Imagine a soft, sweet, floral coffee that reminds you of spring… That is what this honey lavender latte tastes like! Honey and lavender combine to make an amazing dessert pairing, like in ice cream, cakes, and cookies, and also tastes phenomenal in coffee. This homemade version is better than Starbucks and costs you less than a third of what it costs to buy it out!

Here’s how to make a honey lavender latte at home! Plus, a cold foam variation if you choose.

Honey Lavender Latte Takeaways:

• Honey lavender is the perfect spring flavor for seasonal menus.
• Making honey lavender syrup is the best for a fresh and delicious coffee.
• Use culinary-grade lavender if you’re making homemade syrup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s the perfect spring coffee, ideal for spring seasonals or spring menus.
• This drink is super easy to make at home and uses only 3 ingredients.
• It tastes amazing, and the lavender is not too strong or overpowering.
• Easily make a cafe-quality coffee right at home without the price tag.

What is a Honey Lavender Latte?

A honey lavender latte is an espresso-based coffee drink made with milk, ice, espresso, and honey lavender syrup! This flavor combination is quite popular in the dessert world, like Salt and Straw’s honey lavender ice cream, in cheesecake, regular cakes, and more. However, in coffee, I feel it’s more of a recent phenomenon, and I saw it sprouting up when I was in high school or early college (somewhere around 2016 to 2018?)

Now, you can find this flavor at pretty much any specialty coffee shop, especially during spring. It’s a very sweet, floral, and soft flavor that many people can like! It’s not too overpowering nor offensive to the palette.

What Does a Honey Lavender Latte Taste Like?

The flavor is soft, herbal, floral, earthy, and soothing. Honey and lavender are medicinal ingredients that you often see in cough drops or home remedies for coughs. It’s good to note that most lavender-flavored drinks are made with culinary lavender, which is much more subtle than regular lavender. The former is much milder, sweeter, and herbaceous.

With coffee, it tastes like a sweet and herby latte, which complements the bitterness. The lavender aroma is also subtle, but nice! It kind of tastes like a honey lavender ice cream affogato…

Honey Lavender Latte Recipe: Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for this honey lavender latte:

• Honey Lavender Syrup — I make my own honey lavender syrup, which is super easy and takes less than 10 minutes. However, you can use any brand you have or buy it from the grocery store.
• Espresso — Brew your favorite beans with an espresso machine. You can also substitute it with instant espresso powder and water, coffee concentrate, a moka pot espresso, etc.
• Milk — I love dairy, so I use 2% or whole milk, but you can use any milk you’d like.
• Ice
• Honey Lavender Cold Foam (Optional)
• Heavy Cream — 35% milkfat or higher is best for cold foams. Something like half and half won’t froth up properly.
• Milk
• Honey Lavender Syrup
• Purple Food Coloring (Optional) — If you want a light purple color, add a drop or two to the cream. You can also use ube extract!

How to Make a Honey Lavender Latte

1. Make or Buy Honey Lavender Syrup. To make honey lavender syrup, make a honey simple syrup by combining honey and water in a pot. Then, once it reduces, infuse it with dried culinary-grade lavender. Follow my recipe here!
2. Brew Espresso. Brew 1 – 2 shots of your favorite espresso beans! A medium roast works nicely here, adding a nice fruity and nutty profile that complements the florals.
3. Whip Cold Foam (Optional). For cold foam, add honey lavender syrup, heavy cream, and milk to a cup. Using a handheld frother, whip the cream until soft, fluffy, but still pourable. For extra color, add 1 – 2 drops of purple food coloring or ube extract and mix until combined.
4. Assemble Drink. Add ice, honey lavender syrup, and milk to a separate glass, then add your brewed espresso. Top with your honey lavender cold foam if you made it, and garnish with a drizzle of honey or a dried lavender bud.
5. Mix and Enjoy! Serve with a straw, stir, and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Honey Lavender Latte

• Make Honey Lavender Syrup: Nothing beats a homemade syrup! They often taste better and are much cheaper than buying the same thing from the grocery store. You can make this syrup following my easy honey lavender syrup recipe!
• Use Honey and Lavender Simple Syrup: If you don’t want to make honey lavender syrup or don’t have it, you can easily substitute it by using a mix of honey and lavender simple syrup! It’s basically the same thing, but it may come out sweeter from the additional sugar.
• Add Vanilla: Nothing a little vanilla extract can’t help! If you want to round out the floral flavor, you can add a drop or two of vanilla extract. It’ll be subtle, but make the floral flavor less strong.

FAQ’s

Can I make this hot?

Yes, you can make this hot! Instead of using cold milk, froth or warm milk in a pitcher or pot. Dissolve the syrup into your espresso in a latte mug, and add the warm milk on top. You can garnish with some dried lavender or a drizzle of honey.

Do I need espresso?

No, if you don’t have espresso, you can use instant espresso powder and hot water, a moka pot, or coffee concentrate. As long as the coffee is concentrated, it’s good enough to replace an espresso at home!

How to make this dairy-free?

To make this dairy-free, swap out the milk for your favorite milk alternative! A popular rendition is a honey lavender oat milk latte, which is popular at Starbucks.

Other Spring Coffee Drinks to Try

There are so many spring-inspired coffee flavors to try and add to your home cafe menu or bar. Besides this honey lavender latte, here are some other delicious spring-inspired coffee recipes to try:

• Rose Latte
• Strawberry Rose Latte
• Sakura Latte
• Blueberry Latte
• Strawberry Latte