This Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso recipe is a Starbucks dupe that’s so easy to recreate at home! The secret to the chocolate flavor in this drink is actually chocolate malt powder. You can easily pick some up at your local grocery store or Target – the most common brand where I live is Ovaltine. Unlike straight cocoa powder or chocolate syrup, the chocolate malt gives a subtle chocolate flavor when paired up with the espresso. Starbucks uses a blonde espresso in this drink for that reason, but you can certainly use whatever espresso you have at home. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but a pump of mocha syrup or a drizzle of chocolate syrup inside the glass before pouring in the shaken espresso might just be an indulgent delight that would reinforce the chocolate flavor if you don’t have blonde espresso beans 😉
If you haven’t checked it out yet, head over to my Ultimate Guide to Macro-Friendly Iced Coffee Drinks for all my tips for making iced coffee and espresso drinks at home! It includes an in depth comparison of different milks/milk alternatives, including a visual guide of protein content vs calories in each. When you’re aiming for a macro-friendly drink, the milk is critical because it can make or break the macro balance of your drink. Not to mention the flavor!
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Espresso – Starbucks uses a blonde espresso for this recipe, and if you have a lighter roast of espresso beans, be sure to use those. It will help keep the espresso from overpowering the chocolate flavor in the chocolate malt powder.
- Chocolate Malt Powder – A childhood classic, the malted milk powder adds a bit more complexity than something like cocoa powder. It’s grain based (usually barley) and lends a nutty, slightly caramel flavor to the drink.
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk – Starbucks uses their own sweetened almond milk blend (which is why they make it one word: “almondmilk”), but I went for unsweetened so I could add some sugar free syrup to copy their sweetness but without the added sugar.
- Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup – This is optional, but I like to add it to get this recipe to the right level of sweetness. Unflavored simple syrup or sugar free syrup would work just fine.
Macros for Starbucks Version (Grande)
110 calories / 2 g protein / 3 g fat / 20 g carbs (including 16 g sugar)
Macros for PBF Version (16 oz)
86 calories / 1 g protein / 2 g fat / 15 g carbs (including 14 g sugar)
Here are some items I used to help make this recipe a success. Note: these are Amazon Affiliate links.
Recipe
Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (5.33 fl oz)
- 3 tbsp Ovaltine Chocolate Malt Powder (17 grams)
- 2 fl oz espresso
- 1 pump Jordan's Skinny Syrups Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (about 1/2 tbsp or 0.25 fl oz)
- 2 cups ice
Instructions
Add 1 cup ice, chocolate malt powder, vanilla syrup, and espresso to a shaker. Shake vigorously for 5-10 seconds.
Pour shaken espresso mixture and ice from shaker over remaining ice in a serving glass. Top with almond milk before serving.
Recipe Notes
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