Naturally Colored Lattes (9 Ways)

These vibrant Naturally Colored Lattes made 9 different ways are the perfect way to start a spring morning. We make these with homemade cashew milk, natural superfood powders and nourishing spices.

Remember the whole Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino craze? Is that still a thing? We've never really understood the whole 'unicorn' obsession (or the Frappuccino obession, to be honest). Sure, we love beautifully colored food as much as the next person, but when it's full of artificial dyes and flavors, we'll give it a hard pass. Although we still don't agree with the liberal use of 'unicorn' as a food descriptor, we do enjoy playing around with natural, vibrant additives, like beetroot powder, spirulina, turmeric, and a whole slew of other ~magical~ powders (blue matcha, anyone?). 

Besides making for an Instagram-worthy shot, most of these powders are impressively nutrient-dense. Spirulina, otherwise known as blue-green algae (sounds repulsive, I know), is one of the most nutritious foods on earth. Rich in plant-based proteins, B vitamins, and powerful antioxidants, it's a great add-in to smoothies (in a very small dose, of course). Plus, when mixed with light colors (yellow, white, etc), it lends a stunning aqua hue to your food that seems anything but natural.  

At this point, you're probably wondering why we went through the effort to make 9 separate recipes for this post. This month, we were featured in Thrive Magazine, an insanely gorgeous and successful plant-based publication that's available in a few thousand stores around the country, most notably Whole Foods, Target, Costco, Walmart, Kroger & more!

Thrive showcases some of the most talented food photographers and bloggers on Instagram, and we're so honored to have been chosen for their latest issue. The Thrive Magazine Instagram feed is sight for sore eyes; they've done a fantastic job of curating a colorful, eye-popping feed that we always enjoy! Long story short, we felt that these Naturally colored lattes were the perfect tribute to Thrive and their inspirational community.

Now, on to the recipes. As a general note, we used homemade cashew milk in all 9 of these recipes. You can easily substitute with any non dairy milk you have on hand. If you want to make a quick batch of homemade cashew milk, here's how. Soak 1 cup raw cashews in warm water for 30 mins. Drain and rinse cashews and add to blender with 3 cups of filtered water. Blend for at least 1-2 minutes and then strain through nut milk bag or cheese cloth. Return to blender and add 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Blend well and pour into glass jug. Store in refrigerator for 5-7 days.

If you are looking for a similar drink but a tad bit more fruity visit:

• 6 Juice Recipes

Naturally Colored Lattes (9 Ways)

---

• Author: Lexi
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: Each makes 1 serving 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

The latte flavors include: Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate, Beet, Lavender, Matcha, Turmeric, Blue Matcha & Spirulina!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Vanilla Latte:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt

Pumpkin Spice Latte:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• 1 shot of espresso
• 3 tablespoon pumpkin purée
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Chocolate Latte:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• 1 shot espresso
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt

Beet Latte:

• 7 oz cashew milk
• 2 oz beet juice (recipe below)
• ½ teaspoon tart cherry concentrate
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt and nutmeg

Lavender Purple Latte:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon acai powder
• 1 teaspoon maqui powder
• 1-2 drops lavender essential oil

Matcha:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon matcha powder
• 3-4 teaspoon maple syrup

Turmeric:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric

Blue Matcha:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon blue matcha
• 3-4 teaspoon maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt

Spirulina:

• 10 oz cashew milk
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon spirulina
• 3-4 teaspoon maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt

---

Instructions

Vanilla Latte:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Pumpkin Spice Latte:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Chocolate:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Beet:

1. To make homemade beet juice, juice 1 large beet and a ½ inch chunk of fresh, peeled ginger. If you don't have a juicer, you can blend with ¼ cup water and then strain through cheesecloth.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Lavender:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Matcha:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds. (Tip: sifting matcha before adding into cashew milk helps to prevent clumps! You can also use a traditional matcha whisk for best results.)

Turmeric:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Blue Matcha:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

Spirulina:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low, heat cashew milk until warm. Add in other ingredients and whisk well until dissolved and frothy. Alternatively, add all ingredients to blender while warm and blend for 30 seconds.

• Category: Drinks
• Method: Stovetop