An iced latte is espresso, cold milk, and ice — nothing more. Pull a shot or two, pour it over a glass of cold milk and ice, and you have the café’s most-ordered summer drink. It’s smooth, creamy, and far easier to make at home than people think.
Below: exactly how to build one (with or without an espresso machine), how it differs from iced coffee, the easy flavoured versions, and the caffeine and calories. (For the cold-brewed alternatives, see iced coffee vs cold brew.)
What is an iced latte?
An iced latte is the cold version of a latte: one or two shots of espresso combined with cold milk and poured over ice, in roughly a 1:3 espresso-to-milk ratio. Unlike a hot latte there’s no steamed foam — just chilled milk and espresso — so it’s light, refreshing, and milk-forward with a clean espresso backbone.
Most cafés serve it unsweetened by default, which is why it’s such a flexible base for vanilla, caramel, and other syrups.
Iced latte vs iced coffee
They look similar but start differently. An iced latte is built on espresso and is mostly milk, so it’s creamy and rounded. Iced coffee is brewed coffee (drip or pour-over) chilled over ice, usually with just a splash of milk, so it tastes lighter and more coffee-forward. Cold brew is different again — steeped cold for a smoother, stronger result. We compare those in iced coffee vs cold brew.
How to make an iced latte
- Pull the espresso. Brew 1–2 shots and let it cool for a minute so it doesn’t melt all your ice.
- Fill a glass with ice and pour in ~6–8 oz of cold milk.
- Add any syrup now (vanilla, caramel) and stir it into the milk.
- Pour the espresso over the top. It’ll cascade through the milk in pretty layers — stir before drinking.
Pro tip: pull the espresso a touch stronger (or use a ristretto) so it doesn’t taste watered down once the ice melts.
No espresso machine? No problem
Any concentrated coffee works as the base. A Moka pot or AeroPress shot is closest to espresso; in a pinch, a small amount of very strong brewed coffee or dissolved instant espresso does the job. The key is strength — regular drip coffee will taste thin once it hits the milk and ice.
Flavoured iced lattes
The iced latte is a blank canvas. Stir the syrup into the milk before adding espresso so it mixes evenly:
- Iced vanilla latte: 1–2 pumps vanilla syrup.
- Iced caramel latte: caramel syrup, with a caramel drizzle to finish.
- Iced caramel macchiato: vanilla syrup and milk with the espresso poured last — see our {L(‘caramel-macchiato’,’caramel macchiato copycat’)}.
- Cold foam latte: top with {L(‘how-to-make-cold-foam’,’sweet cream cold foam’)} instead of stirring the milk in.
Calories and caffeine
An unsweetened iced latte is mostly milk plus espresso, so the numbers track your milk choice and shot count:
| 16 oz iced latte (2 shots) | Whole milk | Oat milk | Skim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | ~130 kcal | ~120 kcal | ~90 kcal |
| Caffeine | ~126 mg | ~126 mg | ~126 mg |
| Sugar | ~11 g | ~7 g | ~12 g |
Caffeine comes from the espresso, so it’s the same across milks. Syrups add roughly 20–30 calories and 5–6 g of sugar per pump.
The bottom line
An iced latte is just espresso, cold milk, and ice — creamy, refreshing, and endlessly customisable. Pull a strong shot so it survives the ice, build it milk-first, and flavour it however you like. It’s one of the cheapest café drinks to recreate at home and takes about two minutes.
Making iced lattes all summer? A strong, sweet shot is the secret — start with the best espresso beans and our guide to pulling espresso at home. Want café-style cold foam on top? A milk frother handles it in seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions About Iced Lattes
An iced latte is espresso combined with cold milk and poured over ice, in roughly a 1:3 espresso-to-milk ratio. It’s the cold version of a latte, but without the steamed foam — just chilled milk and espresso.
An iced latte is made with espresso and is mostly milk, so it’s creamy and rounded. Iced coffee is brewed coffee chilled over ice with just a splash of milk, so it’s lighter and more coffee-forward. The base — espresso vs brewed — is the key difference.
Pull 1–2 shots of espresso and let them cool briefly, fill a glass with ice and cold milk, add any syrup, then pour the espresso over the top and stir. No machine? Use a strong Moka pot or AeroPress shot.
About 63 mg per espresso shot, so a typical two-shot iced latte has around 126 mg. The milk choice doesn’t change the caffeine — only the number of shots does.
Make a standard iced latte but stir 1–2 pumps of vanilla syrup into the cold milk before pouring the espresso over. The same method works for caramel or any flavoured syrup.
Usually because the espresso was too weak or the ice melted into it. Pull a stronger shot (or a ristretto), let it cool for a minute before pouring, and use plenty of ice and cold milk so it dilutes less.
Hey there! I’m Austin and I love coffee. In fact, I drink about 5 americanos a day. I started BrewingCoffees because I wanted to share my love of coffee with the world. Before starting BrewingCoffees, I worked as a Barista for 7 years.
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