Maple syrup and oat milk are a delicious combination. The slight caramel flavor of maple syrup pairs excellent with the creamy oat milk, and it’s divine with coffee. Plus, it’s a great way to change up your coffee routine.

This iced latte is really easy to make and only takes 4 ingredients. Once you try this coffee, you’ll want to make it often!

Here’s how to make a great maple syrup oat milk latte at home.

What is Maple Syrup?

Maple syrup is the sap syrup from maple trees in cold climates like Canada. Maple syrup farmers drill small holes in the trees and place a small pipe, allowing the sap to drip from the tree into a bucket, otherwise known as tapping.

The sap slowly drips out drop by drop, eventually filling a bucket’s worth. Sap is made from water and sucrose, making it a liquid consistency. However, it needs to be boiled down to become the maple syrup we all know and love today.

Maple trees only produce sap in the spring. The trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter, then convert it into sap that transports nutrients to new buds in early spring.

You won’t find much if you tap a maple tree in winter. The result is a delicious sticky syrup with desserts, pancakes, and other concoctions.

Maple Syrup vs. Pancake Syrup

If you’ve ever seen syrup bottles at pancake houses or diners, sorry, but that’s not maple syrup.

Maple syrup and pancake syrup are, unfortunately, not the same thing.

Maple syrup is quite labor intensive, and real maple syrup can cost $7+ per bottle. Pancake syrup is made from high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, and flavoring to emulate maple syrup at a fraction of the cost.

Sometimes, the fake syrups contain a small amount of maple syrup, but only as a flavoring agent. While it may be sugary and delicious, pancake syrup misses the key maple flavor that makes maple syrup so good.

Maple syrup sold with the 100% or pure maple syrup label is true maple syrup, and you can trust it because it has strict standards and regulations.

What Does Maple Syrup Taste Like?

Generally, maple syrup tastes like caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, and brown sugar with floral and woody notes. They all combine to give maple syrup a distinct flavor, making it easily identifiable in recipes.

Depending on the maple syrup grade, it can have different flavors. But the general rule for maple syrup is the darker the color, the more flavorful it is!

Light maple syrup is lighter in taste and leans more towards butterscotch and toffee, while dark maple syrup is most similar to molasses.

Do You Need to Refrigerate Maple Syrup After Opening?

Maple syrup needs to be refrigerated after opening.

I learned the hard way after leaving a bottle of maple syrup out for weeks only to discover weird bacteria strings inside the bottle…

Pure maple syrup has no additives and a high moisture content, meaning mold and other bacteria can quickly grow. Leaving it in the fridge helps keep the maple syrup fresh and mold-free.

However, if you do find mold in your maple syrup, toss it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

On the other hand, pancake syrup does not need to be refrigerated because it has preservatives to keep it shelf-stable. That’s why all the diners have pancake syrup on the tables 24/7.

What is Oat Milk?

Oat milk is an alternative dairy milk made by processing oats and water to make creamy milk. It’s famous for its ultra-creamy texture and neutral taste, pairing perfectly with coffee, teas, or even by itself.

You can make oat milk at home or buy it from the grocery store, with many brands like Oatly, Planet Oat, Califia Farms, Minor Figures, and more offering their oat products.

Premade oat milk has a lot of added sugars, more than you would think! For example, one serving of Oatly’s oat milk has 7 grams of added sugar. This sugar isn’t the same as sugar we use to sweeten food; it’s a different sugar called maltose, a byproduct of oat processing.

Maltose isn’t very sweet, but it increases blood sugar quickly when consumed, making it something to watch out for if you’re diabetic or watching your blood sugar levels.

What Does Oat Milk Taste Like?

Oat milk has a subtle oat flavor with a slight sweetness and nuttiness. It’s very neutral in taste, making it perfect for coffee, milkshakes, soups, etc.

You can get flavored or unsweetened oat milk for different flavors like pumpkin spice, chocolate, and vanilla. It’s super creamy and is one of the best milk alternatives on the market.

Depending on the brand, oat milk can also have a bean aftertaste, like black beans. Each brand has its own way of processing oats, which can make a different flavor, so the only way to know which oat milk you’ll like truly is to try them all.

How to Make Oat Milk

To make oat milk, soak rolled oats in water for an hour, then blend and strain it for smooth, creamy oat milk. The most popular oat to water ratio is one cup to four, but depending on how you like your oat milk, you can use more or less of either ingredient.

If you want different flavors, add them to your blender before blending the oats and water.

You also don’t have to strain it, but it helps make consistency smoother. Once you’ve got your oat milk, store it in the fridge and consume it within 3-5 days.

If you leave oat milk to sit for too long, it will turn slimy and undrinkable. It’s actually really gross… so use it in your coffee or drinks! It’s delicious with maple syrup.

Tips

Here are some tips on making the best maple syrup oat milk latte at home:

• You can make this drink hot or iced! Make sure you use a heatproof glass or frother if you’re frothing hot oat milk, though.
• If you want your espresso to float on your oat milk, mix the maple syrup with the milk instead of the coffee.
• Instead of espresso, you can brew strong coffee in a moka pot, use cold brew concentrate, or instant espresso powder.