Spanish Café Con Leche Recipe

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September 28, 2023

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Published: Sep 27, 2023 by Melissa Haun · This post may contain affiliate links ·

In Spain, café con leche reigns supreme. It’s an essential part of every Spanish breakfast and afternoon merienda, and it often is the ending of a large lunch or dinner in place of dessert. Café con leche is delicious in its simplicity, and fortunately, it’s easy to make at home!

If you’re looking for more Spanish hot beverages, make sure to try my recipes for hot wine and Spanish hot chocolate.

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Introduction

Literally speaking, café con leche is coffee (café) with milk (leche). If you’re trying to recreate it at home, you might think you can just brew up a cup of American filtered coffee and add a splash of 2% milk. But you would be mistaken.

To have the true café con leche experience, you’ll have to use a shot of espresso. Filter coffee will not work. Second, the leche is steamed milk, which has its own distinct flavor. In Spain (and throughout Europe), most milk is Ultra High-Temperature Pasteurized, meaning it’s shelf-stable and doesn’t need to be refrigerated before opening.

If you’re used to “fresh” milk (probably High Temperature Short Time Pasteurized), you might have noticed a slight difference in taste. But whether you love it or hate it, it makes Spanish café con leche unique.

Ingredients

espresso, milk, and sugar on a white marble countertop.

Wondering what you need to make a delicious café con leche at home? Fortunately, you only need a handful of very simple ingredients!

Coffee Beans: For nearly a hundred years, Spaniards have been enjoying torrefacto beans instead of the higher quality, better flavored arabica beans. Torrefacto beans are coated in 15-20% sugar, which burns during the roasting process, and creates a very strong, burnt, acidic coffee which some people love. Feel free to use either torrefacto, arabica, or a mezcla (mixture) of the two.
Water: Whenever you’re making coffee, be sure to choose cold or room temperature filtered water for the best flavor.
Milk: Throughout Spain and the rest of Europe, shelf-stable Ultra High Temperature Pasteurized milk is most common, which tastes different than fresh, refrigerated milk. Either one tastes great!
Sugar: This is optional, as the milk usually cuts most of the bitterness from the coffee. If you’re brewing torrefacto beans, though, you’ll almost certainly want to add some sugar to counteract its acidic, burnt flavor.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

Types of Coffee Beans: Experiment with torrefacto, arabica, or a combination of the two types for different flavors.
Don’t have an espresso machine? No worries! Use a moka pot (stovetop espresso maker) to brew delicious, strong coffee.

How to Make

If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.

cup of espresso and a stainless steel jug of milk.

Brew the espresso using an espresso machine or moka pot.
Steam the milk by heating it to 155-165°F (68-73°C) on the stovetop, in the microwave, or with the steam wand on an espresso machine.

pouring the steamed milk into the espresso.

If desired, froth the milk until it’s doubled in volume. You can use a handheld milk frother, French press, whisk, or steam wand to froth it.
Slowly pour the milk into the espresso, creating latte art if desired.

adding sugar to a cafe con leche and dipping a cookie in it.

Add sugar to taste. If you’re like me, you might not want any sugar, since the milk cuts the coffee perfectly.
Serve the café con leche right away and enjoy it with breakfast, a sandwich, or a sweet treat.

Recipe FAQs

Is café con leche just coffee with milk?

Yes, café con leche is just coffee with milk, but it it has to have a 1:1 ratio of milk to coffee. Less milk than that would make it a cortadito, which is coffee cut with a little milk. Of course, you can add sugar to it if you’d like!

Why is café con leche so good?

This coffee drink is so good because of its simplicity. The milk perfectly cuts the bitterness of the coffee and adds a subtle sweetness while allowing the rich aromas and flavors of the coffee to come through. It’s the perfect way to start your day!

When should I drink café con leche?

In Spain, anytime is a good time for a café con leche! It’s most commonly enjoyed at breakfast with pan con tomate and other breakfast favorites, but is also served as an afternoon pick-me-up or as an alternative to dessert after lunch.

Serve

In Spain, café con leche is appropriate for any time of day. You might have it for breakfast with pan con tomate, a slice of Spanish tortilla, or a sugary pastry, mantecados, or churros. (If you can dunk it into your drink, even better!)

Café con leche is usually offered as an alternative to dessert for a three-course menú del día at lunchtime. It’s also enjoyed with a piece of cake or a savory sandwich as an afternoon snack. And finally, you might find yourself sipping on one after a late-night tapas feast before you switch to cocktails.

cafe con leche with a spoon and a dish of cookies.

Store

Coffee doesn’t taste good when reheated and served later, so make sure to grind, brew, and serve the coffee right away. If you frothed the milk, it will start to flatten with time as the air bubbles disintegrate.

Expert Tips

Throughout Spain and Europe, shelf-stable, Ultra-High Temperature Pasteurized milk is more often used than fresh, refrigerated milk. This brings a different flavor, and is more authentic.
Try using torrefacto coffee for an authentic flair. This popular type of Spanish coffee beans are coated in about 15% sugar and roasted until the sugar burns. Since their burnt, acidic flavor masks the coffee flavors, torrefacto is made from lower quality robusta coffee. Many people enjoy the strong, dark flavor of torrefacto coffee, but if you’re used to arabica beans, you may not like it!
Don’t want to use 100% torrefacto beans? Try a mezcla (mixture) of torrefacto and arabica beans for a lighter taste. You can also use 100% arabica beans for a richer flavor profile.
Grind the beans yourself right before brewing for the best flavor. If you don’t have an espresso machine, use a moka pot (stovetop espresso maker) instead.

Other Spanish Drinks You’ll Enjoy

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