Bring the coffeehouse home with this recipe for a from-scratch maple bacon latte! Learn how to make easy bacon-infused maple syrup for delicious gourmet coffee drinks at home!
Maple bacon lattes seem to be a drink found in independently owned coffee shops that also sell fantastic biscuits. At least, that’s the only place I’ve found them, always on trips, paired with a cozy breakfast on mornings that need cardigans. Not really wanting to wait a year or so between accidental bacon latte discoveries, this recipe was created. Thankfully, it was easier than even I anticipated, and now we can all enjoy a maple bacon latte at home… just in time for cardigan weather!
It’s possible, that somewhere out there in internet-land, a pre-made flavored syrup exists. That’s wonderful, but if you’re like me, you hesitate to buy a bottle of something when you just want to use it occasionally! That’s the beauty of this recipe. First, you may already have everything on hand. Second, you can scale it to make just what you need.
The recipe as written will make between 4-8 lattes depending on how sweet you like your coffee. Start with a little, then add more syrup as needed. Extra syrup keeps for a month in the refrigerator, so you have plenty of time to use it! Bacon infused maple syrup works equally well on pancakes or french toast as it does in lattes, so you’re not limited to a single dish anyway.
How do I infuse maple syrup?
If the thought of infusing anything sounds involved, don’t fret! The process is actually really simple. Since we don’t want to wait, it’s not quite as simple as making vanilla extract. The whole process only takes about 2 minutes though, so it’s not a bad trade-off.
To make the bacon-infused maple syrup, you start by cooking the bacon in a skillet or by baking in the oven. How you cook the bacon doesn’t really matter. You just can’t put raw bacon in maple syrup, so you need to cook it to a safe temperature first. As long as you get your bacon to a temperature where it’s considered to be cooked, you’re good. To save time, you could probably even use pre-cooked bacon strips too. Do what works for you based on what you have.
BUT if you like your bacon super crispy, pull 2-3 slices at the “just crispy” stage and not the almost-burnt crispy stage. I’m assuming that if you’re making bacon for this, you’re making a little extra. You’ll need those 2-3 slices to be cooked but not at an almost-burnt stage to get the best bacon flavor in your maple syrup.
If you are making your bacon in a skillet, remove the bacon and drain the fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to a low to medium-low heat and pour in the maple syrup and 2-3 slices of your bacon. If you’re using pre-cooked bacon or small slices, you’ll want to use 3 slices. Three slices are also best Thick cut bacon is fine with 2. Cook the bacon and the maple syrup together for about 3 minutes. Keep the heat low so the maple syrup doesn’t boil, a few bubbles is fine.
When your kitchen fills with the scent of maple and bacon, pour the maple syrup out into a heat-proof container. I like cooking the bacon for another 2-3 minutes in the pan so the maple syrup coating candies a little. Bonus maple-candied bacon for garnish or snacking!
Making a Maple Bacon Latte
Now that we have our bacon maple syrup, let’s make lattes! A latte is just steamed milk with a shot of espresso. If you have an espresso maker that also steams and froths your milk, great! We just have a simple stove top espresso maker, so we either heat the milk gently in a saucepan or in the microwave. Don’t add any sugar.
Once you have your milk and coffee mixed in your preferred ratio, stir in some bacon maple syrup. Start with a little, sip, add more as needed. Somewhere between 1-2 tablespoons is the sweet spot for most people. This is equivalent to “pumps” on a coffee syrup bottle. If you make these right after you make your syrup, garnish your latte with bacon. Post a social media picture. Be extra! If not, you still have great coffee, be extra anyway. You are fabulous! Enjoy your latte.
Can I make anything else?
You’ll have extra maple syrup if you’re making less than 4-5 lattes. This is a good thing. Extra maple syrup keeps in the refrigerator for a week. Use it to make maple bacon hot chocolate. Pour over pancakes or french toast. Use maple syrup as an ice cream topping with extra crispy crumbled bacon! This is a great time to get creative. Feel free to scale the recipe as needed to match your grand culinary plans.
I hope you love the maple bacon latte recipe with bacon-infused maple syrup, darlings! And I hope you get to spend some quality time over one with someone you love.
Maple Bacon Latte
Make your homemade lattes coffeeshop-worthy with homemade syrup! You only need 4 ingredients to make maple bacon lattes!
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2/3 cup milk (regular or non-dairy)
- Espresso
Instructions
- Place a skillet over medium heat and add the bacon.
- Cook the bacon until just starting to crisp. Pour the bacon grease into a heatproof container and reserve for another use.
- Return the bacon to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low.
- Add the maple syrup to the pan with the bacon and cook for 2-3 minutes. You may need to reduce the heat to prevent the syrup from coming to a hard boil. A tiny simmer is okay, but you don't want it to get too thick.
- After 2-3 minutes, pour the maple syrup into a heatproof container or mason jar. Set aside. Allow the bacon to cook another 2-3 minutes until candied. Place on a greased rack to drain. Maple glazed bacon will stick to paper towels.
- At this point, you can refrigerate your bacon maple syrup for up to a week to make your lattes on demand. The bacon is best enjoyed immediately.
- To make your latte, prepare your espresso using your preferred method. Heat the milk.
- Pour 2/3 cup of the warmed milk into a mug and top with a shot of espresso.
- Add your desired amount of bacon maple syrup (1-2 tablespoons was plenty for us), garnish with bacon (if available), and enjoy!
Notes
- The exact cooking time for the bacon will vary depending on the thickness of the bacon used.
- You can scale this recipe easily by adding more maple syrup. 4 slices of bacon will infuse up to a cup of maple syrup easily.
- Extra maple syrup can be refrigerated for up to a week. It's phenomenal on pancakes or French toast!
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