Occasionally I work at my local coffee shop. It feels like a treat, and it’s often more serene than my 4 pet home. But there was a time that I was in a long line for a fancy coffee once or twice a day.
That translates into a lot of time and money that could be easily saved. I have 7 recipes for you today that will help you kick your coffee-shop habit too.
In a rush? Go directly to any one of the recipes from the roundup below:
- DIY Coffee Concentrate
- Sweet Potato Frozen Coffee
- Vegan butterscotch syrup
- Lavender syrup
- Blackberry syrup
- Date Caramel
- Guilt-free Stevia Chocolate Syrup
Don’t have enough time to brew coffee in the morning? DIY Coffee Concentrate is the answer for you.
Coffee concentrate is a magical thing. It’s showing up pre-made in refrigerated cases at a premium price. Here’s the thing, it’s cheap to make your own and you can store it in the fridge for about 10 days.
On Sunday, you can make up a batch for the week. In the mornings, simply add almond milk, an optional syrup of your choice and either serve it over ice or heat it up.
Are you like me and love a good frozen coffee? They can cost up to $6 each once you add soy milk! Create variations on this Sweet Potato Frozen Coffee using the syrups below. You can even make a salted caramel mocha, sweetened with your favorite sweeteners and any nondairy milk you want.
Add 1/4 cup coffee concentrate + 1 cup nondairy milk + syrup of your choice, to taste and 1 teaspoon ground chia seeds to your blender. Mix well, then add 1 – 2 cups crushed ice (start with 1 cup if you don’t have a powerful blender) and you’ll have a frozen coffee just the way you’ve always dreamed it can be!
Vegan butterscotch syrup is a real thing and it’s so easy to make at home! This one uses coconut sugar and coconut milk which makes it rich and delicious. Try in a hot coffee or as a drizzle on a frozen coffee. The best part is you have no one to tip but yourself!
Lavender syrup is not something you see often. When I see it, it’s actually infused in dairy milk. It’s easy to make an infusion with dried culinary lavender, water and a sweetener. I use coconut sugar in my recipe, but you can even use stevia or monk fruit – just remember that it will be thinner.
Here’s a syrup especially for tea lovers. I love this blackberry syrup in green tea – especially a frozen green tea. Use this recipe as a template for making fruit syrups all summer long.
Remember that you can use any of these syrups in black tea to create an amazing drink too.
Wish there was a sugar-free caramel that wasn’t filled with artificial ingredients? Try this fat-free, no refined sugar, gluten-free, soy-free and full of rich flavor Date Caramel. It’s dates blended with vanilla and nondairy milk.
Looking for a chocolate sauce that has no fat and is sweetened with natural stevia? Yes, I have you covered with this Guilt-free Stevia Chocolate Syrup. I do add a little agave to round out the mouth-feel, but you are welcome to leave that out.
Tell me about the coffee-shop drink you spend your money on. That way I can try and make some syrups for those too. Be sure to share these recipes with your friends with the share buttons below.
Have a delicious weekend!
Kristina says
May 6, 2015 at 10:22 amMmm… I rarely go to a coffee shop for my morning fix, preferring to make it here. I have a really good instant coffee I sometimes use if I want coffee quick, otherwise lately we have been using the French press. I also have a stovetop espresso maker that Jason loves to use.
cannot wait to try some of these recipes!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
May 6, 2015 at 10:46 amKathy, I know just what you mean about how a coffee shop habit can add up to big $$$. Of your tips for how to amp up home-brewed coffee or tea, my favorite is your date caramel sauce – such a lovely and rich combination of tastes.
Kathy Hester says
May 9, 2015 at 12:35 pmI hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
Healing Tomato says
May 7, 2015 at 12:46 amWhereas I am not a coffee drinker, I think I am going to try all these recipes. That blackberry syrup looks amazing.
Kathy Hester says
May 9, 2015 at 12:34 pmThe syrups are great in tea and even mixed with sprakling water!
Kate @ Diethood says
May 9, 2015 at 12:25 pmAwesome tips and syrups!! I am a coffee fiend. I love it too much, but not enough to spend crazy cash for coffee-shop coffee. 😀
Kathy Hester says
May 9, 2015 at 12:35 pmIt adds up so fast!
Damiche says
January 25, 2016 at 10:56 pmWow I love salted Carmel mochas and caramel macchiatos with coconut milk both hot and frappés. I have a keruig.