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Easy Copycat Starbucks Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso

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A quick and easy copycat recipe for Starbucks’ Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso, made with simple ingredients and a surprisingly simple technique that creates a perfectly integrated, creamy, and delicious iced coffee at home.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 2 shots espresso (about 2 ounces or 60 ml)
  • 1 cup ice cubes (about 5–6 standard cubes)
  • ¾ cup oat milk (180 ml, preferably barista blend)
  • Pinch of sea salt (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Brew your espresso first. Start by brewing 2 ounces (60 ml) of espresso using your preferred method. If you’re using a moka pot, this takes about 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat. The espresso should be hot and fresh—this heat is important because it helps dissolve the brown sugar later. While the espresso is brewing, measure out your other ingredients so everything is ready to go.
  2. Add brown sugar to your jar. Place 2 tablespoons of brown sugar into your mason jar or shaker. If your brown sugar is hard or clumpy, press it through a small sieve or break it up with your fingers. A pinch of sea salt goes in now too, if you’re using it.
  3. Pour in the hot espresso. As soon as your espresso is ready, pour it directly over the brown sugar. The heat is crucial here—it melts the sugar and creates a syrup-like base. Stir quickly with a spoon to help the sugar dissolve. You should see the mixture turn a deep, caramel color. If there are still sugar crystals at the bottom, stir a bit more before moving to the next step. This takes about 15 seconds.
  4. Add the oat milk and vanilla. Pour in ¾ cup (180 ml) of oat milk and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract if you’re using it. Don’t stir yet—just let everything sit together in the jar.
  5. Add the ice. Drop in about 5-6 ice cubes, or enough to fill the jar about halfway. The ice does double duty here—it chills the drink and also helps create that lovely frothy texture during shaking.
  6. Seal and shake vigorously. Screw the lid on tightly and shake the jar as hard as you can for about 15-20 seconds. I mean really go for it—this isn’t a gentle swirl. You want the ice to clatter around and create agitation. You’ll hear the sound change as the ingredients combine and the ice starts to break into smaller pieces. When you open the lid, you should see a layer of foam on top and the mixture should look uniform and slightly cloudy.
  7. Pour into a glass and serve immediately. Pour the shaken mixture into your serving glass. The ice from the shaker will have broken down a bit, so add a few fresh cubes if you want a colder drink. The foam will settle on top, creating that beautiful layered look. Take a picture if you want—it’s genuinely pretty—but don’t wait too long to drink it. The texture is best within the first few minutes.

Notes

The key to this recipe is shaking everything together at once—the hot espresso helps dissolve the brown sugar, and the oat milk emulsifies during shaking for a creamy texture. For best results, use freshly brewed hot espresso and shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds. If the drink tastes watery, you may have used too much ice or not shaken enough. For a less sweet version, reduce brown sugar to 1½ tablespoons. The drink is best enjoyed immediately.

Nutrition

Keywords: brown sugar shaken espresso, copycat Starbucks, iced coffee, oat milk espresso, easy coffee recipe, homemade coffee drink

Find it online: https://daintydine.com/easy-copycat-starbucks-brown-sugar-shaken-espresso/