Save money by making coffee shop style hot drinks at home! Here’s a round up of delicious DIY hot beverages–from mocha to chai to hot chocolate and homemade syrups!
By Elsie, Contributing Writer and Site Editor
Winter may be cold and long, but if you cozy up with a hot drink you can make a bleak day bright and special. For me, daily hot beverages are part of the rhythm of winter.
With my love of hot drinks, I could spend far too much money if I relied on the coffee shop to supply this pleasure! A plain house coffee at Panera or Starbucks is already about $2.00. And if you want a fancy hot drink, you’ll be paying more like $4.00 to $5.00! That’s more than I care to pay on a regular basis!
If you agree, you’ll love this list of DIY hot drink recipes to make on a cold day! Many of these are made with unrefined sweeteners, and you’ll find some dairy-free options, too. Enjoy one of these beverages with breakfast, or host a dessert night and serve with Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars or Maple Custard.
To get you started, here’s a primer on making coffee house quality drinks at home.
Image by Nourishing Simplicity
Mocha, Chai, and Flavored Coffee
For DIY coffee shop favorites, this list has you covered!
Cafe Mocha @ Richly Rooted
Chai Tea Concentrate (with whole spices) @ Life Currents
Chai Latte Concentrate @ Live Renewed
Chocolate Orange Cafe au Lait @ Authentic Simplicity
Cinnamon Coconut Coffee @ The Humbled Homemaker
Cinnamon Dolce Latte @ The Greenbacks Gal
Chai Tea Latte @ Live Simply
Homemade Latte @ JaimieRamsey.com
Maple Macchiato @ Joybilee Farm
Salted Caramel Mocha @ Nourishing Simplicity
Slow Cooker Apple Chai @ Farm Fresh Feasts
Image by Back to the Book Nutrition
All Things Hot Chocolate
You can’t go wrong with hot chocolate. From the classic, to dairy free, to slightly unusual, here are homemade hot chocolate recipes for any chocolate lover!
Brazilian Chocolate @ Authentic Simplicity
Dairy Free Hot Chocolate @ Hollywood Homestead
Healthy Homemade Hot Chocolate @ Imperfect Homemaker
Instant Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa Mix @ Nourishing Simplicity
Nourishing Hot Chocolate with Superfoods @ Oh Lardy
Raspberry Hot Cocoa @ Nourishing Simplicity
Real Hot Chocolate with a Secret Ingredient @ Smithspirations
Ridiculously Delicious Paleo Hot Chocolate @ Oh Snap! Let’s Eat
Ultimate Hot Chocolate with Vanilla Whipped Cream @ Back to the Book Nutrition
Image by Richly Rooted
Vanilla Flavors
For those times when you crave the rich creaminess of vanilla, these recipes can be your go-to!
Spiced Vanilla Milk @ Richly Rooted
Superfood Vanilla Latte @ How to Just About Anything
Vanilla au Lait @ Joyful Thrifty Home
Vanilla Caramel Latte @ Nourishing Simplicity
Holiday Flavors
You can enjoy your favorite seasonal holiday beverages year round, in the comfort of your own home!
Easy Homemade Peppermint Mocha @ Joyful Thrifty Home
Gingerbread Latte @ Don’t Waste the Crumbs
Peppermint Mocha @ The Humbled Homemaker
Peppermint Mocha Latte @ Don’t Waste the Crumbs
Pumpkin Chai Latte @ Raia’s Recipes
Pumpkin Pie Warmer @ Smithspirations
Peppermint Latte @ The Greenbacks Gal
Pumpkin Spice Latte @ Live Simply
Simple Cooked Eggnog @ The Humbled Homemaker
Image by This Organic Life
Healing Beverages
For hot drinks that heal as well as soothe, check out the ideas below!
“Butterscotch” Detox Tea @ It’s a Love/Love Thing
Healing Tumeric Milk @ This Organic Life
Matcha Green Tea Latte @ The Greenbacks Gal
Orange and Cinnamon Hot Toddy @ Richly Rooted
Mix-Ins and Flavorings
Add these homemade syrups and flavorings to your regular morning cup of coffee to fancy it up!
Cardamom Coffee @ Authentic Simplicity
Homemade Hazelnut Syrup @ Keeper of the Kitchen
Homemade Peppermint Syrup @ The Humbled Homemaker
Pumpkin Spice Blend @ Don’t Waste the Crumbs
Rich Homemade Dark Chocolate Sauce @ Smithspirations
Homemade Vanilla Coffee Creamer @ Live Renewed
Salted Caramel Sauce @ Nourishing Simplicity
Debi @ Life Currents
Thanks so much for adding my Chai Tea Concentrate (with whole spices) to your awesome collection! I love making my own beverages at home, so I’d definitely going to go through this list and make a bunch! Thanks for all the work putting this together.
Erin
I love chai!
Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity
Thanks for the link love Elsie! I have to decide which awesome recipe from the others to try first!
Erin
Your drink looks great, Katie!
Dena Norton
LOVE this list, Elsie. I so appreciate you including my Ultimate Homemade Hot Chocolate, and I’ve pinned the post so I can try out some of the others. First on the list is Katie’s Salted Caramel Mocha – looks dangerous-good! 😉
Erin
Your drink looks great, Dena!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Erin and Elsie, though tea is my usual and favorite hot beverage, I do like to branch out once in a while; and these look marvelous! This is perfect timing as I have some guests coming tomorrow evening who are going to love whichever one of these I decide to make!
Erin
Oh I hope your guests love whatever you decide!!
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
This list is amazing! I drink mostly black coffee (we love our moka pot for stovetop espresso!) but there are occasions when I want something fancier/sweeter. Definitely pinning this for future reference 🙂
Erin
I can’t imagine black coffee! LOL
Andrea @ The Greenbacks Gal
Seriously one of my favorite round-ups of all time! I’m going to start at the top and work my way down this list of lovely drinks!
Erin
I agree! I want to do the same!
Keelie Reason
Oh man, I wish I had seen this earlier. My husband and I were trying to make “specialty” coffee after dinner, and it really didn’t turn out all that great. I’m going to have to look at some of these recipes, because sometimes I am just in the mood for something that is coffee + awesome in a cup.
Erin
Oh man! I hope you will remember some of these next time, for sure!
Jill York
What an awesome list! Gotta try some of them!
Erin
I agree–her list is awesome!
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup
Thanks so much for sharing this, Elsie! We all enjoy our hot drinks, but they don’t have to break the bank.
My favorites are peppermint and pumpkin spice.
Pinning!
Erin
Thanks for pinning, Heather! I love those two flavors the best too!
Karen
Before I found food blogs, I subscribed to cleaning/organizing ones. One of them provided a recipe for a dry mix for Mocha Coffee. That was the jumping off point for my mix. It is similar to what is found in the regular grocery store, but for the price of one commercial box I can make several boxes of mine. And I control the quality and quantity of the recipe amounts.
tina
What an awesome round up of beverages I can cuddle up with in the fall! Thank you for including my paleo hot chocolate too!!