Better Than Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte

This, better than Starbucks, chestnut praline latte recipe is a perfect holiday drink. It’s made with homemade praline topping, giving this seasonal drink a nutty flavor, sweetened with brown sugar and warm spices.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

My favorite seasonal drink at Starbucks has been the chestnut praline latte for so many years. Until this season, when I called my local Starbucks to see when they are releasing it and I got a blank answer, “I don’t know.” I was so bummed! But no regrets - I was challenged to make my own chestnut praline latte recipe and it was a success!

This chestnut latte recipe is worth making at home for so many reasons.

• It's much cheaper! When buying a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop, especially specialty drinks, you will be paying over $5 a cup or more. That's a lot of money if you add it up over time. Make it at home for a fraction of that cost, under $1 a drink. Yup, worth the price and flavor.
• Healthier drink. This recipe is completely homemade using real ingredients. No additives at all. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking and make it just the way you like it every single time.
• Family favorite. My kids' new favorite holiday drink. That crunchy topping, the homemade whipped cream and a coffee with lots of flavor for any kid is yummy. No worries, we drink decaf without our kids. Here is a great decaf coffee bean to order.

Ingredients Needed

For the latte you will need:

Milk. For a creamy latte, I prefer to use whole milk. You can use any milk of your choice, just be aware that the flavors will be different from the original recipe.

Coffee Beans. A good latte starts with good beans. My first suggestion is to look for a local coffee roaster to get your beans. If you don't have any local roasters, here are some great options to order online - Specialty Java, Bodega Coffee Roaster, Dillanos.

Water - to make the espresso shot.

Brown Sugar - There is no syrup needed for this recipe. All you need is a little brown sugar to flavor the latte to get that same taste as a Starbucks chestnut praline latte.

For the topping you will need:

Walnuts. The nutty flavor will come from the walnuts. Halved or whole, doesn't matter. You will be crushing them anyway. To keep the recipe as accurate as possible, I used the already halved walnuts.

Brown Sugar. Helps crystalize the walnuts.

Butter. A little bit of butter to help the smooth out the brown sugar in the topping.

Water. Just a little to keep things mixing well while cooking.

Ground Cloves, Ground Cardamom, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Cinnamon - all the spices necessary to get that chestnut praline flavor.

Vanilla Extract gives a warm vanilla flavor and smell.

Turbinado Sugar - th crunch from the top is in the turbinado sugar.

Whip Cream - you can make your own whip cream at home (I have a recipe here you can use) or grab some from the grocery store.

How to Make the Praline Topping

In a ziploc bag combine walnuts, brown sugar, and spices. Crush the walnuts with a meat hammer to split the halves into a few smaller pieces. This will give the walnuts a more even roast.

Heat a cast iron pan to medium-low heat. Add all the ingredients, vanilla, water and butter, mix with a spatula continuously for 7-9 minutes. Once the topping starts to brown a bit, remove from the heat onto a pan with parchement paper and spread to cool.

After the nut mix has cooled, crush all the large pieces into tiny crystal sizes or turbinado sugar size pieces. You can do this in the same ziploc bag or on the pan using the meat hammer. Add the turbinado sugar. Mix thoroughly and your topping is ready.

How to Store Topping

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

How to Make a Chestnut Praline Latte

If you have an espresso machine, make a latte with whole milk or unsweetened milk of your choice.

If you would like to make espresso without a machine, find a few recipes here. Heat 6 oz of milk in a small sauce pot until 150*F and combine.

The perfect ratio for a good latte is 2oz of espresso and 6 oz of milk. If you like your coffee not as strong, add more milk.

Sweeten the latte with brown sugar and mix well.

Add the whip cream on top. Cover the entire top of your latte with whip, a nice thick layer. I love whip cream, especially homemade, so I love to layer up a lot of creamy goodness.

Sprinkle the whip with 1-2 teaspoons of praline sprinkles. Enjoy a chestnut praline latte.

How to Make an Iced Chestnut Praline Latte

The only difference between a hot and iced chestnut praline latte is the milk temperature.

Make the espresso shot and add the brown sugar into the espresso. Mix until combined well.

Add ½ cup of ice cubes to the espresso shot and pour the cold milk over the ice. Add the whip cream on top, sprinkle the praline topping and enjoy.

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