A good day starts with good coffee. But a great day requires a special drink—and an iced caramel macchiato seems like just the kind of drink that could turn a regular day into a great one.
In this article, we’ll explain what an iced caramel macchiato is and how to make it at home using your Keurig machine.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
What is an iced caramel macchiato?
Well, it is a combination of two separate beverages. First, we have the macchiato, which is a traditional Italian drink. Macchiato translates to “stained”; you would pour coffee in a small glass and then add just a few drops of steamed milk in the center. Therefore, it looks like it’s stained or spotted. This works in reverse, too: a latte macchiato is mostly milk and then it is “stained” with coffee, instead of the other way around.
Iced coffee is also a traditional drink, although its origins are disputed. We can be sure that it originated somewhere in Europe—possibly Greece—and it’s a simple espresso with added ice cubes.
By combining these two beverages, we get a delicious new one that is immensely refreshing. In addition, that “caramel” element is introduced to turn this into a sweet, delectable beverage—a touch of caramel sauce paired with vanilla is the source of flavor in this drink.
Without further ado, here’s the recipe for iced caramel macchiato:
How to Make Iced Caramel Macchiato?
Making an iced caramel macchiato at home using your Keurig coffee maker is actually quite easy. With the right ingredients and the right preparation, you can make a great iced caramel macchiato even on your first try. Ready?
Ingredients:
- ½ a cup milk. (needs to be cold)
- One ounce of vanilla-flavored syrup. Alternatively, one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Caramel sauce to taste.
- 60 ml (two ounces) of espresso.
- Ice cubes as needed.
How to make:
- In a tall glass, pour vanilla syrup. Swirl gently so it’s evenly spread at the bottom of the glass.
- Now, pour the cold milk.
- Pour in the hot coffee and stir.
- Add the ice all the way up the glass and stir, so it’s all thoroughly mixed together.
- Drizzle with plenty of caramel sauce on top.
- Enjoy!
Tips
- Using cold milk will result in a more refreshing drink. Steamed or frothed milk can mean that adding ice simply ends in a “warm” beverage that you have to stir for a minute or two before it’s actually cold.
- Caramel sauce is vital to this recipe, and you might want to get more than one; different brands have different flavors, and sometimes it’s a good idea to shop around and see which one you like best.
- It’s advised that you brew your coffee sometime beforehand. This allows the coffee to cool down, ensuring that your ice doesn’t melt down too quickly when it comes into contact with the coffee. Still, it’s only a minimal amount of coffee (2 ounces), but better safe than sorry.
- If you’re using flavored coffee, you might want to leave the vanilla syrup until you’ve had a sip fist. Caramel sauce is always needed, but if your coffee is already flavored, the vanilla syrup might prove a little too overkill. Try it first, then decide if you want the extra flavor.
- Although not traditionally part of the recipe, many places do their iced caramel macchiato with whipped cream. This makes for a sweeter beverage that many people love—simply add whipped cream on top of the glass and then drizzle with caramel sauce. It’s delicious!
FAQ
What type of milk should I use?
As with a lot of coffee beverages, you can switch out regular milk for whichever milk you prefer. In this case, the milk does not need to be steamed or even frothed beforehand, so you can simply swap cow’s milk for any other milk that you want.
However, we do recommend almond or cashew milk for this drink, as their taste goes well with this recipe.
Condensed milk is also a perfect option for this recipe. In this case, since condensed milk is quite thick, you might want to use half condensed milk and half milk of choice.
Traditionally, an iced caramel macchiato is made using either whole milk or 2%. But again, you can use whichever type of milk you prefer. Most of the flavor in this drink comes from the caramel and vanilla ingredients, after all.
What type of coffee should I use?
The ideal coffee for this recipe is either vanilla or caramel-flavored coffee. There are a lot of K-cups out there that meet this criterion, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find them. Just in case, here’s one from Starbucks, a caramel vanilla one, and a caramel latte one.
All in all, the iced caramel macchiato is a pretty flavorful coffee. If you don’t have these on hand and don’t feel like taking a trip to the store, regular coffee will do just fine!
Should I use ice cubes or blended ice?
For this recipe, we’re going to be needing ice cubes. You might try to experiment with blended ice, although that will likely result in your drink watering down way too quickly.
If you’re extra worried about your iced cubes melting down too quickly, you can try making ice cubes out of brewed coffee. Simply brew a cup of strong coffee using a method like the French press or a pour-over, wait for it to cool down a little, then pour it into an ice tray.
This way, as the ice cubes melt down the flavor of your drink isn’t diluted, but strengthened.
Should I have experience before making an iced caramel macchiato?
No. One of the best things about this beverage is that—despite its delicious flavor and complicated-sounding name—in practice, it’s actually a rather simple drink to put together. With the help of this recipe and these tips, we’re confident that you can make a perfect caramel macchiato on your first try.