Vegan Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato (Iced or Hot)

Name: Vegan Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Brown Sugar; 3/4 cup Apple Juice; 3 tablespoon Applesauce; 1 teaspoon Cinnamon; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; Double Shot of Espresso; 6 to 8 ounces Oat Milk; Apple Brown Sugar Syrup (to preference); Ice (optional)

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Skip the lines at Starbucks and whip up this Vegan Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato in the comfort of your own home. This new fall drink can be made hot or iced and is layered with a double shot of espresso, an apple cinnamon spiced syrup, and creamy oat milk.

Glass of apple crisp macchiato with a cinnamon stick poking out.

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Apple and coffee may not seem like a match made in heaven but it works. This Starbucks copycat hot or iced apple crisp macchiato is dairy-free, gluten-free, and absolutely delicious!

The homemade syrup is easy to whip up and tastes just like an apple crisp.

You can add as much or as little of the brown sugar apple syrup as you'd like to customize this drink to your preference.

Starbucks version is very sweet and this homemade version is a little less sweet but still incredibly flavorful with layers of apple flavor, cinnamon, espresso, and oat milk.

This is the ultimate fall drink and has all the flavors of an apple pie with a crisp topping.

Is the Starbucks Apple Crisp Macchiato Vegan?

The Apple Crisp Macchiato is a new drink at Starbucks that comes with oat milk and is vegan as is. Which is wonderful news! Finally, a drink that doesn’t require any substitutions.

Starbucks describes the drink as layered flavors of apple, cinnamon, oat, and brown sugar. It consists of creamy oat milk, cinnamon apple drizzle, and blonde espresso.

This spiced macchiato copycat recipe is fall in a cup!

What is a Macchiato?

A macchiato is espresso and steamed milk whereas a latte is espresso, steamed milk, and foam. It also has less milk than a latte.

Ingredients

This apple crisp macchiato with oat milk is the perfect drink for fall! It's packed with warming fall flavors and is just as good as the Starbucks version.

Double Shot of Espresso: A macchiato is made up of espresso so you will need a double shot for this Starbucks copycat drink.
Oat Milk: Creamy oat milk is a wonderful base for this recipe and it is authentic to Starbucks but you can use your favorite alternative milk instead- soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.
Brown Sugar: I love the rich caramel flavor that brown sugar gives our apple crisp syrup- tastes like fall!
Apple Juice: Instead of water, we are using apple juice which will give our syrup a stronger apple flavor.
Applesauce: Again, to give us that apple flavor that is very important in order to replicate this drink.
Cinnamon: A must! You can use cinnamon powder or simmer in 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks instead. I don't mind the texture of the cinnamon powder, so that's what I used. Alternatively, you can strain the final product through a mesh strainer.
Vanilla Extract: Just a splash for added flavor.

Apple brown sugar syrup ingredients on a wooden backdrop.

Equipment

Espresso Machine: I use the Nespresso Vertuo and absolutely love it! It makes delicious, smooth shots and they have lots of different pods of espresso to choose from.

Milk Steamer or Milk Frother: I use a Nespresso Aeroccino- it's wonderful to froth and steam plant milk. It steams and froths hot but will also froth cold!

Small Pot: You'll need a small saucepan or pot to make the apple brown sugar syrup.

Glass or Mug: Depending on if you're making this apple crisp drink hot or iced.

How to Make This Recipe

Apple Crisp Syrup:

Whisk together the brown sugar, apple juice, applesauce, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a small pot.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour into a jar to cool.

Keep in mind that the syrup continues to thicken after it cools. Because of the applesauce and cinnamon, this syrup does have a bit of texture.

It also happens to be slightly thicker than traditional simple syrup.

If desired, strain through a mesh strainer. I personally skip this step because the texture doesn't bother me and doesn't negatively impact the apple macchiato.

Apple syrup in a small jar with a spoon and cinnamon sticks.

Apple Crisp Macchiato:

Add a spoonful of apple brown sugar syrup to the bottom of the glass or mug. The amount you use will depend on how sweet you enjoy your coffee.

If you're making an iced macchiato, make sure you have cooled the syrup to room temperature because it will crystalize when added over ice if it's too hot.

Iced Version: Make an iced apple crisp oatmilk macchiato by adding ice cubes to the glass with the syrup and pour in cold oat milk. Brew a double shot of espresso and pour over the top.

Espresso being poured into a glass of oat milk, ice, and apple syrup.

Hot Version: For the hot apple crisp macchiato, you'll want to steam the oat milk and pour it into a mug with the apple syrup. Brew a double shot of espresso and pour over the top. Frothing the milk is optional.

Hot apple crisp macchiato with foamy oatmilk on top.

Tips & Tricks

Starbucks uses a blonde espresso. I use the Double Espresso Dolce pod from Nespresso for this recipe but you can use your favorite espresso!

Allow the syrup to cool completely at room temperature before transferring it to the fridge. This will prevent it from crystallizing. It can be immediately added to a hot drink but please allow it to cool to room temperature before adding it to iced drinks.

The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools so keep an eye on it, don’t allow the mixture to boil, and remove as soon as it has slightly thickened and the sugar has dissolved. This syrup is made with applesauce and cinnamon so it is a little thicker than traditional simple syrup but it shouldn't be as thick as caramel.

Storage

Store the syrup in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Substitutions & Additions

Espresso: If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use ¼ cup of strong brewed coffee. But please note that it will not taste like the Starbucks apple crisp oatmilk macchiato.

Brown Sugar: I love using light brown sugar for this recipe because it gives the syrup a nice rich, caramel flavor from the molasses but coconut sugar would work as well. If you don’t have brown sugar or coconut sugar but you have cane sugar and molasses, make your own brown sugar!

Can I make sugar-free apple spice syrup? I haven’t attempted to make this particular recipe sugar-free but I would recommend using Swerve’s Brown Sugar or Truvia’s Brown Sugar.

Apple Juice Concentrate: I used 100% pure apple juice. You can use any kind- I would just avoid the ones with added sugar.

Applesauce: I used store-bought unsweetened applesauce. I don't recommend skipping this because it gives our syrup a lot of its apple flavor. You could skip the applesauce and simmer chopped apples in the syrup and then mash them. I would recommend straining the syrup if you go that route though or it'll be chunky.

Frequently Asked Questions

What milk is used in the apple crisp macchiato?

The apple crisp macchiato at Starbucks is made with oat milk.

Is the apple crisp macchiato better hot or iced?

I've tried both and I prefer it iced but I recommend trying both to see which you prefer.

What does the Apple Crisp macchiato taste like?

It tastes like an apple pie drink to me! The apple does come through and it has hints of cinnamon and caramel from the brown sugar- it's very delicious. If you're in the fall mood, give it a try.

How can I get this one to taste more like the one from Starbucks?

I would say the main difference from this homemade version is that it is way less sweet. Simply add more syrup.

More Fall Drinks:

If You Make This Recipe:

I would greatly appreciate it if you share your review in the comments below and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. I really appreciate it- it helps me out so much! Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!