For most coffee drinkers, a shot of espresso or a cup of cold brew is the perfect pick-me-up. But we all have those moments when we’re craving something a bit more decadent, a bit more flavorful, and a bit more … fancy.
Many coffee lovers only know how to make their standard daily morning cup of Joe, but nothing beyond that. And that's understandable. It's much easier to order a fancy coffee from your local barista than to stock your fridge with whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate syrups.
But there are some super tasty, fancy specialty coffee drinks that are easy to make from home, and we’ve scoured the web to compile the best ones.
Tired of waiting in line at your local coffee shop to order a specialty coffee drink?
Get ready for 13 delicious coffee recipes you can make at home the next time you’re in a fancy coffee mood.
What You Need to Make Fancy Coffee Drinks at Home
No matter what type of fancy coffee drink you enjoy, there are a few key things you’ll need to have on hand.
If you’re making an espresso-based drink, you’ll need an espresso machine. Without one, pulling an espresso shot can be tricky.
Making a drink that’s not espresso-based?
We suggest investing in a French press, an AeroPress, a Moka pot, or a Chemex pour-over coffee maker. There’s nothing wrong, per se, with a drip brew coffee machine, but these alternatives tend to make a more delicious coffee.
No matter what ingredients these drink recipes call for, the most essential of them all is fresh coffee beans. Whether you prefer a single origin from Indonesia or a medium roast blend, fresh coffee beans are a must. When it comes time to buy your beans, do not skimp on quality.
And, before you put those beans through your coffee machine, you'll need to grind them. A burr grinder gets coffee grounds to the right consistency, whether you want them to be coarse and chunky or crushed into a fine powder.
With the right coffee maker, a burr grinder, and your favorite fresh beans on hand, you’ll be ready to start testing out these amazing coffee recipes.
Related: How To Make a Delicious Americano at Home.
Italian Iced Coffee
From the always-soothing and appetite-inducing Barefoot Contessa comes this recipe for Italian Iced Coffee. Of all the Ina Garten recipes we’ve followed in the past, this is one of the easiest and most delicious.
This recipe calls for 2/3 of a cup of hot espresso, two tablespoons of Sugar in the Raw, 1/3 cup of milk, and 1.5 cups of ice cubes. You’ll also need some unsweetened cocoa powder to finish it off.
Here’s how to make Ina’s iced Italian coffee:
- Brew your hot coffee.
- Pour it into a measuring cup.
- Stir in the sugar until it’s dissolved.
- Then, add the milk and pour everything, including your ice cubes, into your blender.
- Pulse it on high speed for about one minute, and it's ready.
Just pour it a glass, top it with a dusting of cocoa powder, and enjoy!
Iced Mocha
When you’re craving coffee and chocolate, the Iced Mocha is the way to go. Our coffee-loving friends at Copykat.com have mastered how to make the Iced Mocha from your favorite fast food restaurant (minus the Mc).
It starts with brewing three strong cups of coffee in a Moka pot and then chilling it in the fridge or letting it cool down to room temperature. You’ll also need to gather some chocolate milk, Nesquik chocolate milk mix, and some sweet whipped cream.
Pour your coffee into an airtight container to let it chill. In a separate container, mix 3 cups of chocolate milk with ½ cup of powdered chocolate milk mix. Add the chocolate mix to the coffee container, shake it well, and store it in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, pour some into your favorite cup and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.
Cookie Crumble Frappe
If you have a serious chocolate craving, the Cookie Crumble Frappe hits on every delicious level. It's a hybrid coffee drink and dessert in one.
You'll load it up with sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, crumbled cookies, and chocolate whipped cream.
Is it a bit of a sugar overload?
Maybe.
But for the coffee lover who craves chocolate and sugar, this crumbled cookie drink is a delight. See the full recipe and ingredient list at Fantastical Sharing.
Are you a total choco-holic? Check out our article Can You Eat Coffee Beans? for an exclusive chocolate-covered espresso beans recipe.
Kahlua Coffee Float
Irish coffee with a bit of booze is always delicious, but a boozy coffee drink that includes ice cream?
Well, that’s just in a league of its own.
The Kahlua Coffee Float is everything you want in a fancy coffee drink — it never disappoints. It allows you lots of flexibility and customization (i.e., vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, coffee ice cream … or a combination of all three.)
This recipe is blissfully straightforward to make. Just add a scoop or two of ice cream into your cup, pour in as much or as little Kahlua as you desire, and add hot coffee.
If you want to give it an extra kick, top it with some chocolate syrup, caramel, or whipped cream.
Caramel Frappuccino (yes, just like the one from you-know-who)
Google copycat recipes, and you'll find how to make all your favorites from national restaurant chains. But we want to talk about this one for the Caramel Frappuccino.
This recipe is surprisingly easy to follow, and the end result is just like the original. Instead of shelling out $5 every time you want to drink dessert, stock your fridge with a jar of caramel sauce and a can of whipped cream. Now you can make dozens of these for a fraction of the price.
To make the caramel frapp, brew some hot coffee, let it cool, and add two cups of ice for every one cup of coffee. To that, add one cup of low-fat milk and three tablespoons of white sugar. Add 1/3 of a cup of caramel sauce and pulse it all on high in your blender. Pour it into a glass, top it with whipped cream, and add an extra caramel swirl on top.
