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Butterscotch Mocha (Made at Home for a Fraction of the Price)

The BYOB Team5 min1 drink (from a batch of Mocha Sauce and a batch of Butterscotch Syrup, each making about 12 servings)$0.95/drink253 cal/drink

Uses Mocha Sauce (Standard) — make a batch ahead of time; it keeps in the fridge for a week or two, so you won't need to make it again for every drink.

Ingredients & steps

Standard

Written hot. Switch to see the iced version's ingredients and steps.

Ingredients

  • 2oz espresso (or 1/3 cup strong coffee/moka pot equivalent)
  • 8oz milk, steamed or frothed
  • 1 tbsp Mocha Sauce (make a batch ahead of time -- it keeps about 2 weeks in the fridge)
  • 1 tbsp Butterscotch Syrup (make a batch ahead of time -- it has real butter and cream in it, so it only keeps about 1 week in the fridge)
  • Optional: whipped cream and a butterscotch drizzle for topping

Steps

  1. 1.Make a batch each of Mocha Sauce and Butterscotch Syrup ahead of time if you haven't already -- the mocha sauce keeps about 2 weeks in the fridge, but the butterscotch syrup only about 1 week since it's made with real butter and cream, so it's worth timing your batch to when you'll actually use it.
  2. 2.Pull a double shot of espresso (or brew strong coffee) directly into your serving cup.
  3. 3.Stir in 1 tbsp of the mocha sauce and 1 tbsp of the butterscotch syrup while the espresso is still hot, until both are fully combined -- same 2 tbsp total flavoring as any other latte on the site, just split between the two.
  4. 4.Steam or froth 8oz of milk to about 150°F and pour over the espresso mixture.
  5. 5.Top with whipped cream and a butterscotch drizzle if using. Serve immediately.

Swap the milk

This recipe is written with Kirkland Signature Organic A2 Whole Milk (8oz). Pick a different milk to see the cost and calories update below.

Milk: Kirkland Signature Organic A2 Whole Milk

Cost per drink

$0.95

Calories per drink

253

Not medical or nutrition advice. Calorie figures on this page are estimates based on typical ingredient values, not a lab analysis of your exact batch — they'll shift with the brand of milk, syrup, or protein powder you actually use. "Clean-ingredient" and "sugar-free" describe what's in the recipe, not a health claim. If you're managing diabetes, a caffeine sensitivity, pregnancy, or another condition, check with a doctor or dietitian before making a recipe part of your routine. Read the full disclaimer.

A butterscotch mocha pairs our Mocha with our Butterscotch Latte — real chocolate against real butter-and-brown-sugar butterscotch, not a bottled extract standing in for either. No third jar to build: just 1 tablespoon each of two bases you may already keep on hand.

Make Both Bases First (Just Once)

This recipe assumes you already have a jar each of Mocha Sauce and Butterscotch Syrup in the fridge — both about 15-20 minutes on the stove, each making about 12 drinks’ worth. They don’t keep the same length of time, though: the mocha sauce lasts about 2 weeks, but the butterscotch syrup only about 1 week, since real butter and cream go into it instead of a shelf-stable sugar syrup. If you’re building your first jar of either, go make that one first, then come back here.

Building the Drink

  1. Pull a double shot of espresso (about 2oz) directly into your cup, or brew a strong coffee/moka pot equivalent.
  2. Stir in 1 tbsp of the mocha sauce and 1 tbsp of the butterscotch syrup while the espresso is still hot — same 2 tbsp of total flavoring as any single-flavor latte on this site, just split between the two jars instead of doubled up on one.
  3. Steam or froth 8oz of milk to about 150°F (see How to Make a Latte at Home for the full technique) and pour it over the espresso mixture.
  4. Top with whipped cream and a butterscotch drizzle if you want the full café look.
Café Butterscotch Mocha vs. Home Butterscotch Mocha
Café grande butterscotch mocha (specialty-menu pricing, tax included)$6.35
Home butterscotch mocha (espresso, milk, both bases)~$0.95
Savings per drink$5.40

Both bases together cost about $2.95 total to make (~$1.30 for the Mocha Sauce batch, ~$1.65 for the Butterscotch Syrup batch — real butter and heavy cream push this one above the site’s cane-sugar-only syrups). Each batch covers about 12 drinks on its own, so a single pair of batches stretches to around 12 butterscotch mochas — just plan to use the butterscotch side of the jar within about a week, faster than most of this site’s syrups.

Assumptions: grande-size drink, national-average specialty-menu pricing for a two-flavor combo drink, dairy milk, $16/lb specialty beans or equivalent grocery beans. No seasonal ceiling on this one — if it’s your regular order, the savings compound year-round. At 5 butterscotch mochas a week over the site’s standard 48-week year, that’s roughly $1,296/year back in your pocket versus the café version.

Swaps & Notes

  • No espresso machine? A moka pot or strong AeroPress shot works fine.
  • Want it more chocolate-forward or more butterscotch-forward? Shift the ratio — 1.5 tbsp mocha sauce + 0.5 tbsp butterscotch syrup leans chocolate, or the reverse leans butterscotch. The cost and calorie math above assumes an even 1:1 split.
  • Only have one of the two bases made? This drink genuinely needs both — if you’re out of one, make the plain Mocha or plain Butterscotch Latte instead rather than doubling up on whichever jar you have.
  • Watching sugar? Swap in the Sugar-Free Mocha Sauce and Sugar-Free Butterscotch Syrup (same 1 tbsp each method) for a lower-sugar build — the sugar-free butterscotch syrup keeps the same real butter-and-cream technique, just with the sugar swapped out.
  • Iced version: use the Hot/Iced toggle above the ingredients to switch — less milk (about 4oz cold over ice instead of 8oz steamed), same method as every other iced drink on the site.

Recipe Card Summary

Butterscotch Mocha

  • 2oz espresso + 8oz steamed milk + 1 tbsp Mocha Sauce + 1 tbsp Butterscotch Syrup (both made ahead)
  • Prep time: 5 minutes (after both bases are made) · Total: 5 minutes
  • Cost: ~$0.95/drink vs. $6.35 café equivalent

FAQ

Do I need to make a whole new syrup for this?

No — that’s the point of building it this way. It uses 1 tbsp each of the Mocha Sauce and Butterscotch Syrup you’d make for our plain Mocha and Butterscotch Latte recipes, so if you already keep either on hand, you’re most of the way there.

Why does the butterscotch syrup only keep a week?

It’s made with real butter and heavy cream instead of a shelf-stable sugar syrup, so it doesn’t keep as long as most of this site’s bases. The mocha sauce side of this combo still keeps its usual 2 weeks — just plan your butterscotch batch size around using it within a week.

Why 1 tbsp of each instead of 2 tbsp of one plus a splash of the other?

Keeping it to 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp holds the total flavoring at 2 tablespoons, the same ratio every other latte on this site uses against 2oz espresso and 8oz milk — so the drink doesn’t end up oversweet from stacking two full servings.

Can I make this without an espresso machine?

Yes — a moka pot, AeroPress, or even strong drip coffee works. See How to Make a Latte at Home for the no-machine method.

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