A hazelnut latte is a classic cafe drink: a latte (espresso plus steamed, frothed milk) sweetened and flavored with hazelnut syrup. It is warm, nutty, and lightly sweet, and it is genuinely easy to make once you have espresso (or strong coffee), milk, and hazelnut syrup. This hazelnut latte recipe walks through the hot version step by step, then covers an iced version and a few simple swaps.
If you can already pull or improvise an espresso shot, you are most of the way there. The only new element is the syrup, and you can adjust it to taste.
What is a hazelnut latte?
At its core it is a flavored latte. A latte is espresso topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam; add hazelnut syrup and you get the nutty, dessert-like drink cafes sell year round. For the full breakdown of milk texture and ratios, see our guide on what a latte is and the plain cafe latte recipe it builds on. Here we focus on the hazelnut part and hand off the latte fundamentals to those pages.
The flavor almost always comes from hazelnut syrup rather than real nuts. Syrup adds flavor and sweetness without changing the texture of the milk. Popular brands include Monin, Torani, and DaVinci, and any of them work the same way here. For more on how these syrups are made and how they differ from rose and other flavors, see hazelnut and rose coffee syrups.
What you will need
Two shots of espresso, some milk, and hazelnut syrup are the whole shopping list. Here is how each part works and one tip for each.
| Ingredient | Amount / role | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1-2 shots (about 30-60 ml); the coffee base | No machine? Use about 60 ml of strong moka pot, AeroPress, or strong brewed coffee instead. |
| Hazelnut syrup | 1-2 tsp or 1-2 pumps; flavor and sweetness | Start with less. You can always add more, but you cannot take it out. |
| Milk | About 150-180 ml, steamed and frothed | Whole milk froths richest; barista oat or almond milk foams best among plant milks. |
| Optional topping | Cocoa dusting or a few chopped hazelnuts | Toast the nuts briefly for a deeper aroma. |
How to make a hazelnut latte (hot)
Here is how to make a hazelnut latte the cafe way. The whole thing takes about five minutes.
- Pull the espresso. Brew 1-2 shots of espresso directly into your cup or a glass. If you do not have an espresso machine, make about 60 ml of strong coffee with a moka pot, an AeroPress, or a concentrated brew.
- Add the syrup. Stir in 1-2 tsp (or 1-2 pumps) of hazelnut syrup while the espresso is hot so it dissolves evenly. Taste and adjust; one pump is subtle, two is clearly nutty.
- Steam and froth the milk. Steam about 150-180 ml of milk to roughly 60-65 C (140-150 F), stretching it into a smooth microfoam. No steam wand? Use a handheld frother, whisk hot milk briskly, or shake hot milk in a sealed jar and rest it a few seconds.
- Pour. Hold the foam back with a spoon and pour the steamed milk into the espresso, then spoon the foam on top. Aim for a thin foam cap, not a thick cappuccino-style dome.
- Finish. Dust with a little cocoa or scatter a few chopped hazelnuts if you like. Serve right away.
Iced hazelnut latte
An iced hazelnut latte uses the same three ingredients, cold. Because the syrup dissolves harder in cold liquid, stir it into the hot espresso first.
- Brew 1-2 shots of espresso and stir in 1-2 tsp of hazelnut syrup while it is still hot.
- Fill a tall glass with ice and pour the sweetened espresso over it.
- Top with cold milk (about 150-180 ml) and stir. For a cafe finish, add a layer of hazelnut cold foam instead: froth cold milk with a splash of syrup until thick, then float it on top.
For a lighter, punchier version, shake the espresso, syrup, and a little ice in a cocktail shaker before pouring over fresh ice and topping with milk.
Tips and variations
Adjust the sweetness
Hazelnut syrups are quite sweet, so start with one pump and build up. If you want the nutty note without as much sugar, look for a sugar-free or lightly sweetened syrup, or cut the amount and add a small separate sweetener to taste.
Use a creamer or hazelnut milk instead
You do not have to use syrup. A splash of hazelnut coffee creamer adds flavor, sweetness, and extra creaminess in one step; a splash of hazelnut milk adds gentle flavor with less sugar. Note that a creamer changes the mouthfeel more than a syrup does, so use a little less milk to keep the balance.
Make it a hazelnut mocha
Add a teaspoon of cocoa powder or chocolate syrup along with the hazelnut for a hazelnut mocha, the classic chocolate-and-nut pairing. If you prefer caramel over chocolate, our caramel latte recipe shows the same technique with a different syrup.
Quick DIY hazelnut syrup
You can make a simple hazelnut syrup at home: simmer equal parts sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, cool it, then stir in a little hazelnut extract to taste (start with about half a teaspoon per cup of syrup). For a fuller flavor, steep toasted chopped hazelnuts in the warm syrup for an hour, then strain. Store it in a sealed jar in the fridge and use within about two weeks.
A note on nut allergies
Most bottled hazelnut syrups are flavored and often contain little or no actual nut, but formulations vary. Anyone with a serious nut allergy should check the label or contact the maker before using any hazelnut syrup, creamer, or extract.
Getting it right
The two things that make or break a hazelnut latte at home are the coffee base and the milk. A fresh, properly extracted espresso (or a genuinely strong coffee substitute) keeps the drink from tasting thin under the syrup, and well-steamed milk gives it that silky cafe body. Nail those two, keep the syrup restrained, and you will have a drink as good as most cafes pour. From here you can branch out into other flavored lattes or dig into milk technique with the linked latte guides, and make the recipe your own.