Caramel Apple Coffee Recipe (small batch hot or iced version) · i am a food blog

Fall time means cozy drinks and cozy drinks means coffee. Sweet and apple-forward with golden caramel, cinnamon, cloves, and coffee in one cozy fall drink, this easy small-batch caramel apple coffee recipe goes equally hard hot or iced.

I love coffee so much even if when I have it after 2pm I’m awake literally all night. That hasn’t stopped me. I can’t stop won’t stop drinking banana coffee and now fresh on my coffee scene, this caramel apple coffee.

Small batch caramel apple coffee

This recipe comes straight from, arguably, the inventor of cozy coffee season aka pumpkin spice, Starbucks. Did you know they have recipes on their site? I didn’t as of two days ago. Anyway, I gave their recipe a try and obviously, it was delicious. Super easy to make too, but a little bit time consuming and I ended up with a giant batch of syrup, more than anyone normal could drink in a week. So I made this small batch version and wanted to share it with the world… and also for my own reference next week.

It also reminded me that I absolutely love applesauce. How the heck did I forget about applesauce? I’m not sure but I’m so happy it’s back in my life. Plus standing at the stove making caramel sauce lets me plan my fall bucket list in my head.

What is caramel apple coffee?

Caramel apple coffee is a hot or cold coffee drink sweetened with salted caramel apple syrup and then topped with a little cream or frothed milk. Think of a slice of warm, freshly baked apple pie, laced through with salted caramel, with a scoop of rich vanilla bean ice cream on top. Cozy, sweet, fall perfection. The coffee blends with the richness of salted caramel and a lil cream top to make the perfect cup of coffee on a sunny, crisp, fall day. In case you can’t tell, I love fall. I live for fall. This coffee is fall in a cup.

Why make this instead of popping over to Starbucks?

Sure you could just go to Starbies and get an iced caramel apple coffee – wait, you can’t because it’s not on their official fall release list. This year it’s chaider, which is a cross between chai and apple cider, which honestly I question a little. Not only isn’t caramel apple coffee on their fall release, their recipe is hot only, and sometimes you want an iced one, which I did, and I made, and I tried. Chat, it was possibly even better than the hot, especially with this warm fall we’ve had. Instead, you’ll have to make it at home which will give you the joy and satisfaction of playing barista.

Caramel apple coffee ingredients

• brown sugar – The natural warmth and caramelized notes of brown sugar are perfect in the base of this salted caramel apple syrup.
• applesauce – Yes, applesauce. I love this stuff. Now that I’m thinking about it more, I think I forgot it existed because I like eating apples and well, why not eat apples instead of sauce? Now I’m just going to do double apple consumption.
• caramel sauce – It’s kinda silly that caramel sauce is an ingredient because what the heck kinda recipe has an ingredient that is a whole other recipe? Anyway, I have a recipe down below if you want to make it and if not, they sell a bunch of different kinds of caramel sauce, so pick your favorite. You do have a favorite, right?
• cinnamon – Cinnamon is the ultimate fall spice. Warm, cozy, earthy, sweet. Cinnamon all the things, yes please.
• cloves – Cloves, now this is a controversial ingredient. You love them or you hate them, there is no indifference when it comes to cloves. Well, maybe you tolerate them? There’s just the tiniest dash in the sauce to give it a slight peppery heat. Cloves are kinda bitter with a hint of sweetness. A little goes a long way, so when it says a dash, it really is a dash, like a minuscule amount.
• coffee – drip coffee or pourover is best, but espresso mixed with a little water will work as well. We actually love instant. If you’re making an iced version, make the coffee in advance and put it in the fridge to avoid watering-down your coffee too much trying to get it cold at the last minute.
• milk – The milk is for the latte portion of this coffee drink, you can use your favorite kind.
• heavy cream – A bit of heavy cream so you can whip it up into the perfect soft peak whipped cream. Whipped cream out of a can is sad guys, just buy the heavy cream and whip it yourself, please.

