Creamy café style Cardamom Coconut Latte sweetened with jaggery made right at home. It is the perfect pick me up drink and is dairy free.
Anyone else’s coffee shop expenses come down drastically this past year? Or is it just mine?
We have had a Nespresso at home for the last 5 years or so and recently upgraded to a Breville machine. So, coffee shop coffees were not really a necessity for us anyway. But I would still spend enough of my dollars at my local coffee shop several times a week when I went there to sit and work. It was usually a muffin and a coffee.
Even though I am not the biggest fan of flavored coffee anything, I would try and order something a little different from just a regular latte or a cappuccino because I could always make that at home whenever I wanted.
The inspiration for this recipe comes from the simple combination of coconut, jaggery and cardamom used in many Indian desserts, especially Southern Indian ones. The aroma of the jaggery caramelizing along with the sweet fruitiness of the fresh coconut and the fragrant cardamom is my most favorite scent in the kitchen.
Some of my favorite recipes with this combination of ingredients are
- Kadala Pradhaman - Lentil Pudding with Jaggery and Coconut Milk
- Sweet Payar Sundal - Green Mung with Jaggery, Coconut and Cardamom
- Unniappam - Rice Flour Pancakes Sweetened with Jaggery
- Aval Payasam - Beaten Brown Rice Pudding with Jaggery and Coconut Milk
- Okkarai - Roasted Chana Dal with Jaggery and Coconut
Back to the cardamom coconut latte, here is why we love this coffee drink
- Easy to make cafe style latte right at home
- It is vegan and non dairy
- It is creamy with layers of flavor from the jaggery-coconut caramel.
Ingredients for cardamom coconut latte
- Coconut Milk - coconut milk is used in this recipe to make the jaggery coconut caramel and also as the milk base for the latte. You can use any other dairy or non-dairy milk for the latte part. The coconut milk in the caramel provides enough of the coconut flavor.
- Jaggery is unrefined sugar made in parts of Asia and Africa. It is different from regular sugar as it is not spun during the processing stage to remove molasses. Jaggery can be made from cane sugar or palm sugar. Jaggery is also different from brown sugar even though both contain molasses. The difference is mainly in the way it is made and also the crystallization or non crystallization process. Some consider jaggery to be more nutritious or “healthy”. It does contain some minerals when compared to regular cane sugar but not enough to be of any nutritious value. In this recipe, jaggery is caramelized to provide that depth of flavor along with the sweetness.
- Cardamom - ground green cardamom is used in this recipe for this vegan coconut latte. You can use pre ground cardamom or you can grind some seeds from the pods of green cardamom.
- Espresso - this is the coffee base in this café style coconut cardamom latte recipe. I have used one shot per cup of latte. If you don't have a way to make espresso shots, you can always use ground espresso or instant coffee and mix it with some hot water.
Method
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this vegan coconut latte.
- Melt the jaggery in a saucepan over low heat with about a tablespoon of water added to it. The water is just to make sure that the jaggery does not burn while trying to melt.
- Once melted, let it cook for a few more mins (2-3 mins) to come together a little more and become a caramel of sorts.
- At this point add the coconut milk and whisk it in well.
- Let it cook over low-medium heat for about 2-3 mins, till it becomes a thick sauce.
- Add the ground cardamom and mix it in. Remove from heat.
- Pull a shot of espresso.
- Steam and froth some oat milk (or any plant based milk).
- Add the coconut jaggery caramel to a latte cup and pour the espresso over it.
- Pour the steamed milk over it and add the froth on top. Enjoy it hot.
Recipe tips
- A shot of espresso is the best, but if you don't have a way to make that happen, you can mix in some instant espresso or instant coffee powder to hot water.
- You can steam and froth the milk in the espresso machine, if your machine has that capability or you can use an electric milk frother from Nespresso, Breville, Bodum or Smeg that will also heat up the milk. Another way to steam and froth your milk is to warm the milk on the stove top and use a handheld battery operated frother to froth the milk.
- If you don't have jaggery, you can substitute it with equal parts brown sugar.
Now to answer some FAQs about plant based lattes
Are lattes vegan?
Lattes can be vegan if you use plant based milk. A latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. The steamed milk can be cow’s milk or any plant based milk like almond milk, oatmilk, soy milk, hemp milk or coconut milk. So, yes, lattes can definitely be made vegan.
Which non-dairy milk is best for lattes?
A soy latte is what you have probably heard of a lot, especially at Starbucks and all. But these days most coffee shops have a variety of plant based milk options for your coffee drinks.
When you are making lattes at home, I recommend using a barista style oat milk or almond milk. Califia Farms Barista Blend almond milk, Califia Farms Barista Blend oat milk and Oatly Barista Blend oat milk are some of the best plant based milks out there to make some good lattes.
If you are looking for plant based drinks, then this Vegan Gingerbread Hot Chocolate will be right up your ally. This is a favorite in our household.
Vegan Cardamom Coconut Latte
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon crushed or grated jaggery
- 2 tablespoon water
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup oat milk barista blend, unsweetened
- 2 shots espresso 2 oz
Instructions
- Grate the jaggery and melt it in a saucepan over low heat with about a tablespoon of water added to it. The water is just to make sure that the jaggery does not burn while trying to melt.
- Once melted, let it cook for a few more mins (2-3 mins) to come together a little more and become a caramel of sorts.
- At this point add the coconut milk and whisk it in well.
- Let it cook over low-medium heat for about 2-3 mins, till it becomes a thick sauce.
- Add the ground cardamom and mix it in. Remove from heat.
- Pull a shot of espresso.
- Steam and froth some oatmilk (or any plant based milk).
- Add the coconut jaggery caramel to a latte cup and pour the espresso over it.
- Pour the milk over it and add the froth on top. Enjoy it hot.
Notes
- A shot of espresso is the best, but if you don't have a way to make that happen, you can mix in some instant espresso or instant coffee powder to hot water.
- You can steam and froth the milk in the espresso machine, if your machine has that capability or you can use an electric milk frother from Nespresso, Breville, Bodum or Smeg that will also heat up the milk. Another way to steam and froth your milk is to warm the milk on the stove top and use a handheld battery operated frother to froth the milk.
- If you don't have jaggery, you can substitute it with equal parts brown sugar.
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