Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso Recipe

Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso

Have you tried the new Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso?

It’s a simple recipe that brings together chocolate, espresso and almondmilk.

What makes this cold espresso drink so special is, it’s shaken together with ice to create a creamy, chocolaty espresso, that’s topped with tasty almond milk.

And who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and almonds? Yum!

In the case of this drink, the chocolate really complements the nutty almond milk at Starbucks.

I have to say, this iced espresso is a real treat for true coffee lovers since it’s not overly sweet compared to drinks like an iced caramel macchiato.

As a matter of fact, each of the three shaken espresso flavors (Iced Shaken Espresso, Chocolate Almondmilk and Brown Sugar Oatmilk) contain less than half the carbs of most other iced espresso drinks of the same size.

Now, if you want this drink to be sweeter, all you have to do is ask the barista for extra syrup. Or in the case of the Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso, maybe add in a little Classic syrup or another type of sweetener.

But that’s what I love about making this iced espresso drink at home. I can control all the ingredients myself and make it just the way I want. Not to mention, it’s a lot cheaper than what this plant-based milk drink costs at Starbucks.

So let’s get started.

Here’s everything you need to know to make my Starbucks copycat recipe for an Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso at home.

Starbucks Recipe Notes

• The Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso uses a new Starbucks ingredient—chocolate malt powder.
• Starbucks chocolate malt powder is a combination of cane sugar, cocoa powder and malt flavor from barley.
• If you want the drink sweeter, it’s best to add-in a sweetener like classic syrup. (More chocolate powder will make it too chocolatey and overpower the espresso.)
• All other Starbucks chocolate-flavored drinks like mochas, frappuccinos and hot chocolate, are made with mocha sauce.
• The Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso recipe calls for blonde roast espresso.
• Not all Starbucks locations (like licensed stores inside Target or a grocery store) carry blonde espresso. In this case, the drink is made with Starbucks Signature Espresso.
• This drink contains almond milk, but you can substitute it with another plant-based milk like soy or oat, or a dairy milk.
• Starbucks almond milk is sweetened.

RELATED: A Guide to Iced Shaken Espresso Drinks at Starbucks

Starbucks Ingredients

Here are the exact ingredients Starbucks uses to make an Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso:

• Chocolate Malt Powder
• Starbucks Blonde Roast Espresso
• Sweetened Almond Milk
• Ice

Starbucks describes the Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso like this:

Starbucks® Blonde espresso meets cocoa and notes of malt, shaken together and topped with almondmilk and ice for an invigorating treat to power you through your day.

starbucks.com

How to Make a Homemade Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso

What I love about making this particular iced shaken espresso drink at home is that it’s possible to make an almost-identical version as Starbucks.

Just like Starbucks, the ingredients you need to make this drink are chocolate malt powder, espresso and almond milk.

Ingredients You Need

• Chocolate Malted Milk Powder (such as Carnation)
• Starbucks Blonde Roast Espresso (whole bean, ground coffee, Nespresso original capsules or Nespresso Vertuo capsules)
• Almond Milk (I prefer unsweetened like Simply Almond.)
• Ice

How to Shake the Espresso

Besides the ingredients, the technique to make a shaken espresso is key.

This means, you also need something to shake the drink in. For instance, a cocktail shaker or a large mason jar with lid works perfectly.

If you take a look at the pictures in my Iced Shaken Espresso recipe, you can see how I made a makeshift drink shaker. I simply put a larger cup over a smaller one.

Here are a few other quick recipe notes.

Chocolate Malt Powder

For the chocolate malted milk ingredient all you have to do is pick up a container of Carnation Chocolate Malted Milk. Ovaltine also has a chocolate malt powder, but it contains other ingredients, as well.

Just be sure to get malted milk powder, not powdered milk. It’s not the same thing at all.

By the way, you can also use the chocolate malted milk to make other things like milkshakes, smoothies and even baked goods.

Espresso or Espresso Substitute

The recipe for Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso calls for blonde espresso, but you can use any roast you prefer.

But if you want to make this copycat drink as close to the real thing as possible, you can easily buy a bag of Starbucks blonde roast coffee at the store.

If you have an espresso machine like my Breville Barista Express, get Starbucks blonde roast whole coffee beans. Or use ground blonde roast espresso for other types of machines.

If you have a Nespresso Vertuo, use Starbucks Veranda Blend capsules. If you own an original type of Nespresso, then make sure to get these Starbucks blonde roast capsules.

On the other hand, if you don’t have an espresso machine at all, you can make espresso-like coffee with a stovetop espresso moka pot. Another option is to make extra-strong coffee.

Steps to Make an Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso

Now that you have all the ingredients and a cocktail shaker or some sort of jar with lid, here’s all you have to do.

To make an Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso like Starbucks, simply combine the ice, chocolate malted milk powder and espresso in a shaker. Then shake the mixture vigorously about ten times. Finally, pour the iced espresso into a drinking cup and top it off with almond milk.

Here’s a look at each step of the process.

Step 1: Measure the ice.

To measure the ice, fill up a 16-ounce drinking glass with ice, then pour all the ice into the shaker.

Make sure to fill the cup all the way with ice. A lot of the ice will melt when it’s mixed with the hot espresso.

Step 2: Scoop chocolate malted milk on top of the ice.

I like to put the powder on top of the ice, so none of it gets stuck to the bottom of the cup.

The goal is to get it all dissolved.

Step 3: Add espresso shots.

Now it’s time to add the espresso to the shaker. All you have to do is pour espresso over the chocolate and ice. Again, some of the ice will melt. That’s perfectly okay.

Keep in mind, the amount of espresso you use depends on the size of the drink you want to make. But for a homemade 16-ounce drink, you need two shots or 2 ounces.

Starbucks Insider Tip A triple shot of espresso at Starbucks equals 2.25 ounces (not 3oz). Therefore, when copying a grande size (16 oz) Starbucks espresso drink at home, a 2 oz doubleshot is all you need.

Step 4: Shake the ice, chocolate & espresso.

Now, it’s time to shake it altogether—my favorite step. So go ahead and put the lid on and shake it really well. About 10 shakes gets the job done.

For the Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso, it’s especially important to shake long enough so that the chocolate powder dissolves.

Once the drink is all shaken, pour it into the drinking cup you used to measure the ice.

Step 5: Pour in almond milk.

And now, the final step—pouring in the almond milk.

I just love to watch all the delicious ribbons of milk make their way through the ice and mix into the chocolaty espresso.

See below for the complete recipe and I hope you enjoy making Starbucks new Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso at home as much as I do.

Related Starbucks Recipes & Information

• Starbucks Iced Shaken Espresso: Easy Recipe
• Starbucks Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso Recipe
• How to Make Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
• 19 Most Caffeinated Starbucks Drinks
• Starbucks Coffee Guide: Mochas