How I Make my Favorite Starbucks Coffee Drinks at Home

Ever since nursing school, I’ve been a caffeine queen. From nursing school, to working overnights at Disney into my hospital shift, to then working two nursing jobs, I used to solely drink coffee for the caffeine and to get me through the day. My trusty old Keurig got me through those times, but did I ever enjoy the taste of it?….Not when it was coming from the Keurig at least lol I found myself over time buying more and more from Starbucks. They just make it SO convenient with their app and drive through, and I could not get the same flavor with my coffee at home! Plus, I lived by the “treat yourself” mentality for quite some time.

I thought about buying an espresso machine a few times because even though Starbucks makes it convenient, those price increases weren’t stopping. I put off buying an espresso machine and put up with my Keurig because we just did not have the space for it. I almost bought a nespresso at one point, but I hated having to rely on and purchase pods/cups. I felt it was going to be another Keurig situation (even though I hear great things), so I decided to wait. It wasn’t until we bought our first home, that I finally made the choice to purchase one! AND I AM SO HAPPY I DID! I’ve made my favorite coffee drinks every.single.morning now, and I actually prefer it! I can control the amount of sugar, espresso, milk etc. it’s great.

Anyways, onto how I make my favorite coffee drinks. The two drinks I switch between back and forth are the brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso and a hot or iced caramel macchiato. These two are super simple to make!

For the brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso, I start off by pulling a double shot of espresso over 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. I then add ice and shake it like there’s no tomorrow. Really, you just want to shake until it gets nice and frothy! To finish it off, I froth cold oatmilk, or if short on time just straight oatmilk, and then pour right in. This is the quickest and easiest way I’ve found to make it.

I’ve tried the brown sugar cinnamon Torani syrup and even making my own brown sugar syrup over the stove, but I always go back to the method that works and tastes the best for me! Tbh, the Torani syrup is not good lol It tastes more like cinnamon than brown sugar. Making my own brown sugar syrup is delicious, but I just do not care to spend my time making a batch of coffee syrup when I can get the same taste with less work and time.

Onto the caramel macchiato! I make this iced and hot, depending on the weather. There’s not too much of a difference, just add ice and froth cold milk if you want it iced! I start off by pulling a double shot of espresso and pour into a glass/mug with 6 pumps of Torani vanilla syrup (I use a smaller bottle so it produces less syrup with each pump. If you use the Torani pump, you only need 2.) and caramel sauce drizzled on the inner sides. For hot, I froth oatmilk (on the warm setting) and pour over the espresso. I top with another drizzle of caramel. And that’s it!

I will say the Nespresso frother, or really any frother where you can choose the temperature, makes it super convenient. The hand frothers are great for cold drinks, but it doesn’t do much for hot drinks.

Well, that’s all for today. I hope I’ve encouraged you to try making your own coffee at home ☺️