Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso

This easy 4-ingredient Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso recipe is a Starbucks copycat, without the fuss of making a simple syrup!

Course Drinks, Coffee

Cuisine American

Keyword brown sugar shaken espresso, oatmilk shaken espresso starbucks

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings double shot drink (12-16 ounces)

Calories 103kcal

Author Jamie

Ingredients

2 shots strong espresso
2 teaspoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup of barista oat milk or other creamy milk - see notes for details (120 ml)

Instructions

Make your espresso. A moka pot (bialetti), French Press, and Aeropress can all be used to make espresso if you don't have an espresso maker. If you enjoy a bit of cinnamon in your Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso, include a few shakes of ground cinnamon in the espresso grounds.
Stir in the sugar and vanilla. While your espresso is still hot, add the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add milk and ice, shake or stir and enjoy! In a drink shaker, add your creamy milk of choice, espresso, and ice. Shake for about 10 seconds or until you have a nice foam (skip if you do not have or do not want to use a drink shaker and instead stir the ingredients together in a tall glass). Then pour the mixture over a glass of ice and enjoy! Add whipped cream or toppings if you like.

Notes

You can also mix a dash of cinnamon into the espresso or add it as a topping at the end!

Still doesn't taste exactly like Starbucks? Use these troubleshooting tips to get the best copycat Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso:

Milk: Starbucks usually makes this recipe with barista oat milk. Barista oat milk is a thick plant-based milk that is high in fat. In fact, one cup of Starbucks oat milk has 7 grams of fat and 1 cup of whole milk has 8 grams of fat. In order to have a true Starbucks copycat, you also need to use a milk that is high in fat. We had success using whole milk, barista oat milk, and cashew or almond milk mixed with a higher fat plant-based creamer. When choosing your milk in the store, use that 9 grams of fat per cup nutrition fact to compare to the nutrition label.

Espresso: All espresso is not created equally, and there is also a lot of misinformation online about how to make espresso at home without an espresso maker. First, you need a fine ground. A coarsely ground espresso powder will produce weaker espresso. Also, Starbucks uses very strong espresso that is ¾ of an ounce per shot. Depending on your espresso maker or method of espresso making, you may be making a shot that is 1 ounce or even 1 ½ ounces. To fix this, make your espresso extra strong if possible. Alternatively if you are using a larger espresso shot, swap a few tablespoons of your creamy milk for creamer. This will rebalance the water:milk ratio.

No espresso maker? The best ways to make espresso without a machine are a moka pot, the Aeropress, or a French Press. You can also use instant espresso powder.

Storage: Store leftover Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. For best taste, store with little or no ice so as to not water down your beverage. You can always add more later.

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