Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

You can make Starbucks Caramel Macchiato at home with this copycat recipe. It is an easy espresso coffee drink to prepare.

homemade Starbucks caramel macchiato on a wood tray.


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Did you know it is easy to make your own fancy coffee house drink at home? When you make your own homemade caramel macchiato you never have to worry about the price of a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. If you like you can buy the syrups and coffee at Starbucks so you are starting with the same ingredients.

What makes this Caramel Macchiato so good?

A couple of shots of espresso are paired with buttery caramel, sweet vanilla syrup, and steamed milk. Trying this for the first time was my single best experience in trying coffee. There is just something about the great taste of rich caramel that makes you want to reach the bottom of the cup. I know you will love this delicious caramel macchiato recipe.

What is in a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato? 

Starbucks serves its own version of the Italian espresso macchiato. The Italian macchiato is an espresso shot topped with a cloud of steamed milk. Adds vanilla syrup to the cup, then Starbucks steams milk adds the steamed milk to the cup, then they pour over the espresso, some people like theirs topped with whipped cream, and finally, the signature caramel sauce cross-hatch goes on top.

The caramel macchiato has been a mainstay at Starbucks since it opened the first coffee shop in Seattle Washington in 1971. It has to be the caramel drizzled down the cup or on top of the whipped cream in the signature crosshatched Starbucks pattern that makes it just so delicious.

two homemade Starbucks caramel macchiato drinks on a tray

What does a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato taste like? 

If you have never had one before you are in for a real treat. On your first sip, you will get a rich bold espresso, but this Starbucks drink is complemented with hints of vanilla flavor, creamy milk, and finally, that caramel drizzle will round out all of these flavors.  For my friends that aren’t serious coffee drinkers, this is what I often recommend. 

Is a caramel macchiato strong? 

When you order a grande caramel macchiato, this is made with 1 shot of espresso, and a typical shot of espresso at Starbucks is 75 mg of coffee. Most people drink an 8 ounce of coffee which contains 95 to 128 mg of caffeine. So a single espresso shot contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee. Again, this is for their small size. 

Typically espresso coffee is roasted for longer and has a bolder taste than regular drip coffee, but it often tastes like it is stronger, but the caffeine content on the typical serving size is much less. Keep in mind the amount of caffeine you consume is dependent upon the drink size you wish to try. 

How to your own caramel macchiato without a fancy espresso machine

No fancy Espresso machine? No Problem. 

  • If you don’t have a fancy espresso maker at home, you can simply brew coffee that has a darker roast than you typically enjoy. 
  • The NespressoCafe machines do a good job of making espresso (while they don’t get the pressure quite as high as an espresso machine, they do a good job for home use.) 
  • Italian’s make their espresso with one of these Bialetti Moka Express pots. They make amazing espresso for a great price. 
  • You can purchase Instant Espresso powder, this has great flavor.

What’s the difference between a macchiato and a latte at Starbucks? 

The real difference is the amount of milk and the order in which the drinks are poured into the cup. The macchiato has less milk, and the latte has more milk 

  • The macchiato is steamed milk with a shot of espresso poured over the top. 
  • The latte is espresso, steamed milk, and then topped with milk foam.

Caramel Macchiato Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need to make this espresso drink: Keep in mind that Starbucks sells its coffee and many coffee syrups online. Go to either your local Starbucks or go to the Starbucks website to purchase the real ingredients.

  • Espresso roast coffee – Choose coffee that was roasted for espresso if possible, or get a dark roasted coffee that has been finely ground. 
  • Vanilla syrup – Choose the brand you most like 
  • 2% milk or skim milk – Believe it or not the lower the fat content the better it will steam 
  • Whipped cream – you can add if you desire 
  • Caramel sauce – you want the rich kind you would pour over ice cream.

If you like, you can buy the syrups and coffee at Starbucks so you would be making a caramel macchiato with the same ingredients.

Starbucks caramel macchiato ingredients.

Ingredient Variations 

Many people want to choose plant-based milk or other milk alternatives like oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or even soy milk will work. So feel free to swap those out. 

You can choose sugar-free options – choose the sugar-free options for vanilla syrup or caramel syrup. 

You could also swap out the 2% milk for nonfat milk, whole milk, or half and half if you want a super-rich taste. 

How to Make a Caramel Macchiato

You can DIY Starbucks Caramel Macchiato at home. Let’s get started.

