Easy Copycat Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Latte Recipe

Experience the wonderfully unique flavor profile of Starbucks’ beloved seasonal Smoked Butterscotch Latte with this authentic copycat recipe that brings coffeehouse sophistication to your home kitchen. This intriguing beverage combines the subtle flavor of butterscotch with a slight hint of smokiness, creating a complex flavor experience that transforms your ordinary coffee routine into something extraordinary.

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What is a Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Latte?

If you’re wondering how a smoked butterscotch latte tastes, it has a hint of smoke with a subtle butterscotch flavor. Its crowning glory is some milky foam or whipped cream.

What Makes This Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Latte Recipe So Good

While Starbucks only offers its Smoked Butterscotch Latte seasonally, this copycat recipe allows you to enjoy this sophisticated drink year-round. The beauty of making it at home lies in your ability to control every element, from the sweetness level to the intensity of the smoke flavor, creating a personalized coffeehouse experience that rivals the original.

Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Latte Recipe Ingredients

For the Coffee Base:

• Butterscotch syrup – Creates the signature sweet base with rich brown sugar and vanilla notes
• Espresso or strong brewed coffee – Provides the robust foundation with concentrated coffee flavor and essential caffeine

For the Flavor Enhancement:

• Liquid smoke – Adds the distinctive smoky element that sets this latte apart from ordinary sweet coffee drinks
• 2% milk – Provides optimal frothing properties and creamy texture for an authentic latte experience

For the Topping:

• Whipped cream – Offers luxurious finishing touch and visual appeal for café-quality presentation

Smoked Butterscotch Latte – Ingredient Substitutions

• Because it’s perfect for frothing, the dairy milk of choice for Starbucks lattes is 2% milk. However, feel free to use your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk. Please note that your chosen milk may not froth as well.
• If you are watching your sugar intake, you can also use sugar-free butterscotch syrup. 
• Liquid smoke comes in different flavors. I use hickory, but you could experiment with other kinds, such as pecan or mesquite.

How to Make Smoked Butterscotch Latte

1. Pour espresso or strongly brewed coffee into a coffee cup.
2. Add butterscotch syrup.
3. Add liquid smoke.
4. Add warm frothed milk.
5. Spoon the frothed milk foam on top.
6. You can also top the latte with whipped cream and crushed butterscotch candy.

Recipe Variations

This butterscotch latte is already delicious, but you can adjust the recipe slightly if you prefer. 

• Butterscotch Mocha Latte: Include 1 ounce of mocha syrup.
• Salted Butterscotch Latte: Add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to your coffee. You can also sprinkle a little sea salt onto the milk foam or whipped cream topping. 

How to Make Espresso at Home

Did you know you can make espresso at home without an expensive espresso machine? You have several ways to brew coffee that will yield a result almost identical to espresso.

• If you only have a standard coffee pot, use it to brew robust coffee. It won’t be identical to espresso, but it will still give you a flavorful drink (use a larger quantity of coffee to milk when making lattes).
• An Aeropress coffee maker or a Bialetti Moka Express 6-cup Espresso Maker and Replacement Filter Pot is far less expensive than an a espresso machine and will provide you with a brew that’s very close to espresso. (You can follow the recipe regarding the proportion of coffee to milk.) In Italy,

Italians have been making espresso with Moka Pots on their stovetops for over a hundred years. Watch this how to use a moka pot video.

How to Make Frothed Milk at Home

Lattes are made with heated milk that has been frothed or aerated. Just like making espresso, you don’t need a fancy machine to aerate milk. Here are some ways to froth milk.

• Warm up your milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds, place in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and then shake the heck out of it. This will increase the volume of the milk.
• Use an immersion blender to foam up your warmed-up milk.
• If you use a French Press to make coffee, you can also use it to froth milk. Read this article to learn how to make frothed milk in a French press. 
• Use an inexpensive milk frother. There are manual milk frothers and electric milk frothers. Click on this link for a demonstration on how to froth milk with a manual milk frother.

How to Turn This Hot Smoked Butterscotch Latte Recipe Into an Iced Latte

When the warmer weather arrives, a hot coffee drink becomes less appealing. No problem, this Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Latte recipe is amazing when ice cold! And, an iced latte is simple to make:

1. To start, your coffee should be allowed to cool. Or, consider using cold brew coffee.
2. Place the coffee, milk, butterscotch syrup, liquid smoke, and some ice cubes in a large mason jar. Make sure the lid is on tightly, then shake well to dissolve and blend the butterscotch.
3. Decant the mixture into a tall serving glass with lots of ice.

CopyKat Tip: Keep leftover coffee ice cubes on hand. This way, your drink doesn’t get diluted!

Love Coffeehouse drinks? Check out these favorites!

• Caramel Cappuccino
• Caramel Frappuccino
• Caramel Macchiato
• Flat White
• Green Tea Frappuccino
• Peppermint Mocha
• Pink Drink
• S’more Frappuccino
• Vanilla Frappuccino

Favorite Starbucks Food Recipes

• Cranberry Bliss Bars
• Egg White Bites
• Ham and Cheddar Egg Bites
• Spinach Feta Wrap

Check out more of my easy coffee drink recipes and the best Starbucks recipes here on CopyKat!