Mcdonalds Caramel Macchiato Recipe

Mcdonalds Caramel Macchiato Recipe

Today we are making a copycat coffee recipe: McDonalds Caramel Macchiato Recipe! They describe the McCafe Hot Caramel Macchiato on their website as featuring a few simple ingredients: “rich, dark-roast espresso served with steamed whole milk, mixed with sweet caramel syrup.” (Specifically, they use two espresso shots, but it’s not quite clear how many tablespoons of caramel syrup).

The main difference in the way Starbucks and McDonalds makes it is the type of coffee beans they use (McDonalds uses Arabica beans, Starbucks uses their Espresso Roast). Starbucks also uses pumps of their own vanilla syrup inside the drink, whereas McDonalds uses caramel syrup inside as I’ve done in this recipe today.

I also made this when a friend of mine was over, and it got the verified check mark from a former barista herself! Now, a traditional macchiato contains espresso with steamed milk, then frothed milk on top. But this caramel macchiato is a little different in that it uses espresso, frothed and steamed milk, caramel syrup and ribbons of buttery caramel drizzle on top made the perfect hot coffee drink for those with a mega sweet tooth. You don’t have to dish $5 for a creamy and caramel-y macchiato at your conveniently located coffee shop when your sweet tooth hits!

The Process of Making a Macchiato

There’s a few simple steps for this recipe. The process of making a caramel macchiato includes making the caramel syrup, steaming the milk, frothing the milk, making the espresso and combining it in a layered fashion. Take a look at the photos below as I go through each step of putting it together!

Making the Caramel Syrup

To make the caramel syrup, you will mix together the caramel ingredients in a pan over low heat on the stove. You’ll need to constantly stir it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Anything toffee or caramel is pretty quick to burn. Once it starts to thicken up into a caramel-like thickness, it’s ready. It should be dripping off your spoon like a thick sauce. Then you can add the required amount of syrup to your cup.

Milk & Coffee

Now you’ll want to heat the milk on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, use a milk frother to froth it up. I find that oat milk froths pretty well in terms of plant-based options. Make sure to stir the caramel into the milk once you add it in!

Once you have that ready, pour the espresso in on top of the steamed milk! I didn’t even stir it around, because I liked the effect it gave the milk.

At the end, I topped it with vegan coconut whipped cream (linked here if you want to buy this brand, it’s available in many grocery stores). Then I used a drizzle of caramel syrup, because you’ll have some extra after adding the amount at the bottom of the cup. Notice the frothed milk on the sides of the cup – it looks delicious! I purposely put the whip more towards the middle and less on the sides of the mug. Feel free to drizzle extra caramel over the top.

There you have it! It’s pretty easy aside from having to make caramel syrup in advance, which also doesn’t take that long. My guilty pleasure? Get an empty Starbucks cup (or keep your own after buying a drink) and make it in there. It makes me feel like I bought it, which for some reason is all the more enjoyable. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!

Why You’ll Love This Mcdonalds Caramel Macchiato Recipe

Homemade Caramel Sauce: This recipe features a healthy recipe for a homemade sweet caramel syrup. It is used inside the drink but also as a drizzle on top (and a healthy amount of caramel drizzle and whipped cream on top of the drink is just a delight)! Coconut milk and coconut sugar make this caramel recipe – specifically, the coconut sugar adds the dark caramel color.

You can even add more pink salt into this to make a salted caramel flavor. It’s super easy to make in a small saucepan too. Making this at home ensures you don’t have artificial ingredients in the store-bought flavored syrups. I never bought a bottle of caramel sauce again when I learned how to make it at home!

Copycat Recipe: Isn’t it just so satisfying to make your own copycat recipes at home, especially coffee drinks? Going through the process of building up the drink makes you feel that warm feeling inside when you accomplish a task when you previously would’ve just gone and bought it. It’s a process to appreciate, and also enjoy as many times as you want at home! The original recipe also contains 37 grams of sugar (in a small size)! Opting for an at-home version is definitely a great option.

Substitutions

Oat Milk: I used oat milk but you can substitute cashew milk, pea milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk or whichever non-dairy milk you prefer.

Coconut Milk: Use fall-fat canned coconut milk, not carton. You can usually find this at your local grocery store in the Asian food aisle. I like to use Thai Kitchen brand because they don’t have chemical ingredients in their canned milks. This is needed for the caramel to be thick, and doesn’t have a strong coconut flavor when cooked.

If you are looking for a nut-free version, or are just averse to coconut anything, use a creamy plant-based milk instead. I recommend Silk brand of oat milk.

Coconut Sugar: This sugar turns the color of the caramel dark. You can substitute brown sugar (dark brown sugar or light brown sugar should work). Don’t use any other type of sugar, because it won’t keep that dark color as needed.

Mcdonalds Caramel Macchiato Recipe Notes

• Make the iced version of this drink by using cold brew coffee (or chilled black coffee) frozen into an ice cube tray. Then pour the other ingredients over top of the frozen cubes and let the coffee melt into the milk and caramel for a sweet treat!

More Copycat Recipes You’ll Love

Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso

Golden Milk

Green Tea Frappuccino

Eggnog Latte

Iced Vanilla Latte

Blended Iced Caramel Latte

Cookie Dough Frappuccino

If you make this Mcdonalds Caramel Macchiato Recipe, leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!