Easy, Real Pistachio Latte (Better Than Starbucks)
Make this Starbucks copycat pistachio latte recipe at home with only three ingredients! It tastes even better than the Starbucks version because it has real pistachios instead of artificial flavoring. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.
I don’t know if it’s the childhood nostalgia of eating pistachio ice cream at The Old Spaghetti Factory (it’s in the spumoni, remember?? do NOT tell me you get the vanilla instead…), but pistachio is a flavor that has always had my heart. So when I saw Starbucks come out with their pistachio latte, of course I tried it immediately. And I liked it!
But… I’m getting real tired of paying $8 and up for a coffee these days. I thought my days of counting pennies for my sweet drinks would end after college, but apparently not. So I set out to make my own homemade version at home, and I think I stumbled upon a recipe even better than Starbucks!
Starbucks Pistachio Latte Ingredients
Did you know Starbucks posts their recipes online? Yeah, so that’s obviously the first place I looked. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to see that the pistachio flavor comes entirely from pistachio syrup, which I assume means is artificial. Not that I’m against artificial flavors, it’s just that I don’t feel like buying ANOTHER syrup or extract to collect dust in the back of my pantry after I’m over this phase.
Thankfully, I was gifted a jar of pistachio butter this Christmas, and it worked perfectly for this latte! I’ll get more into nut butter in a second, but before I do, I want to mention that I did opt out of the browned butter for this recipe. I mean, I love it. It’s cool. It’s tasty. But is it really worth me browning some butter over stovetop just for add 1/2 a tablespoon to a cup of coffee? I don’t know.
If you want a rich brown butter flavor without too much work, you could also toast some dry milk powder and add spoonfuls as needed to your coffee drinks. Again… not sure I can really taste that much difference, especially once I’ve got a strong espresso mixed in, but if you’re a stickler for copycat recipes, the original Starbucks recipe does include browned butter.
Which Pistachio Butter to Buy?
I am a HUGE fan of Pistakio brand pistachio spread. It’s a little more liquidy than a typical nut butter, which is why it’s aptly named a “spread,” but it is made with no artificial preservatives and has real pistachios. Actually, it only has five ingredients: pistachios, oat milk powder, organic powdered sugar, high oleic sunflower oil, and sea salt. Even though it’s sweetened, it’s really not too sweet, and the addition of sea salt gives it perfect balance. Plus, it’s vegan!
I quite like that it’s a spreadable and drizzle-able consistency, because that means it mixes with liquids super easily. It’s also fairly affordable and has a stronger pistachio flavor than pistachio cream, which I’ve seen sold at Costco for a brief time and Amazon.
By the way, I’m not affiliated with Pistakio, so I’m not making any money advertising for them. I just really like their product!
Notes About Milks and Types of Coffee
I call for soy milk in this recipe, but that’s just because I love soy milk. Feel free to use any plant-based milk you like (almond milk or oat milk also taste great with pistachio) or regular dairy milk is totally fine too. I simply heat my milk and stir in the pistachio sauce. If you’re a fan of frothy milk, I do find that soy milk froths up just as good as whole milk, but the other plant-based milks, not so much.
For coffee, 1/4 cup is about the same as a double shot of espresso. The original Starbucks recipe uses only 1 oz, or a single espresso shot for “one serving” but does not really specify if that’s their 12 oz or the 16 oz… In any case, I find Starbucks coffee drinks to usually be pretty light on the coffee flavor, so I like doing a bit more. However, if you’re the opposite, you may want to reduce the coffee. I don’t have an actual espresso machine, but I like my Moka, which produces a very strong, espresso-like coffee. When I’ve run out of coffee beans, though, I’ve even just whipped up a strong instant coffee, and it’s worked too!
And in the end, that’s it! Just pistachio spread, milk, and coffee. Of course, you can add some chopped nuts to the top as a garnish, if you’d like.
More Creative Coffee Drinks
Looking for more ways to consume your caffeine? Check these out:
Easy Pistachio Latte (Better Than Starbucks)
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk, or other milk of choice
- 1 tbsp pistachio butter
- 1/4 cup strong coffee (or double shot of espresso)
Instructions
- Heat milk on stovetop or in a microwave until steaming but not bubbling. Add pistachio butter and stir well to mix. (Alternatively, you can add milk and pistachio butter to a milk frother cup to heat and froth at the same time, but please check your milk frother instructions and warrantee before attempting.)
- In a 12 oz mug, pour your coffee or espresso. Add pistachio milk mixture, stir, and enjoy.
Notes
- I use Pistakio brand pistachio spread, which has a strong pistachio flavor, no artificial preservatives, and is very affordable compared to other brands of pistachio butter. Flavor may differ if using a different brand.
- For iced coffee, you can blend cold milk with pistachio butter or allow your heated pistachio milk to cool before pouring over ice and adding coffee. Remember the ice takes up a large amount of space, so you will need a 16 oz glass or larger.
