Cereal Milk Latte

Why is it that, as a kid, I never wanted to drink the residual cereal milk from my bowl, but as an adult, I want nothing more than to infuse my morning cup of coffee with it? I guess we’ll chalk it up to aging and changing taste buds. That said, if you find yourself scratching your head at the idea of a cereal milk latte, let me remind you of other coffee-based TikTok recipes that turned out to be surprisingly delicious, like blueberry cloud coffee and the infamous viral Dalgona coffee.

So let’s give cereal milk lattes a chance. In fact, it seems we’ve been doing so for quite some time: This breakfast table mashup first gained prominence in 2018 when Milk Bar in New York City (home of Christina Tosi’s famous confetti cake) introduced cereal milk lattes made with cornflakes. And, even more recently, hot and iced Dunkin’ Cereal N’ Milk lattes have been making waves. This recipe is our own take on the offbeat-yet-scrumptious coffee drink.

How to Make the Best Cereal Milk for Lattes

To make the cereal milk, we opted for Lucky Charms since it is a top-ranked cereal from childhood and has such a nostalgic flavor. We thought that simply steeping the cereal in milk—just like a forgotten bowl of cereal from our youth—would produce the perfect results. However, while the cereal milk produced this way tasted fairly strong on its own, it became too diluted when combined with espresso—even after steeping overnight. We needed a more concentrated cereal milk, so it was back to the drawing board.

In our final iteration, simmering the cereal in milk until the marshmallows dissolved turned out to be the way to go. By melting the marshmallows into the milk, you not only get a super concentrated flavor that can’t be masked by espresso, but you also get the most vibrant color, turning the milk into that nostalgia-inducing, muddy pale blue-green color.

Ingredients for a Cereal Milk Latte

• Milk: Our recipe uses 2% milk (which is what most coffeehouses use), but you could also make cereal milk with a nondairy milk alternative of your choice.
• Lucky Charms cereal: Because we like cereal milk made with real Lucky Charms cereal, your kids will cry foul that you’re “after their Lucky Charms” once you start stealing it every few days to make a fresh batch of cereal milk for this coffee recipe.
• Vanilla syrup: To add additional sweetness to the latte, stir a small amount of vanilla coffee syrup into the espresso before topping it with steamed cereal milk.
• Espresso: If you own an espresso maker, you can pull your espresso shots using your machine. Otherwise, invest in an affordable Moka pot to prepare the espresso on the stovetop.
• Lucky Charms marshmallows and rainbow nonpareils: While no garnish is necessary, we love the whimsy of topping the finished cereal milk latte with marshmallows and rainbow nonpareils.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cereal milk

Combine the cereal and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the marshmallows dissolve, about four to five minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and strain out the cereal pieces. Chill the milk until it’s cold.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t have an espresso machine with a steam wand, you can skip chilling the milk and proceed to froth the milk using a milk frothing wand for a few seconds until it’s foamy. If the milk isn’t frothing, let it cool to about 145°F and try again.

Step 2: Prepare the espresso and steam the milk

Prepare the espresso and then stir in one teaspoon of vanilla syrup to sweeten it. Next, steam the cereal milk using your espresso machine’s steam wand until it reaches the desired temperature and consistency.

Step 3: Assemble the cereal milk latte

Pour the steamed cereal milk over the espresso and garnish the latte with a few Lucky Charms marshmallows and rainbow nonpareils. Serve it immediately

Cereal Milk Latte Variations

• Served it iced: For an iced cereal milk latte, fill a tall glass with ice and pour the espresso over it. Add the vanilla syrup and stir, then top with the chilled cereal milk.
• Make cold foam for an iced cereal milk latte: For an extra blast of cereal milk flavor, top the latte with a cloud of cereal milk cold foam. To make cereal milk cold foam, soak 1/2 cup of Lucky Charms in 1/2 cup of heavy cream for one to two hours. Strain it to remove the cereal from the cream and add one teaspoon of vanilla syrup. Next, use a milk frothing wand to beat the cream until it doubles in volume and becomes thick and creamy. Garnish the iced cereal milk latte with Lucky Charms marshmallows and rainbow nonpareils.
• Try other cereals: You can use other cereals to make this latte, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Fruity Pebbles, Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks. Cereals that are extra sweet and strongly flavored work best when making a cereal milk latte.

How to Store Cereal Milk

If you have extra cereal milk leftover or would like to make a double batch, store the cereal milk in an airtight food storage container, such as a Mason jar, and keep it refrigerated.

How long does cereal milk last?

The cereal milk will last three or four days in the refrigerator.

Cereal Milk Latte Tips

Can you make a cereal milk latte with a different type of coffee?

Yes! If you don’t have the ability to make espresso at home, you have a few options. You can either use instant coffee or instant espresso. We find that five teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved into 1/4 cup of hot water makes a pretty good substitute for a double shot of espresso. Alternatively, 4 to 6 ounces of strongly brewed coffee will come close to the taste of espresso, but will contain less caffeine.

What’s another way to make frothing milk for a latte?

Looking for another way to make a latte without a machine? Grab a Mason jar and fill it with 4 ounces of cereal milk. Then, shake vigorously for one minute until it’s foamy. Next, microwave the milk in 45-second increments until it’s steaming. Pour it over the espresso and enjoy.