“I don’t need a Starbucks drink” is something I don’t think I’ve ever said. Honestly, I probably never will, either. I know it’s expensive and the price isn’t always worth it for the minimal effort some baristas put into it, but what can I say? It’s an addiction.
One negative thing about my favourite little treat is the toll it takes on my bank account. $7 is a criminal price to pay for a drink and yet, I know I’m going to pay that price without batting an eye. And thus, the time came to have a serious self-intervention. A couple of weekends ago, I sat myself down at my desk, looked in the mirror and said, “It’s time to stop; you’re going to break the bank.” Of course, no intervention will work without action, which meant I needed to dedicate a couple of hours to Pinterest and find the recipes I needed to make my favourite drinks at home.
One important thing to remember if you’re considering your own self-intervention is the cost of ingredients. It’s going to start off looking more expensive than just buying drinks on their own, but after a couple of homemade drinks, you’ll start to realize how much money you’re actually saving.
Of course, there won’t be a recipe for every drink out there, so here are my three favourites and one bonus fan-favourite drink!
Iced Matcha Tea Latte
At the moment, matcha is one of my favourite drinks. It’s great after a workout and has lots of healthy antioxidants. Matcha powder is expensive but definitely worth it in the long run! This recipe makes enough for one grande drink. You’ll need:
- 1 cup of milk (I usually use almond or oat)
- 1-2 tsp of matcha powder
- 1 tbsp of vanilla syrup (Starbucks uses the Fontana brand)
- 1 cup of ice.
Use a milk frother to mix the matcha powder with the milk of your choice, then add in your vanilla syrup and mix with the matcha/milk combination. Add the mixture to a cup with ice, stir and enjoy!
Iced Caramel Macchiato
During my coffee-drinking days, this was one of my go-to’s. I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but sometimes a little caffeine fix is exactly what I need to get me through the day. This recipe is fairly simple and all you’ll need is:
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1-2 tbsp simple syrup
- 1 cup of milk (oat milk is my favourite for this one!)
- As much caramel sauce as you want (Starbucks has a recipe to make their caramel sauce online)
- 1 cup of ice.
Rim your glass with caramel sauce, then add in your ice and simple syrup. Next, add in your milk then pour your shot of espresso over top. Drizzle more caramel sauce (the more the better) and enjoy!
Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
This is my second favourite coffee-based drink, and I don’t even have to change the milk choice! It’s more of a subtle, sweet drink and lucky for me, Starbucks came out with the exact recipe for it on their website. You’ll need:
- 2 shots of espresso
- 2 tsp of light brown sugar (you can honestly use light or dark brown sugar, light just has less of a caramel-molasses flavour)
- ¾ cups of oat milk
- 1.5 cups of ice
- A dash of cinnamon.
Once your espresso is ready, pour it into a glass and quickly add your brown sugar. Stir it until the brown sugar dissolves before pouring it into a cocktail shaker (or mason jar if that’s easier!). Add your oat milk and ice and shake everything together for about 20-30 seconds, then pour the mixture into a tall glass (feel free to keep it in a mason jar if you’ve used one to shake it though!). Sprinkle some cinnamon on top and you’re good to go!
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
While I’ve only had this a few times, I know it’s a pretty popular fan favourite. As a nice treat, Starbucks just came out with their recipe for it so coffee lovers can make the exact recipe they know and love at home! To make the sweet cream cold foam you’ll need:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 4 tbsp of vanilla syrup.
For the cold brew, you’ll need:
- 0.5 tbsp of vanilla syrup
- 4 oz of Starbucks’s Black Cold Brew Concentrate
- 4 oz of water
- 1 cup of ice
- Your homemade sweet cream.
We’ll start with the sweet cream instructions since they’re very simple. Add both ingredients to a tightly sealed jar and shake very well. That’s it! You’re welcome to use a hand-held milk frother to make it foamier but it’s really that easy. Any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for about 4 days, as long as you’re shaking the contents again when you use them! For the cold brew, pour your vanilla syrup, Starbucks Black Cold Brew Concentrate and water into a glass and mix to combine (make sure the glass can hold up to 16 oz!). Add in some ice until the glass is filled just below the rim before pouring in your vanilla sweet cream! Pop in a straw and enjoy!
If you’re willing to dedicate a little time to look for them, copycat recipes for some of your favourite drinks are possible to find! These are just a few of my favourites and Starbucks’s website holds many, many others! Hopefully, this helps you save a couple of bucks and fingers-crossed it does the same for me!