Yummy. Yummy. Yummy.
Whipped Dalgona
Not familiar with the Dalgona coffee?
This South Korean coffee drink is basically a reverse cappuccino where the milk fills the glass, and the coffee component rests on top.
But it's not just about pouring coffee on top of milk. As the name suggests, this delicious treat calls for whipped coffee. Whip it up with an electric hand mixer, a milk frother, an immersion blender, or an old-fashioned whisk.
View the list of ingredients and the complete recipe at Savory Experiments.
Tiramisu Coffee
No matter what Italian restaurant we dine at, pasta dish we devour, or how much bread dipped in oil we indulge in, we always end the meal the same way:
With a slice of tiramisu.
And now, thanks to our friends at Sugar and Charm, we’ve discovered a new way to enjoy our favorite espresso-based dessert:
Crushed biscuit cookies. A scoop of coffee ice cream. Freshly brewed hazelnut coffee. That's all you need to make this rich drink/dessert in a matter of minutes.
This fancy coffee drink is sort of like an affogato, but you can drink it with a straw rather than eat it with a spoon.
Take your coffee drinks/desserts to the next level by making your own coffee extract.
Frozen Caramel Latte
Many people avoid making lattes at home because they don’t know how to make steamed milk or frothed milk. Well, now you can enjoy this frozen caramel latte at home without frothing or steaming anything at all.
To make this fancy coffee drink:
- Brew three ounces of espresso and blend it on high with a tablespoon of caramel sauce and two tablespoons of sugar.
- Once it's all blended together, pour in ¾ of a cup of milk plus 1.5 cups of ice.
- Blend it some more until it's at a smooth consistency, and pour it into your glass.
A dollop of whipped cream on top makes it even more decadent.
White Chocolate Latte
When you’re craving white chocolate over hot chocolate or dark cocoa, the white chocolate latte is a delicious choice. With a bit of espresso, chopped white chocolate chips, milk, sugar, and heavy cream, you can whip up this dessert in a glass in about ten minutes.
This recipe does require that you froth some actual milk and cream, so get out your saucepan and get ready to put in some elbow grease. If you’re not a skilled milk frother, this one can also take some trial and error to get it just right. But once you do, it’s worth it.
For the complete recipe and ingredient list, visit AllRecipes.com.
In a seasonal mood and love the taste of a pumpkin spice latte?
You can give this drink some real deal autumnal flavor by adding pumpkin puree to your saucepan of milk. Then, top it with ground cinnamon instead of white chocolate shavings.
S’mores Iced Coffee
This recipe for S’mores Iced Coffee from Show Me The Yummy is one of our favorite fancy coffee drinks on this list. And that’s because this one includes chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow fluff. (Yes, that ooey-gooey deliciousness that sticks to everything and tastes like nothing else on earth.)
To make an iced S’mores coffee, start by brewing some espresso or super-strong coffee. We recommend opting for a dark roast made in a Chemex or Moka pot.
You’ll also want to break out your cocktail shaker. Once you blend the coffee, fluffy marshmallow, chocolate syrup, and the sweetener of your choice, you’ll need to shake it like crazy.
The end result?
An adult way to enjoy a childhood treat that tastes much better than burnt marshmallows skewered on a stick at a campfire.
Garnish it with a few whole graham crackers and serve it in a mason jar with a striped paper straw to make it gorgeous and gluttonous all at once.
Love dark roast coffee? Learn the difference between French, Italian, and Vienna roast now.
Viennese Coffee
With strong coffee, heavy cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, you can whip up a Viennese Coffee in about three hours.
Yes, you read that right. To make this drink, you’ll need some patience, as the entire process takes about three hours. It’s definitely not the type of drink you’ll make every day or even once a week, but it is a lovely treat on occasion.
Check out the full recipe at Taste of Home.
Boozy Whipped Coffee
If a White Russian and a Whipped Dalgona had a baby, it would be the Boozy Whipped Coffee. This yummy treat is essentially a whipped Dalgona with, you guessed it, some tasty liquor added in.
You can make this drink with Kahlua, Bailey’s, espresso vodka, or any other coffee-flavored liqueur that you enjoy. You can also concoct it with oat milk, almond milk, or another non-dairy milk substitute to make it vegan.
Instead of serving the typical mimosas at your next brunch, whip up a batch of these instead.
Maple Pecan Latte
Is there anything better than topping off a savory Southern-inspired meal with a piece of pecan pie?
There is, and it’s called the Maple Pecan Latte.
For the maple pecan part of the drink you'll need:
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Pecan butter
- Maple syrup
You'll also need a shot of espresso and steamed milk to make the latte.
Once you have all elements prepared, mix them together and top it off with whipped cream. For a little added crunch, garnish with crumbled, toasted pecans.
It’s natural to have your one favorite coffee drink that you enjoy every morning in preparation for a long workday. But sometimes, that daily go-to isn’t enough. Sometimes, you need a fancy coffee drink to elevate your mood and lift your spirits.
Fancy coffee drinks at coffee shops and national coffee chains can be expensive. But with the right beans, the right coffee maker, and a few sweet ingredients, you can DIY a fancy cup of coffee at home — without the expense or the wait.
Ready to make some incredible new drinks at home?
Our Organic Red Rooster French Roast and Kintamani Bali Single Origin beans are the perfect base for any fancy coffee drink on this list.