Dulce de Leche Latte
Sinfully sweet, smooth and decadent, this Dulce de Leche Latte is EVERYTHING you want in a coffee drink. And the best part? There are no long lines at the coffee shop to get it! Keep reading to learn how to make a latte at at home with minimal effort. Makes 2 homemade lattes, but the recipe can be easily doubled.
Oi Gente!!
Real talk: I drink hot coffee drinks all year long, no matter how hot it is outside.
I mean, hello. I grew up in Brazil, where we have a cup of cafezinho per each step we take, even if it’s the peak of summer. I’m used to the sweaty rush.
With that said, there’s something extra special about a hot coffee drink when the weather starts to cool off. Ever since I moved to the U.S., where we actually have seasons, I love it so much more.
That frothy comforting warmth, sometimes by a fire… it’s just a whole vibe we should all be able to easily accomplish at home.
Homemade Latte with Dulce de Leche
To say I love dulce de leche is an understatement. I’ve made dulce de leche ice cream, churro cake, and I’ve even taught you how to make your own Instant Pot Dulce de Leche at home.
I love it beyond limits, and I put it on everything I possibly can… from rabanadas- Brazilian deep fried French toasts to tapiocas and more.
So, naturally, dulce de leche on coffee is a thing to do, too.
I absolutely love this recipe — it’s sweet in a way you can control to be more or less, depending on your tastebuds. It’s creamy, and it’s oh-so-smooth.
It’s the perfect drink to make on a weekend to sip on lazy mornings, and of course, it’s the perfect cup to serve throughout the holiday season.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
Beijinhos xx
Looking for other hot drinks to sip on? Try my creamy Brazilian Hot Chocolate recipe!
Ingredients and Tools
remember!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Substitutions can greatly alter your final results.
- Espresso or very strong coffee — your latte will only be as good as your coffee will let you. I use a Nespresso machine and number 12 or 13 L’Or pods because we’re making a double shot and I like my latte to taste like coffee, too. Any other high intensity level pod or strong coffee should work as well.
- Whole milk — I like full fat milk because it plays a role in the silky smoothness of the drink. If you want to use a lower fat milk, go for it.
- Heavy whipping cream — we will be whipping this to soft peaks. If you prefer to use whipped cream from a container or a can, you can, too, but I prefer to whip my own. It’s fattier and the end product is silkier.
- Dulce de leche — you can make your own dulce de leche in the Instant Pot, as I show you here or you can buy it online. You can also find dulce de leche in latin supermarkets or in the latin aisle of several American grocery stores.
Tools:
Featured Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Brazilian Kitchen Abroad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
How to make Dulce de Leche Latte
Whip the cream until soft peaks form and set it aside.
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of cream because I just like enough to cream up the whole drink and don’t care as much to top the drink with loads of whipped cream.
That said, if that’s your thing, make a little more whipped cream so you have plenty for a taller topping.
Heat the milk and the dulce de leche. Whisk to combine the dulce de leche with the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. The milk doesn’t need to boil. All you want is just a gentle simmer to warm it up and to melt the dulce de leche.
When the dulce de leche is incorporated into the milk, turn off the heat and froth the milk with your frother.
I use a cheap frother like this one, but you can just use your whisk to agitate vigorously while the milk simmers and it’ll create some foam on top, too.
Make the coffee. Make your espresso or some strong drip coffee if you don’t have an espresso maker.
How to assemble your dulce de leche latte
Swoosh the mugs with extra dulce de leche.
This is great for two reasons. First, if you’re using glass mugs, like I do, this creates a pretty look. Second, and most importantly, this will melt into your drink and add even more of a sweet dulce de leche flavor into it.
It’s pretty and extra delicious!
Scoop part of the whipped cream into the bottom of the mugs. We do this so that the cream mixes with the coffee and the hot milk to create a silky smooth texture.
We’ll use the remaining cream to top our drinks!
Pour the coffee over the cream adding each double shot of espresso into each cup.
Then, pour in the hot milk into each cup.
Top with the remaining cream.
How to Make the Dulce de Leche Drizzle
You can finish your drink with a delicious dulce de leche drizzle, but dulce de leche is too thick on its own for you to be able to do that.
For a pourable dulce de leche you can use to drizzle, add a little splash of milk to about a 1-2 tablespoons of dulce de leche, then whisk until pourable.
This is optional, but it’s pretty and delicious.
You’ll be opening a container of dulce de leche anyway, so you might as well.
And it’ll only take you an extra second to do that…
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily make your own! I have a whole tutorial on how to make Instant Pot Dulce de Leche using just one ingredient. You can also find cans of dulce de leche in many grocery stores these days in the Latin aisle. You can also find them online on Amazon.
Technically, you can make this drink with strongly brewed drip coffee.
I have not tried to make this latte with a non-dairy milk. While I’m sure you could use oat milk, almond milk or even coconut milk to replace the whole milk in this recipe, you’d also need to be using non-dairy whipped cream, and use vegan/non-dairy dulce de leche, as well. All that said, I have not tested this and the overall flavors of this drink could change with any substitutions.
Enjoy this latte with…
- Pão de Queijo – Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Savory Breakfast Muffins
- A Savory Brazilian Tapioca
- Rabanada – Brazilian Deep Fried French Toasts
- Bolinhos de Chuva – Brazilian Funnel Cake Balls
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Walnuts
- Banana Bread Cake – Bolo de Farinha de Rosca com Banana
- Easy Spice Cake Recipe
- Apple Cake Recipe
- Brazilian Carrot Cake
- Check out our full list of breakfast recommendations on this Brazilian Breakfast post!
FOR MORE BRAZILIAN FOOD INSPO, BE SURE TO FOLLOW ME ON
Dulce de Leche Latte
Ingredients
For the Dulce de Leche Latte:
- 2 double shots of espresso or really strong coffee
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche plus 1 more for serving
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
For the Dulce de Leche Drizzle:
- 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche
- a splash of milk
Instructions
How to Make Dulce de Leche Latte:
- In a bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form and set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk and 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche, whisking to melt the dulce de leche and combine.
- While the milk warms up, make the shots of espresso in your espresso maker.
- When the milk begins simmering, turn off the heat and froth the warm milk to form a light foam for the top.
How to Assemble Your Dulce de Leche Latte:
- Using the back of a spoon, scoop about a half to a tablespoon of dulce de leche and swoosh inside of each of the mugs. This depends on how sweet you like – this is optional.
- Next, scoop 1/4 of the cream into each cup, then pour each espresso shot into each of the mugs.
- Then, pour the hot milk into each mug, and top each mug with the remaining whipped cream.
How to Make Dulce de Leche Drizzle:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dulce de leche and a little splash of milk. Whisk until pourable.
- Then drizzle over the dulce de leche latte
- Drink immediately!
I had a caramel mochaccino while in Brazil that I fell in love with so when I saw you had this dulce de leche latte that reminded me of that I definitely had to try. It took me a couple of rounds to get the sweetness just right for me since I like it on the (very) sweet side. I loved it and it is now one of my favorites!!
That is so great, thank you!! And yes, this recipe is very easy to customize and I’m glad you found the perfect sweetness for you!! xx