How to make caramel sauce

If you wanna go all out and make caramel sauce by hand, I gotchu. If you want to go ahead and buy caramel sauce, I gotchu too. Honestly I will pick store bought over homemade every time. Nothing wrong with store-bought especially when you’re making coffee at home. I mean, you’re already saving money. It’s coffee math: you’re not spending at a coffee shop, so buying the supplies means you’re saving money, right?

Here’s how you make caramel sauce

You’ll need:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Add the sugar to a tall, heavy bottom sauce pan along with 1/4 cup water. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble and caramelize. Swirl the pan if needed, but do not stir.
2. When the sugar has caramelized into a deep amber, turn down the heat and very carefully pour in the cream. The mixture will bubble up and seize so be very careful.
3. Stir until smooth and then remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted.
4. Finish with a bit of salt for contrast and let cool until thick and syrupy. Caramel sauce will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a clean, sealed container.

How to make caramel apple syrup

Now that we have all of our ingredients, it’s time to make salted caramel apple syrup.

1. To a heavy bottomed pan, add brown sugar and water and let come to a simmer over low heat. Swirl occasionally to mix, but don’t stir.
2. Once the sugar is dissolved, add cinnamon, a tiny tiny pinch of cloves, a bit of salt, and applesauce. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes or until it smells like you’re in an apple orchard with fresh pies baking.
3. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer, taking your time to use a silicone spatula to gently stir it through.
4. When all of the apple syrup has passed through the sieve, stir in caramel sauce until smooth. Let cool completely before storing in the fridge in a clean, sealed container for up to 7 days.

How to make a salted caramel apple coffee aka an apple pie latte

Okay, I made up the apple pie latte part, but it does kinda taste like that. Maybe apple pie a la mode latte? In any case, here’s how to make it, whatever you want to call it:

1. Add your salted caramel apple syrup to the bottom of your favorite fall mug.
2. If you’re taking the time to make homemade whipped cream, now is a good time. Add 2 tbsp heavy cream to a tall cup and use a handheld frother (something like this) to whip the cream. Submerge the whisk part into the cream, turn it on and froth for about 1 minute, moving the frother around a bit and boom, homemade whipped cream. Put it in the fridge while you prep the rest of your latte.
3. Brew your favorite coffee. You can go with drip, pour-over, instant, or a shot or two of espresso. Whichever you choose, you’ll want 6 ounces of it, which is 3/4 of a cup. Add your coffee to the mug with syrup.
4. Heat up a 4 ounces (aka 1/2 cup) of your milk of choice in either a small sauce pan or a frother that heats up milk. When warm, add your milk to the mug with the syrup.
5. Stir, then top with your prepared whipped cream, drizzle on some extra salted caramel apple syrup, dust with a sprinkling of cinnamon and enjoy homemade fall feels.

How to make an iced caramel apple latte

Add 2-3 tablespoons of the caramel apple syrup to the bottom of a tall glass. Add 6 ounces of cold brew or strained iced coffee. Top with ice cubes and stir til mixed. Top with your choice of cold milk to taste and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Whipped cream and extra drizzle optional but highly recommended. I keep a carafe of cold coffee in the fridge just for this.

Hot or iced?

Hot was better for cozy feels but the iced version was smoother, creamier, and generally tasted so much more apple-y. I can’t explain why, but I think I liked it more. Mike tried both and he was a hot-purist, so take that how you will. I think I would start with iced and then finish with hot. The small batch syrup makes just enough for 3 cups of coffee so that’s perfect. Unless you wanna sleep tonight, I guess.

Applesauce in coffee?

If you’re wondering why this recipe calls for applesauce instead of apples or apple juice, it’s because with applesauce, the apples are conveniently cooked down to bring out the natural sweetness and apple flavor of apples. Applesauce happens to be thicker than apple juice and that thickness is what gives this caramel apple syrup body and heft.

Substitutions

Applesauce doesn’t come small batch, so you might end up with a lot of it. I buy the little snack-packs so they stay fresh for longer. But, if you don’t want to buy applesauce at all, you can use apple syrup or apple butter. Each of these have a different consistency, so you’ll need to adjust for that:

• Cider: use 1/2 cup and reduce by half (to 1/4 cup) to get a little more body
• Apple butter: straight swap, maybe add a little water to thin it a bit
• Apple syrup: Already sweetened so use a little less brown sugar (or try none)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make caramel apple coffee iced?

