Hazelnut Caramel Latte

This is a real, well-documented pairing on two different fronts. Nescafe (opens in new tab) publishes an official “hazelnut cream caramel iced latte” recipe. Separately, a customer-built Starbucks order — iced hazelnut latte, topped with sweet cream cold foam and a caramel drizzle — went viral, with one TikTok clip of the order cited at over 1.2 million likes. This version combines this site’s own Hazelnut Syrup and Caramel Syrup.

Built From Parts This Site Already Has

Nothing new to batch beyond the usual syrups: 1 tbsp Hazelnut Syrup and 1 tbsp Caramel Syrup carry the base flavor, exactly like our Toasted Coconut Caramel Latte splits its own two syrups. The viral Starbucks order’s defining feature — vanilla sweet cream cold foam — is this site’s existing Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam recipe, poured on top rather than mixed in.

Written Iced, on Purpose

Both real-world references for this drink are iced builds (Nescafe’s own recipe is an “iced latte,” and the viral order is iced with cold foam on top), and cold foam doesn’t translate to a hot drink — same reasoning this site’s Tiramisu Marshmallow Matcha uses for staying iced-only. This recipe follows that precedent rather than forcing a hot version that would need to drop the cold foam entirely.

Building the Drink

1. Make a batch each of Hazelnut Syrup and Caramel Syrup ahead of time if you don’t have them.
2. Whip the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam fresh, right before serving.
3. Pull a double shot of espresso into a heat-safe cup and stir in 1 tbsp each of the hazelnut and caramel syrups while hot.
4. Fill a 16oz glass with ice, pour the hot espresso mixture over it, then pour in 4oz cold milk and stir.
5. Float the cold foam on top over the back of a spoon, then finish with a caramel drizzle.

Grande iced latte ($5.95) + cold foam add-on (~$0.70) + caramel drizzle (~$0.60)~$7.25

Home hazelnut caramel latte (espresso, milk, both syrups, cold foam)~$1.37

Savings per drink$5.88

Assumptions: grande-size custom order built the way the viral TikTok version was — a standard flavored latte base plus typical cold foam and flavor-drizzle add-on charges, dairy milk, $16/lb specialty beans or equivalent grocery beans. This is a genuinely richer drink than a plain flavored latte, since it stacks two syrups plus a real cream-based cold foam — we’re not understating that. At 5 drinks a week over the site’s standard 48-week year, that’s roughly $1,411/year back in your pocket versus building the same custom order at a cafe.

Swaps & Notes

• No espresso machine? A moka pot or strong AeroPress shot works fine.
• Don’t want to make the cold foam? Plain whipped cream or a splash of half-and-half works as a simpler topping, though it won’t float the same way or carry the same vanilla-cream flavor.
• Want it more hazelnut-forward or more caramel-forward? Shift the ratio to 1.5 tbsp of one and 0.5 tbsp of the other.
• Watching sugar? This is Standard tier only for now.

Recipe Card Summary

Hazelnut Caramel Latte

• 2oz espresso + 1 tbsp Hazelnut Syrup + 1 tbsp Caramel Syrup, over ice with 4oz cold milk, topped with Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam and a caramel drizzle
• Prep time: 8 minutes (after all bases are made) · Total: 8 minutes
• Cost: ~$1.37/drink vs. ~$7.25 Starbucks-style custom order

FAQ

Is this a real drink, or did you invent this combination?

Real on two fronts — Nescafe publishes an official hazelnut cream caramel iced latte recipe, and a Starbucks customer-built version (hazelnut latte, sweet cream cold foam, caramel drizzle) went viral on social media with over a million likes on one clip.

Do I need a frother or special equipment for the cold foam?

A handheld milk frother, a blender, or just a sealed jar shaken by hand all work — see Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam for the full technique.

Can I make this hot instead of iced?

You can skip the cold foam and ice and build it as a regular hot latte with the same 1 tbsp each of hazelnut and caramel syrup, but you’d lose the cold foam that’s a real, defining part of the viral version — this recipe is written iced on purpose for that reason.