3 Seasonal (Non-Dairy) Lattes

I drink hot coffee drinks all year long. It's not that I don't enjoy iced coffee or an iced latte from time to time. I do. I'm just a hot coffee kind of gal, which is good news this time of year because hot coffee drinks make even more sense than usual. It totally ups the cozy factor, am I right? :)

Lately I've been cutting out dairy during most of the week, just a random health challenge, and I've been enjoying it. But that doesn't mean I don't still crave a weekday latte here and there. Luckily there are LOTS of options for this. Here are three non-dairy lattes that I've been enjoying lately.

I make a half batch of my PSL latte syrup (see here for my original recipe). Then I fill a coffee mug with a few teaspoons of syrup, then a shot (or two—depending on my "needs" that day) of espresso (I have a home espresso machine, but I also sometimes use instant espresso), and then 1 1/2 cups of hot almond milk.

If you have an espresso machine, usually it has a milk frothing wand, but you can also buy a handheld milk frother and just heat your milk in a small pot, froth by hand, and add to your mug. You also could just skip the frothing all together and just heat up the milk on the stovetop or in the microwave. I like my milk frothed. Even though it isn't exactly like a good coffee shop, it gives the drink just that little extra something that makes it feel special. But, that's just me.

My second favorite (at least this month) is a coconut milk chai. To make the tea, I simply combine 2 cups water with 3 cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ginger (powder), 1 cinnamon stick, and 1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns. Once the water is hot, I add two black tea bags and steep for 3-5 minutes. If I want to add a little sweetness, I'll stir in 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar at this point too.

Then I heat and froth my coconut milk (about 1 cup), strain the tea and combine both in a large coffee mug.

Last is an almond milk mocha. Lately I've been making this the "lazy" way by combining a packet of hot cocoa mix with warmed and frothed almond milk and a shot of espresso. Some hot cocoa mixes have powdered milk in them, so if you want to keep this dairy-free, watch out for that. You could also use chocolate syrup, or cocoa and some sugar dissolved as an alternative if you can't find a hot cocoa mix you like. That's it. The end. Go make a cozy drink for yourself now. :) xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.