Coffee is terrific, but some coffee roasts cry out for a little something sweet; that is why caramel and coffee pair so well together! Treat yourself to a bittersweet indulgence with this awesomely delicious Caramel Coffee Recipe. No milk is required!
Caramel is a creamy buttery dream all on its own but when you put this decadent dairy confection together with coffee, you have the perfect pairing!
This amazing Caramel Coffee Recipe is a celebration of that delicious mash-up! With these simple steps and easy ingredients, you can kiss your boring plain coffee goodbye and replace it with this candied caffeine concoction!
You will fall in love with the ease of this recipe as well as the unforgettably smooth and creamy flavors in this Caramel Coffee!
Ingredients you need
Caramel Sauce – Bring caramel and coffee together is a beautiful thing! There are a few ways to get sweet caramel flavor into your cup of joe, but the best by far is caramel sauce. This lush and decadent sauce has the right texture and flavor to elevate even the most basic of coffees.
Major coffee flavoring manufacturers, like Torani and Monin, produce shelf-stable caramel sauces that you can find in most major grocery stores or online. Be sure you are choosing a caramel sauce that is designed for drink-making because it will be thinner and more pourable than other versions that are designed to top ice cream and other desserts.
If you like everything made from scratch, you can homemade the caramel for this recipe, but it must be a sauce-style caramel. To achieve this quickly, easily, and deliciously you can cook condensed milk down into a syrupy caramel that can be kept in the fridge for a few days for your coffee-making pleasure!
Brewed Coffee – This recipe is all about you, so you can choose your favorite brand and style of coffee to make this delicious drink! With this recipe, you will have just enough lusciously smooth and buttery-sweet caramel coffee for one, but you can increase the batch for a crowd.
Make the coffee using your favorite method: drip coffee maker, pour-over, or whatever you like will work; just try to use filtered water when brewing and watch your temperature.
Every coffee brewing method requires a specific temperature to make the best cup, so get to know the ins and outs of your favorite brewing method so you can make an even smoother cup!
Caramel Coffee Step-by-step
How To Make Caramel Coffee From Scratch
Brew – Use your favorite method to brew your favorite coffee roast into a metal pitcher for easy pouring!
Squeeze – Generously drizzle as much of the yummy caramel sauce into the cup as you like. You can use a little extra to decorate the sides of clear glasses.
Pour – Pour the coffee into the serving cup.
Serve – Stir with a long-stemmed spoon before serving. Enjoy!
Important Barista Tips
- When brewing coffee, always use filtered water. Filtered water does not calcify the coffee equipment, giving the coffee a much better taste.
- Let your freshly brewed coffee cool down a bit so you can taste the full range of flavors. Too hot coffee reduces the functionality of your tongue’s taste buds, and your coffee tastes inferior.
- When brewing coffee, always rinse your pot and filter with hot water beforehand. This removes the paper taste of the filter and prevents your coffee from cooling too quickly in the cold brewing vessel. Because of the early cooling, the compounds are not properly extracted from the coffee.
Variations
If you fancy your caramel coffee with a milk mixture, we recommend trying out our Caramel Latte with homemade Caramel Milk! It’s amazingly delicious and very easy to make! You’ll see!
And it also can be done chilled! Try our Iced Caramel Latte, also made with homemade caramel milk and ice cubes! Cools and refreshes, sweet and flattering at the same time!
Products
Long Stemmed Spoon – If you can make anyone an affordable upgrade to your home bar, this may be the place to start. Long-stemmed spoons are a lifesaver when it comes to coffee making and mixology. Plus, these tools are one of the cheapest pieces of equipment you can buy for your home bar, so grab a set, and you’re ready to make deliciously flavored coffee creations of all sorts!
Pitcher – Much like the long-stemmed spoon, a metal pitcher is an often overlooked basic that every home barista should have. A standard metal pitcher makes pouring, steaming, and even latte art easier, and they’re not too pricey!
Frequently Asked Questions About Caramel Coffee
If you are all about the looks there are a few easy ways to elevate the presentation of this drink.
First, choose a clear glass mug or heat-safe glass tumbler for serving. Second, when you add the caramel use a spoon or squeeze bottle to help you make zig-zags on the inside of the mug. Finally, top it with a little whipped cream and an extra caramel drizzle to make this fresh caramel coffee look like it came from your favorite café!
No! You can absolutely use your own personal favorite brand of coffee beans for this recipe. Start with your favorite and you are sure to end up with a sensational caramel-infused cup that you won’t want to stop sipping!
This also extends to decaf. So if the hour is late but you’re still craving some caramelly goodness, just swap over to decaf!
Caramel syrup is a simple sugar syrup infused with rich caramel flavor; whereas, caramel sauce is a cooked caramel sauce made to be thin and pourable. While caramel syrup has a similar flavor to caramel sauce it is not an even swap.
Caramel syrup has a sweeter taste and thinner texture. It also tends to be more concentrated than sauce, so adding the same ratio of syrup to this drink would make for an overly sweet sip.
If you eat a plant-based diet you can still enjoy this candy-coated coffee! Simply swap the traditional caramel sauce for a vegan caramel sauce or you can make a quick vegan caramel by cooking coconut cream and a little brown sugar into a plant-based caramel.
More Recipes and Tips You Might Enjoy:
- Honey Lavender Oat Milk Latte
- Honey Latte
- Iced Honey Latte
- Iced Lavender Latte
- Why does Oat Milk Separate in Coffee?
- Can you put Hot Coffee in Glass?
- How much Syrup to put into Coffee?
- How to make Homemade Creamer?
- Caramel Iced Latte (coming mid-December)
If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @coffeewithnora and hashtag #coffeewithnora_recipes, so I don’t miss it.
Caramel Coffee – No Milk Added
Equipment
- Serving glass
Ingredients
- ⅛ Cup Caramel Sauce
- 1 Cup Coffee French Press, Aero Press, or Pour Over Coffee
Instructions
- Brew 1 Cup Coffee (Aeropress, French press, or pour-over coffee) and fill it in a metal pitcher (to make pouring easier).1 Cup Coffee
- Squeeze some ⅛ Cup Caramel Sauce into the bottom of a glass coffee mug (I covered the bottom with caramel sauce, about 0.5 inches in height. But feel free to use more if you want your coffee to taste more intense caramel and more amber in color.)⅛ Cup Caramel Sauce
- Pour the coffee into the serving glass.
- Stir with a long-stemmed spoon and enjoy!
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food and beverages unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
