio Latte
OK! Now that we have our pistachio syrup and our brown butter cookie topping, we're ready to whip up our latte!
Simply heat the milk to about 140-150 degrees. You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop (see below for how to heat the milk and froth it in a mason jar).
Now, add the pistachio syrup and brewed espresso to a heat-proof glass.
In my research I've found that Starbucks generally uses 2 shots of espresso and 4 pumps of syrup (or "sauce" as they call it in this recipe) in their grande lattes.
A shot of espresso is 1 ounce and there's a lot of conflicting information on how many ounces a pump of syrup is. Answers seem to range anywhere from .25 oz to 1 oz, but it seems the general consensus is .5 oz.
So for this pistachio latte, I recommend using 2 ounces of espresso and 2 ounces of syrup to make this as close to Starbucks as possible... Of course, you can totally customize it to your tastes... I always do!
Stir the espresso and syrup together as they often separate immediately after you pour them.
Pour in the steamed milk.
Top off with the frothed milk. And drizzle on the brown butter cookie topping.
I also like to add some crushed pistachios on top.
Take a sip and marvel at the fact that you made this awesome latte at home! To me, this tastes just like the pistachio latte you get at Starbucks... It's sweet, nutty, and a little bit salty with buttery undertones.
And it's basically heaven on a freezing winter day. Though now that we have the recipe, we can even make it all summer long when it's no longer being sold in shops.
How to Froth Milk Without a Frother
This is something I like to review in all my recipes for hot lattes. Frothing milk can be a bit of a pain if you don't have your own milk frother, but I use a technique that makes it much easier!
Pour all of your milk into a mason jar... for this latte, that's both the cup of milk for steaming and the ¼ cup of milk for frothing (the jar shouldn't be more than halfway full).
Put the lid on and shake the jar as hard as you can for about 30 seconds. the cold milk will get nice and frothy!
Then pop the jar in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how much milk is in your jar.
You you can pour the steamed milk right into your coffee and then spoon the froth in.
Do I Have to Froth the Milk?
If you'd rather skip the frothing process, you certainly can and this latte will still be delicious!
Or... you can always add whipped cream instead!
Can I Use a Different Kind of Milk or Dairy Alternative?
Just like when you order a latte at Starbucks, you can make it with any type of dairy or non-dairy alternative you want.
Starbucks makes their pistachio lattes with 2% milk unless you request something else, which is why I recommend that here. But I know lots of people like this latte with almond milk and oat milk, too.
What if This Drink is Too Sweet or Not Sweet Enough For Me?
The awesome thing about making your own lattes at home is that you can customize them to your tastes super easily.
You may need to do a bit of experimentation, but you can add as much or as little pistachio syrup into your drink and increase or decrease the amount of espresso in it.
I typically like to add an extra shot of espresso and I often use a little less syrup.T Of course, the less syrup you use, the less pistachio flavor this will have, but it will still be super tasty!
Can I Make This Drink Cold?
Yes! I know some people only like to drink their coffee iced and this pistachio latte is also delicious in its iced version.
In fact, it's even easier to make iced because you don't have to steam or froth the milk. You can simply blend the ingredients together over ice.
More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
I love heading to my local Starbucks and enjoying their drinks (I especially love trying their new ones!), but when I can't get out, I enjoy making my own versions at home. Here are some of my favorites:
- Apple Crisp Macchiato
- Homemade Starbucks Pink Drink
- Shaken Watermelon and Passion Tea
- Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte
- Strawberry Puppuccino
- Gingerbread Puppuccino
- Mocha Latte (from Spoonful of Flavor)
- Cranberry Bliss Bars (from Sweet and Savory Meals)
I hope you enjoy making and drinking these pistachio lattes at home!
Pistachio Latte {Starbucks Copycat}
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2% milk (or dairy non-dairy alternative of your choice)
- 2 oz pistachio syrup
- 2 shots (2 oz) brewed espresso or strong coffee
- ¼ cup frothed 2 % milk (or dairy non-dairy alternative of your choice)
- Brown butter cookie topping (recipe below)
- Crushed pistachios for topping, optional
Brown Butter Cookie Topping
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
- ½ Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Heat 1 cup milk to about 140-150 degrees (you can do this in the microwave or on stovetop. See post and notes for how to steam and froth milk at the same time in a mason jar).
- Add pistachio syrup and brewed espresso to a heat-proof glass.
- Pour in steamed milk and top off with frothed milk.
- Drizzle brown butter cookie topping over and sprinkle on crushed pistachios, if desired.
Brown Butter Cookie Topping
- Put butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat (it should be light color so it's easy to see when it's browning). Constantly stir butter as it melts. Once melted, it should start to bubble and in just a minute or two, you'll start seeing brown flecks on the bottom of the saucepan and the butter will start smelling nutty.
- Remove from heat and continue to stir for another 30 seconds. Pour into a small heat-proof bowl. If you used unsalted butter, stir in a pinch salt here.
- Immediately stir in brown sugar until well combined.
Notes
- For full pistachio syrup recipe, see this post.
- The pistachio syrup recipe makes enough for about 4 pistachio lattes.
- If you prefer to purchase pistachio syrup, here are some options:
- If you're planning to make more than one latte, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the ingredients for the brown butter. Note that the more butter you use, the longer it will take for it to brown.
- If you have leftover brown butter, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Re-heat in microwave or over low heat in a saucepan before using.
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Vanessa says
I bought a pistachio syrup instead of making it but your instructions and amounts are spot-on and this is delicious! My new morning treat. Thank you for the recipe!