Pecan latte is one that’s up the chic alley as pistachio lattes. You can use store-bought milks to make an easy coffee beverage or a smoothie that tastes like a German Chocolate Cake. But is healthy and easy to fall for!
For a latte, blending pecan milk with coconut milk will add to those pecan dessert tastes and give a more creamy experience with more flavor. But you can also sub or add with cashew or almond milk that are easy to find. 🛒
…And make your own easy homemade pecan milk.
Which btw, pecan milk is a great Magic Bullet recipe.
And this is how to make pecan milk in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: Soak your pecans overnight.
Step 2: Drain the pecans, add fresh water, blend, and add to your cloth strainer. Oh, and remember to save your pecans because you will use those in the pecan latte smoothie recipe (below).🧋
Tip: if you can’t find cheese cloths or muslin that are more fancy kitchen supplies (that can be tricky to find in a pinch), you can use mesh bags (like the kind you’d use for delicate laundry) and store a couple in your kitchen supplies. Since those mesh bags have bigger holes, you can double up so the pecan bits don’t fall through.
And now you’re ready for the final step…
Step 3: Over a bowl or glass, pour the fresh water-pecans chopped blend into the (mesh) cloth strainer. And squeeze tightly so all that good wholesome homemade pecan milk flows through.
Unlike cow’s milk, you’re milking a bag for milk. 🥛
So easy and you may amaze yourself it works. It actually has a milk white color (compared to the soaked pecan water in step 1 that’s beige-ish color).
The first pour you can call the first press. 😊
That’s going to be the thicker milk (that can be used for foam and/or part of your pecan latte drink).
I took a photo to show you the difference in the milk thickness from the first and second press if you decide to make more pecan milk.
You can see the difference in the thicker (1/4 cup pecan milk) and then the more watered down pecan milk in the additional 1/3 cup made from 4 whole pecans:
Then to make the pecan milk foam (or coconut milk foam that goes well in coffee or the German Chocolate Cake latte smoothie 🧋).
You can make foam effectively on your home stove.
Add your fresh milk (fresh-off-the-press) to a stove pot and place over your stove burner on medium-high heat. I find that pecan milk works better when blended with an even thicker milk or alternative milk like a plain unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk.
With your milk, when you get small boils (never understood why they would call those fish eyes… eww! 🤪), then you can turn your stove off or pull the pot off the stove. You don’t want to burn your fresh milk.
Turn your frother tool on into your pot of warmed milk. You’ll see foam develop. I find if you move the tool up and down a little you get more even froth.
Tools: You can purchase a basic hand-held frother tool for a few dollars (or pennies per drink for all the drinks you will make!). They’re like magic 🪄
…Along with a magic bullet blender (or similar) that makes life easy for Magic Bullet drinks, dips, and smoothie recipes.
These are two easy tools that give you a bougie drink without much effort!
Tip: Don’t worry so much about the foam. For a latte drink it’s not as important as a feature like the foam on a cappuccino drink. Latte is more about the milk.
But if the foam is important to you, then store bought full-on coconut milk can be a better foaming source and more stable. I find it better than the “barista” labelled milks, but that depends on you and your tools.
However you make your foam, it will go down tasty! 😋
You can pour the remaining milk liquid parts into your dessert smoothie or coffee pecan latte drink.
Remember to reserve a little spoonful of foam until the very end like a barista does.
And now you’ve made an at-home barista drink, saving time and without having to walk out the door. Plus you save money (…remember the latte factor?). You’re the barista or drink maker.
…How cool, yes?
And from there with drink in hand, you can have a party! 🧋🧉
And of course a beverage like this will pair decadently with a sweet-ish chocolate-y dessert (…maybe for a Swedish Fika break).
When I worked in catering management, we often served decadent-oozing chocolate soufflé desserts at parties that were always a hit at special occasions and wedding dinners.
So I was inspired and made my gluten-free version of the individual chocolate cakes that are easy to make healthy and bake at home.
A dessert like this would go well with a coffee latte. Especially with flavored coffees with vanilla, coconut, or chocolate bits!
A latte can be served hot or cold (depending on the season and your Ayurvedic season happening in you).
Coffee is a healthy plant-based drink that you can make less acidic with an easy at-home cold brew coffee.
And if a pecan latte in coffee or smoothie form isn’t your thing for today, how about a tea party (for one, plus one, or more)? These days everyone loves teas. They’re healthy and comfortable.
You can make a light dessert tea with a pecan latte. This works well brewing a a light tea, like a holiday tea you can find in autumn weather that a sugar cookie would go great with.
The healthy and tasty pairing possibilities are endless. 🎉
Ready to make your easy pecan latte drink?
…Or try a decadent tasting (but healthy) German Chocolate Cake smoothie.
Both are sustainable plant-based healthy drinks that drink up all traces that it was there. You can use all the blended solid and liquid pecan parts. And poof… just like that, it’s magically gone! 😋
Healthy Pecan Latte German Chocolate Cake Smoothie
Equipment
- frother tool
- pot for stove
- cheese cloth or muslin
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, cold
- 1/2 cup pecan milk
- 1 tsp cocoa powder, add more to taste
- 1-1/2 Tbsp coconut powder
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 4 whole pecans for 1/4 cup thick pecan milk and smoothie "pecan butter.")
- ground pecan bits, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and/or cocoa powder of zhughing
- pecan milk foam
Instructions
- To make the pecan milk (latte) with the pecans: soak pecans in water overnight. Discard the soaking water and blend the pecans with 1/4 cup fresh water). Pour and squeeze pecan milk through a strainer cloth (e.g. cheese cloth, muslin, or double wrapped mesh bag) over a bowl or glass. Save the blended pecans as the "pecan butter" for the smoothie.
- Make the pecan milk foam: Add some of the fresh pecan milk made into a stove pot on medium high heat until small boils. Turn off stove and use frother tool to make foam from the warmed milk. Reserve foam for the top of drink.
- Make the smoothie drink: Add all ingredients (except for the milk foam) to a blender and blend smoothly. Pour into a drinking glass.
- Spoon foam that can be made from fresh pecan milk (or milk blend) to the top of the drink.
- Zhugh with ground pecan bits, shredded coconut, cinnamon spice, and/or cocoa powder. Enjoy!
