split image with a iced latte with coffee and milk on the left, and a glass of iced coffee on the right with a sprig of rosemary in it. text overlay: iced latte vs. iced coffee-learn the difference

Iced Latte vs. Iced Coffee: Learn the Difference

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Summer is when you throw out your regular hot coffee and get your hands on refreshing iced coffee drinks! Which is your favorite iced coffee drink?

Two popular options are usually iced lattes and iced coffees.

What Is an Iced Latte? 

Iced latte is an icy twist to the traditional latte drink, which is usually made using a shot of espresso and hot milk.

In an iced latte, you pour a shot of espresso into a cup containing ice and then add the steamed milk on top of it. 

iced latte vs iced coffee

How to Make an Iced Latte

One plus of an iced latte is that it is easy to prepare at home. All you need is a glass, espresso, milk, ice, and a shaker (optional). 

Follow these steps once you’ve gathered the required tools:

  1. Pull out a shot of espresso from the espresso machine
  2. Put the espresso shot in a cocktail shaker
  3. Add 1 c. of cold milk
  4. Add ice and any sugar or flavored syrup
  5. Shake the ingredients
  6. Pour it into a tall glass and enjoy

Tip: Do not pour the espresso directly onto the ice or the other way around, as it can alter the espresso’s flavor. The cold milk tempers the espresso so you don’t end up with diluted coffee.

What Is an Iced Coffee?

Iced coffee is hot brewed coffee served cold. All iced coffee demands is that you brew coffee, be it Americano, espresso, instant, or any other coffee, and put it in a cup filled with ice. 

With that being said, you can also add a bit of milk or sugar to your iced coffee if you want. Relax! Adding milk to your iced coffee won’t make it an iced latte. A latte is defined by it’s proportions, which is roughly 1/3 espresso to 2/3 milk.

iced latte vs iced coffee

How to Make Iced Coffee

You can fulfill your craving for an iced coffee at home — just like an iced latte! Grab a glass, brewed coffee, and ice, and follow these steps:

  1. Brew your typical hot coffee and let it cool down
  2. Add some ice to a glass
  3. Pour coffee into it
  4. Add sugar or milk (optional)
  5. Stir and enjoy

Moreover, the same steps can be employed to carve out different iced coffee recipes, including an iced Americano coffee and more.

Tip: Add your sweetener while the coffee is still hot. A simple syrup is a nice alternative to sugar and will blend better if your coffee has started to cool.

Iced Latte vs. Iced Coffee

Having discussed the ingredients and brewing process of each of these iced coffee drinks, it’s time we dive deeper into the iced latte vs. iced coffee comparison to understand the difference between them.

Milk

The most noticeable difference between an iced latte and iced coffee is their coffee to milk ratio. There’s not always milk in iced coffee, whereas iced lattes are mostly milk. Even if you add milk to an iced coffee, it still won’t qualify as an iced latte.

A caffe latte means “coffee with milk” in Italian. People often play around with the milk quantity to foam and make their iced latte creamier. On the contrary, iced coffee may or may not contain milk. Milk, if at all used, is used only to dilute its taste a little.

Finally, a true hot latte includes steamed milk. Steamed milk has tiny, frothy bubbles that give it a creamier mouthfeel. It also may tasted a bit sweeter. To make a true iced latte, use steamed milk and give it a few minutes to cool.

Type of Coffee

Iced lattes are prepared with a strong espresso shot. Instant espresso is available or you could substitute a cold brew concentrate if you want. Try Chameleon Cold Brew Espresso Concentrate (affiliate link)

Iced coffee uses regular hot brewed coffee. Strictly speaking, you can’t substitute with a cold brew because iced coffee is hot brewed.

Read More: Iced Coffee vs. Cold Brew

Brewing Method

A true iced latte needs steamed milk and espresso, so you need to have an espresso maker with a steam wand to do this.

Iced coffee requires hot brewed coffee. You can brew coffee and then chill it, or you can brew strong hot coffee directly over ice.

In either case, the ingredients should be allowed to cool to at least a tepid temperature (i.e. slightly warmer than room temperature) before adding ice so that you don’t end up with a weak, diluted drink.

Flavor

Espresso coffee is more flavorful than regular coffee. So, a strong espresso shot makes an iced latte (not to mention the milky twist of the drink) your taste bud’s friend. On the other hand, ice coffee is as strong as you make it.

Espresso also tends to be made with a darker roasted coffee bean, creating a bolder flavor.

Calories

Sure, the calorie content of a drink depends on the recipe and its ingredients. But if we were to draw a generic comparison between iced lattes and coffees about their calorie content, it’d look something like this:

Iced Latte

  • Starbucks grande with 2% milk contains 130 calories
  • McDonald’s medium with whole milk contains 120 calories
  • Dunkin’ Donuts medium with whole milk and sweetener contains 270 calories

Iced Coffee

  • Starbucks grande with 2% milk contains 80 calories
  • McDonald’s medium with whole milk and sweetener contains 180 calories
  • Dunkin’ Donuts medium with whole milk and sweetener contains 130 calories

Caffeine 

Espresso has much more caffeine than most other brewed coffees. This may lead one to believe that an iced latte has more caffeine than an iced coffee. However, that might not always be the case since the caffeine content depends on your drink’s size, provided you use the same coffee beans to prepare the two drinks.

According to Mayo Clinic’s report, 8 ounces of brewed coffee has 96 mg caffeine, whereas one espresso shot, i.e., 1 ounce, has 64 mg of caffeine. 

Say you make 8 ounces of iced coffee and iced lattes. The latte will contain 64 mg of caffeine, whereas the iced coffee will contain 96 mg. And if you want a strong iced latte? You double the espresso shot, increasing your caffeine intake from 64 mg to 128 mg.

Can You Use Instant Coffee to Make Iced Lattes or Iced Coffee?

In case ground coffee isn’t available, feel free to use regular instant coffee for both iced lattes and iced coffee. 

For an iced latte, you can use instant espresso coffee to make a shot of espresso. This one (affiliate link) by Medaglia D’Oro is my favorite. Follow the brewing instructions to create the equivalent of a shot of espresso.

Keep in mind that instant coffee doesn’t provide the flavor and aroma one can expect from fresh ground coffee beans. The difference is all the more noticeable in an iced latte prepared with instant coffee. But using instant coffee for an iced coffee is simple, quick, and effective in a pinch.

FAQs

Is an Iced Latte a Weak Coffee?

A latte typically has one shot of espresso, each of which comes with approximately 60-100 mg of caffeine. But due to the higher milk content, you’ll find that it’s one of the mildest coffees out there.

Is Iced Coffee Just Coffee and Ice?

More or less, YES! To prepare a cup of iced coffee, you take a cooled (originally hot) coffee and pair it with ice. Nonetheless, it’s an extremely refreshing drink on a hot summer day.