Strawberry and rose are a classic combination that is fruity and floral! You’ve probably heard of it in jams, desserts, and even perfumes, but it’s also delicious in a strawberry rose latte! It’s perfect for spring, Valentine’s Day, or Galentine’s, especially because it’s pretty in pink.

This strawberry rose latte is super easy to make, even easier with premade syrup and coffee concentrate. Plus, you can make this even prettier with some nice rose ice cubes!

Here’s how to make a strawberry rose latte at home!

What is a Strawberry Rose Latte?

Simply put, a strawberry rose latte is an iced latte with strawberry rose syrup or flavoring. You can use premade syrup or make a homemade version with fresh or frozen strawberries and rose water or rosebuds.

This latte is fruity and slightly floral, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s a great balance between the tartness of the fruit and the rose, and it also makes a pretty pink color. The strawberry rose syrup adds the perfect flavor to milk for any cafe drink (try matcha!)

You can enjoy it hot or cold, it’s delicious both ways!

What Does a Strawberry Rose Latte Taste Like?

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, a strawberry rose latte tastes like a creamy, floral strawberry. Think of a white chocolate dipped strawberry with a dark chocolate drizzle and rose petal dust, that’s basically what this tastes like!

The rose is quite subtle, but it’s definitely there so if you don’t like floral flavors you probably won’t like this.

But it’s such a nice flavor combination that is slightly tart, juicy, and deliciously bitter, with the subtle rose floral flavor. The aromatics blend nicely together and balance well.

If you use premade syrup, your drink will taste more similar to strawberry hard candy and may taste more artificial (which isn’t bad if you like that flavor!) With homemade syrup, you’ll get a much juicier, fresher flavor that tastes more like biting into a strawberry.

Do Strawberry and Rose Go Together?

Yes! As mentioned, strawberry and rose is a popular combination in desserts and perfumes.

The strawberry really complements the rose since they have very different characteristics—you have the bright tart fruit flavor and the creamy, floral rose. And as they say, opposites attract!

However, if you’re adding rose flavor separately, be careful! A little goes a long way and you can definitely overpower the strawberry with too much rose and end up with a perfumey taste. Let the perfume stay outside the mouth!

Health Benefits of Strawberry Rose

Did you know that strawberry and rose are actually a great, nutrient-dense combo? There are tons of benefits to eating them together; here are just a few health benefits of strawberries and roses:

• Strawberries are nutrient-dense: They have a lot of vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants, as well as phytochemicals that help combat disease and even cancer.
• Rose has a ton of medicinal benefits: Rose extract can ease inflammation and help fight diabetes while rose essential oil alleviates stress and anxiety. Rose also has antimicrobial effects which are useful for skin care.

Together, they’re a powerful combination! You can make this even better by creating a strawberry rose tea or using the actual ingredients in this latte.

How to Add Strawberry and Rose Flavor

Usually, my choice of adding drink flavors is by using the actual ingredients, but I used a premade syrup for this drink.

However, I recommend making fresh strawberry rose syrup if you have the ingredients! It’s super easy to make and will taste much fresher and natural. (Instructions in the next section.)

In case you have other strawberry or rose items, here are some other ways you can add this flavor:

• Strawberry powder + rose powder: This combo will give a concentrated flavor since all the flavor is crushed into a powder and there’s no water to dilute it. Add them straight into your milk!
• Rose-infused strawberry syrup: You can infuse rosebuds in your strawberry syrup and you’ll get a subtle flavor (depending on how long you steep them) and great aroma.
• Rose water and strawberry syrup: Rose water will give you a stronger flavor but also may make your syrup more diluted.
• Rose-infused milk and strawberry syrup: If you infuse your milk with rose, be careful not to boil it or it will be bitter. You’ll also want to add sugar to bring out the rose flavor, and you’ll get a heavenly aroma with a creamier flavor.

How to Make Strawberry Rose Syrup

The easiest way to make strawberry rose syrup is to make your strawberry syrup, then add a little premade rosewater at the end. You can reduce your strawberry syrup more than usual to account for the extra liquid from the rose water.

To make rose water, heat water in a small pot, and when bubbles start to float to the surface, reduce the heat to low. Add rose buds in and let infuse for 5-10 minutes. You can taste the water to see how strong it is

Let the rose water sit while you make your strawberry syrup (recipe here), and add the rose water at the end to preserve the flavor.

Do I Need Espresso?

Ideally, you use espresso for this latte because it’s concentrated and keeps the coffee flavor strong when you add it to milk.

However, you can replace it with a strongly brewed coffee like coffee or cold brew concentrate, instant coffee, instant espresso powder, or a moka pot.

Honestly, as long as you have some form of concentrated coffee, you can easily use that instead of espresso and get similar results! You can even try reducing brewed coffee on the stove, but I’m not sure how heating coffee extra will affect the taste.

And if you’re feeling extra lazy, you can also buy a shot of espresso from your local coffee shop and add it to your lattes at home, which is cheaper than buying a specialty latte! Although, if you’re already heading to the coffee shop, you might as well get their latte, haha.

How to Make a Strawberry Rose Latte

Here’s what you’ll need to make a strawberry rose latte at home:

• 2-3 tsp strawberry rose syrup
  • for homemade syrup: 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tbsp of sugar, splash of rosewater (2-ish servings)
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup milk
• 1-2 shots of espresso or strong coffee

Strawberry Rose Recipe

1. Make or Get Syrup. For homemade strawberry syrup, reduce strawberries, water, and sugar on a stove until you get the desired consistency, then add a splash of rosewater (a little goes a long way.) You may want to get a thicker syrup to account for the extra water added from the rose water.
2. Brew Espresso. Brew 1-2 shots of espresso or strongly brewed coffee. You’ll want about a 1/4 cup.
3. Assemble Drink. Add ice, strawberry rose syrup, and milk to a glass, then stir to combine (optional.) Top with your coffee. Optional: Make some rose and strawberry ice cubes for fun!
4. Mix and Enjoy!

Strawberry Rose Latte Variations

Ready to upgrade your strawberry rose latte? Here are some other variations to try:

• Strawberry cold foam latte
• Strawberry rose soda
• Iced coffee with strawberry rose milk: more coffee, less milk.
• Strawberry rose milk: non-caffeinated! Just omit the espresso from this recipe.
• Strawberry rose milk tea: green or oolong would work great with this!
• Refreshing strawberry rose lemonade

Tips:

Here are some tips for making a beautiful strawberry rose latte at home!

• Make Pretty Ice Cubes: You can make pretty ice cubes by freezing strawberry slices and rosebuds in an ice tray! I recommend using a larger ice mold to fit more things in each cube.
• Add Food Coloring: If you want a bolder pink color, you can add food coloring to the syrup or milk. You can use regular food dye or a natural food color like beetroot or strawberry powder.