  1. Steam the milk.
  2. Drizzle caramel sauce around the inside of a coffee mug. (Completely optional, I like to do this if I am using a glass mug).
caramel sauce in a coffee mug.
  1. Add vanilla syrup.
  2. Add hot espresso and stir to mix the caramel sauce, vanilla, and espresso together.
milk, espresso, and caramel sauce in a coffee mug.
  1. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
two caramel macchiato coffee drinks topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce

How to Steam Milk 

The steamed milk is what makes this drink so amazing. When coffee shops steam milk they add air to the drink. Guess what, you can too. You will need to heat the milk in your microwave or on the stovetop until warmed, no need to boil the milk, just warm it until it is warm to the touch. 

Pour the warm milk into a canning jar with a lid, or another jar with a lid. Seal the jar, and give it a good shake. The shaking will make the milk get filled with air.

Here are a few items that you can purchase to help make your home coffee experience great.

overhead view of two homemade Starbucks caramel macchiato coffee drinks on a tray

This is one of my favorite Starbucks copycat recipes, making coffee at home is a great way to save money while still enjoy the rich creamy texture of a caramel macchiato. I know when you give this recipe a try, you will feel like it’s the real thing!

Love Starbucks Food and Drinks? Try These Recipes

More Caramel Recipes

Check out even more drink recipes and the best Starbucks recipes on CopyKat!

homemade Starbucks caramel macchiato on a wood tray.

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

Make your own Caramel Macchiato just like Starbucks with this easy copycat recipe.
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Caramel Macchiato, Starbucks Recipes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 333kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
  • 1.5 ounces hot espresso
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
  • 2 tablespoons whipped cream

Instructions

  • Heat milk to about 150 degrees (between 140 and 160 degrees). Do not let it boil or scald.
  • Drizzle caramel sauce around the inside of a coffee mug.
  • Add vanilla syrup to the mug.
  • Add the hot milk to the mug.
  • Pour the espresso to the mug, and give it a quick stir.
  • Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 370mg | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Calcium: 286mg | Iron: 1.4mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bill

    5 stars
    Just made it for my wife as she loves the Starbucks ice espresso caramel macchiato!
    Thank you 👍❤️🌹
    Excellent copy without the added sugar and preservatives that are in the commercial brand😊
    Went looking because the price went from $6/bottle to $10/bottle🙄

  2. Win Tate

    Thank you so much Stephanie. Nice to have the ingredients at the house in case unexpected company comes! I can whip up this delicious coffee!

  3. TXCharley

    4 stars
    The syrup I have is caramel vanilla and that gives it just a little more caramel flavor, as I always ask for an additional shot of caramel at Starbucks.

  4. Marsha Fuller

    I am not a coffe-Holocene! I like the cold Green Tea Frappecino with soy milk! Refreshing, non-caffeine & delicious!

  5. Richard E Steiner

    I work at Dunkin Donuts, so I make all of the same coffee drinks that Starbucks make. I really find it fascinating. So anyway when I go to Starbucks my favorite drink is tall black coffee no sugar. Then I’m in heaven. And that’s the truth.

  6. Steve Thomas

    I used to think old men who drank their coffee black were strange. Now I’ve become one of them.

    Before I hit 50, I would have loved drinks like this. Since then, I’ve decided they are too sweet, not necessarily for everyone, but for me. I used to gorge myself on candy and Pepsi and desserts. I don’t know why I stopped. A month ago, they had 5 for $5 on two liter Pepsi products. I used to go through Pepsi like crazy, but I drank half of one bottle within a week, and the other four are still unopened. About the only candy I consume are Dove dark chocolate bites, and the label says 5 pieces is a serving, but I only want 2 or 3.

    I bought myself a machine so I could make Hawaiian Shave Ice, and I keep thinking that I’m going to experiment around with brewing concentrated coffee, so I cam make myself black coffee snow cones. I suspect if I just used regular strong coffee, cold, it’d taste too weak. Or maybe I could make a black coffee granita. Sure wish I could enjoy the taste of this recipe, but that’d be a sin to invest the time and money to make your recipe, and abandon it after one taste.

      • Sue

        I think he’s participating in the conversation in his own way, and sharing memories. People do this especially as they get older, as they have more to share. Having spent a lot of time with my grandparents and great-grandmother when I was growing up, I enjoy the conversations and memories of older people.

    • Mary Goodman

      5 stars
      Just walking into Starbucks is a treat. I feel like I have come home. They are so welcoming. I frequent Barnes and Noble Starbucks after shopping and am able to have a hot or cold drink and relax with a book or magazine, catch up on email, and just relax till the “guys” are ready to pick me up and head home. Love all coffee and most teas so it is hard to pick a favorite.

      • Stephanie

        I don’t know why I don’t grab a coffee at Barnes and Noble more often. There is a nice one near my house. That sounds like a good way to cap off shopping.

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