Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso at Home
Shaking hot espresso over ice does two jobs at once: it chills the coffee in seconds and whips air into it, giving a light, foamy texture you can't get by pouring.
Brown sugar brings a gentle caramel note, so one tablespoon is plenty. The milk goes on last and sits as a layer on top.
Recipe card
- Under 150 calories
- 15 minutes or less
Ingredients
- 3 shots hot espresso (about 90 ml)
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 small pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 heaped cup of ice, plus more for serving
- 120 ml (½ cup) cold milk (2% shown in the nutrition label; oat milk works well)
Method
- Brew the espresso and stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon while it's hot, until the sugar dissolves.
- Fill a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid with ice. Pour in the sweetened espresso.
- Close it and shake hard for 15–20 seconds. The espresso turns pale and foamy and the ice chills it instantly.
- Strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice, then top with the cold milk.
Nutrition
Approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the exact ingredients listed. Brands vary; check your labels.
For comparison, a Starbucks Grande Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso is listed at 120 calories and 13 g sugar in our dataset. Open it in the calculator.
Make it your way
Oat milk vs dairy. Oat milk is the classic pairing, and its natural sweetness lets you cut the sugar a little. Barista oat milks vary a lot, so check the carton: the label above uses 2% dairy milk because its values are standard.
Less sugar. Half a tablespoon (6 g) still tastes sweet thanks to the cinnamon, and saves about 23 calories.
Mind the caffeine. Three home-pulled shots can contain more caffeine than three coffee-shop shots, depending on your coffee and dose. If you're sensitive, use two shots and a little more milk.
No shaker? A jam jar with a lid works perfectly. Just leave a little space so the coffee can foam.
