Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso {Starbucks Copycat}

Me: Oooo new iced coffee flavors. I think I’ll have an Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso please.

Startbuck’s drive thru speaker: “There’s a nationwide shortage of oat milk…

….and brown sugar.”

Me: What on earth??

Could this be true and if so, why?!!

So I ordered the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso instead.

It was good, but no where near as tasty as the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso.

Jump to Recipe

The Oat Milk

Apparently when Starbucks rolled out their new Iced Coffee creations a couple months back they underestimated their popularity.

There are reports that a widespread shift to plant-based diets has created an increase in demand for non-dairy milk. In this case oat milk, but the particular shortage mentioned was for OAT-LY! brand.

Trust me, I didn’t waste any time on my mission to source the ingredients needed to make Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso at home.

Imagine my delight when I found a long row of oat milk readily available at the market for just such a need.

The oat milk is one of the star ingredients in this iced coffee.

Having tried both, I actually prefer Califia brand over OAT-LY!, it’s much creamier. It’s creamy full texture and oatmeal-like flavor pairs really nicely with the remaining ingredients.

But you do you.

Just be sure to choose an unsweetened Oatmilk. PS. try Oat Milk poured over your favorite granola/cereal. It’s delicious!

The Brown Sugar Simple Syrup

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The next key flavor in this iced coffee comes from the brown sugar simple syrup. You make it from equal parts water and brown sugar aka ‘simple’ syrup.

One cup of each will yield enough simple syrup to make 12 grande Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso.

Bring the water to a boil, add the brown sugar, whisk to combine, return to a boil to dissolve sugar, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

For the Espresso

For a grande (16 ounce) Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso you’ll need 3 shots (or 3 ounces) of espresso.

The Starbucks website says they use a blonde espresso, which you can find at local retailers. But I say use your favorite espresso that’s available for your type of coffee maker.

Tips

When I’m making Iced Coffees, I like to cool down my brewed coffee before adding it to the ice so it doesn’t become too diluted.

For this recipe, combine 3 ounces of espresso, 1 ounce of brown sugar simple syrup, and 1/8~1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (the 3rd star ingredient) in a jar with a lid and shake, shake, shake.

Shaking is the key to incorporating the cinnamon flavor throughout the drink (not just a sprinkle on top).

Pour the sweetened cinnamon espresso into a tall glass of ice, then top with oat milk and stir to combine.

Grab yourself a straw and prepare to be delighted.

The warm familiar flavors of creamy oat milk with the brown sugar syrup and aromatic cinnamon scream fresh baked oatmeal cookies.

I’m on my second batch of simple syrup in three days, which tells you precisely how much I (and my friends & family) love Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso.

I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps me seriously motivated). Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso video on TikTok!

xo Libby