Iced Mocha Latte

Learn how to make an iced mocha latte at home in just 5 minutes, with 3 simple ingredients! It’s made with either espresso or strong coffee and no cocoa powder is needed. It’s rich, creamy, and totally indulgent – but easy enough to make whenever the craving strikes!

If you are a chocolate and a coffee fanatic, then homemade mocha lattes have your name written all over them. And whether you are craving a piping hot one or need it served over ice, we’ve got you covered. We’ve also got your back if you need it in the form of brownies or a cocktail, too.

Today though, we’re all about the iced latte – rich, creamy, totally luxurious yet totally easy to make. You need just 3 simple ingredients (4 if you want to really indulge…and yes, yes you do) and 5 minutes.

Unless, you already have something like cold brew concentrate stored away in the fridge…in which case you need approximately 2 minutes, but more on all the ways to make an iced mocha at home in a minute.

Looking for the hot version? Get it here: Homemade Mocha Latte

Iced Mocha vs. Iced Latte vs. Iced Coffee

An iced latte is made with espresso, which is much stronger than coffee, and there is more milk in an iced latte, because… latte ratios! An iced mocha is simply an iced latte with chocolate syrup added. Mocha is a combination of chocolate and coffee.

Iced coffee, or similarly, cold brew, are both methods of making regular coffee served over ice. There is the option of adding cream or milk to either, as you would a cup of hot coffee, but it’s not an essential part of the drink as it is with an iced latte.

Learn more about iced lattes in this post, and read all about the differences between iced coffee and cold brew here, if you’re eager for even more coffee info.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need three simple ingredients: espresso (or strong coffee), milk of choice, and chocolate syrup.

Chocolate Syrup

Before we start mixing, let’s talk about the chocolate syrup. Often, because simple syrup works so well in iced drinks, people make their own chocolate simple syrup for iced mochas. And while I’m a big fan of making simple syrup, we’re not going there for this recipe (at least not right now).

If you want to, I am in full support, but when it comes to making iced mochas at home I prefer just using the storebought chocolate syrup I already have in my fridge because EASY!

Other Chocolate Options

Two other “hacks” for getting the chocolate flavor into your iced latte, if you don’t have chocolate syrup on hand:

• Mini Chocolate Chips: melt them in the hot espresso (or strong coffee) and enjoy the chocolate infusion.
• Chocolate Milk: ok, so this is the extra easy hack. If you have chocolate milk at home, then go ahead and just heat it up to make your mocha. And if you’re really into chocolate, why not add more? I won’t stop you!

How to Make an Iced Mocha Latte

Making coffee-shop-worthy drinks at home might feel overwhelming, but I hope to give you plenty of options to make this an easy process! Because who doesn’t love to stay at home in their PJs enjoying coffee, and saving money?!

First, the Coffee

If you have an espresso machine, use it! A latte typically has espresso, so it’s the way to go if you do have it.

But I hear you…how can you brew espresso if you don’t have an espresso machine?! Well, friend, I don’t have an espresso machine either. The key, in this case, is to make very strong coffee.

Here are a few ways to make “espresso” or very strong coffee:

• Traditional Coffee, Strongly Brewed: this is my go-to option to be honest because it’s easy and super accessible. You will need less water in your coffee-to-water ratio when brewing coffee. The general recommendation is a 15:1 ratio of water to coffee for a strong brew. Ultimately, it depends on your preferences.
  • Brew espresso beans or a dark roast for the strongest, deepest coffee flavor
  • While you can brew the coffee any method you prefer, a french press is a great option for strong coffee.
• Stovetop Espresso: make espresso on the stovetop using a Moka pot, which is a classic Italian method for brewing strong coffee.
• Use Instant Espresso or strongly brew instant coffee.
• Nespresso: ok, this is a machine but it’s not an official espresso machine (IMO) but rather an easy, at-home option for making espresso without the pricey, fancy machine. So if you have one, of course, use it!
• Use cold brew concentrate.

Consider this: if you are using strongly brewed coffee instead of espresso, use less milk for a more authentic latte flavor.

Coffee & Chocolate

It’s key to combine the coffee and chocolate so that the flavor is infused throughout your iced latte. If you’ve brewed hot espresso or strong coffee, add it to your glass, then add the chocolate syrup. The heat will help to melt the chocolate into the espresso, which will in turn infuse it throughout the drink.

Similarly, if you decide to use mini chocolate chips, make sure they are melted into the liquid.

Add Milk

Again, to make sure the latte is fully combined, I recommend adding the milk before the ice. This way you can give it a good stir and make sure the chocolate will be in each and every sip!

What kind of milk is best?

For the creamiest texture and most luxurious iced latte, I highly recommend using whole milk. My favorite dairy-free option is oat milk.

That being said, since it’s an iced latte and there’s no frothing required, you have so much flexibility when it comes to milk type, so use what you like best.

Voila, your iced latte!

Fill the glass with ice, add in a reusable straw and sip away and enjoy your homemade perfection.

And that extra ingredient I mentioned that is totally indulgent but that you should totally add because why would you not just live a little?!? Yep, it’s whipped cream. And extra chocolate syrup. Treat yo’ self, friends!

Iced White Chocolate Mocha

I’ve mentioned around here before that white chocolate mochas were actually my favorite as a teen (hmm…ok…they’re still up there currently). If you’re looking for a white chocolate mocha, follow the same steps but melt white chocolate chips.

White chocolate syrup is a little more difficult to source, so I’ve found the chips are the easiest route to take.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!

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