Yes! Instructions are above, but basically, just make cold coffee ahead of time.

Can I use apple cider/apple syrup/apple butter instead?

Yes, you can use apple cider/syrup/butter, but the consistency of the caramel won’t be quite the same. Check out the substitutions section above for what to do if you plan on using one of these.

Can I use espresso instead of drip/cold brew coffee?

You can use espresso and in fact it’s a little better than drip coffee for the iced version. Just drop in 2-3 shots of espresso, then add enough hot/cold (as appropriate) water to bring it up to 6oz of liquid (minus milk) total.

Can I make it decaf/dairy-free?

Decaf coffee works great, and oat milk foams up even better than milk milk. You’ll also want to get a dairy free caramel sauce (which exists!).

How long does caramel apple syrup keep?

Caramel apple syrup keeps up to 7 days in the fridge, covered.

Is this on the Starbucks menu?

It doesn’t look like it’s on the menu this year (cry face).

What can I use instead of applesauce?

You can use apple cider/syrup/butter. Check out the substitutions section above for what to do if you plan on using one of these.

Looking for other festive fall drinks? Try:

• pumpkin cream cold foam – truthfully I wait all year for this: pumpkin cream cold foam is life. give me the pumpkin cream, hold the coffee. JK, the slight bitterness of coffee juxtaposed against the creamy sweetness of pumpkin cold foam? Swoon.
• banana coffee – not exactly seasonal, but my other current coffee hyperfixation
• Vietnamese coffee – sweet, creamy perfection
• mint mojito coffee – sounds strange, but minty coffee is so good. If you’ve ever have Philz, you know what I mean.

That’s it for now, happy fall feels!
xoxo steph

Caramel Apple Coffee Recipe

Caramel apple coffee blends with the richness of salted caramel and a lil cream top to make the perfect cup of coffee.

Serves 1

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Salted Caramel Apple Syrup

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 3 tbsp caramel sauce store bought preferred, see below for recipe
• 1 dash ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch salt to taste

Caramel Apple Coffee

• 4 oz milk of choice, warmed or cold
• 6 oz coffee hot or iced
• whipped cream optional, to finish
• salted caramel drizzle optional, to finish

• Add brown sugar and water to the smallest pan you have and let come to a simmer over low heat. Swirl occasionally to mix, but don’t stir.

• Once the sugar is dissolved, add a tiny dash of cinnamon, a tiny tiny pinch of cloves, a bit of salt, and applesauce. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes or until it smells like you’re in an apple orchard with fresh pies baking.

• Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer, taking your time to use a silicone spatula to gently stir it through.

• When all of the apple syrup has passed through the sieve, stir in caramel sauce until smooth.

• Add about 3 tbsp of the syrup to a cup, cover and save the rest in the fridge for up to 7 days.

• Add coffee to the mug and stir, ensuring the syrup is mixed through. Add ice if you’re making an iced latte.

• Pour on the milk, hot if you want a warm drink, cold out-of-the-fridge if you like it iced.

• Add toppings as desired and enjoy!

Estimated nutrition is intentionally different from Starbucks and assumes 2% milk and 3tbsp of caramel apple syrup per cup, no toppings.
Caramel Sauce for Coffee
makes about 1/2 cup
prep: 10 minutes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
Add the sugar to a tall, heavy bottom sauce pan along with 1/4 cup water. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble and caramelize. Swirl the pan if needed, but do not stir.
When the sugar has caramelized into a deep amber, turn down the heat and very carefully pour in the cream. The mixture will bubble up and seize so be very careful.
Stir until smooth and then remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted.
Finish with a bit of salt for contrast and let cool until thick and syrupy. Caramel sauce will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a clean, sealed container.

Nutrition Facts

Caramel Apple Coffee Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 228
Calories from Fat 56

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.2g10%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 20mg7%

Sodium 141mg6%

Potassium 607mg17%

Carbohydrates 36.8g12%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Sugar 34.2g38%

Protein 5.3g11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.