If you love trying new seasonal drinks at Starbucks, the Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato is one you absolutely need to know about. I recently tried this drink and immediately fell in love with the combination of sweet coconut, creamy milk, bold espresso, and vibrant ube cold foam. The flavors are rich, slightly nutty, and perfectly balanced with that signature coffeehouse layered look.

But while I loved the drink itself, I didn’t exactly love the coffee shop price. That’s why I wanted to recreate a Starbucks-style version you can make at home using simple ingredients. The result is a beautiful iced macchiato with coconut flavor, fluffy ube cold foam, and just the right amount of sweetness.

If you enjoy experimenting with fun coffee shop flavors or recreating your favorite drinks at home, this one is a must-try.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Inspired by the Starbucks Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato
• Made with simple ingredients at home
• Rich espresso paired with creamy coconut flavor
• Light, fluffy ube cold foam on top
• Easy to customize dairy-free, sugar-free, or lower calorie
• Much more affordable than buying coffee out

What Is Ube?

Ube is a purple yam commonly used in Filipino desserts. It has a mildly sweet, vanilla-like flavor with subtle nutty notes, which pairs beautifully with coffee and coconut. In this recipe, we use a tiny splash of ube extract to give the cold foam its signature color and flavor.

How to Make Espresso

If you’re new to making coffee at home, or need some help with the espresso portion of this recipe, see my post titled 5 Ways to Make Espresso at Home!

Ingredients

Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato

• ½–1 tablespoon Homemade Toasted Coconut Syrup (or store-bought), adjust to taste
• 6–8 ounces 2% milk, or milk of choice
• Ice cubes
• 2 shots espresso

Ube Cream Cold Foam

• 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Tiny splash ube extract

Topping

• Toasted coconut flakes

(If you make homemade toasted coconut syrup, you can use the leftover toasted coconut flakes as the garnish.) If not, you can use store-bought.

How to Make a Starbucks Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato

1. Combine the syrup and milk
   Add the toasted coconut syrup to a tall glass. Pour in the milk and fill the glass with ice cubes, leaving room for the espresso and cold foam.
2. Brew the espresso
   Brew two shots of espresso and pour them over the milk mixture to create the layered Starbucks macchiato effect.
3. Make the ube cold foam
   In a separate glass, combine the vanilla syrup, milk, heavy cream, and a tiny splash of ube extract.
4. Froth the foam
   Use a handheld milk frother and froth for about 15 seconds, until thick and creamy.
5. Top the drink
   Pour the ube cold foam over the iced latte.
6. Finish with toasted coconut
   Sprinkle toasted coconut flakes on top and enjoy!

Sugar-Free Option

If you want to lower the sugar, you can easily make this drink sugar-free.

Use:

• Sugar-free toasted coconut syrup
• Sugar-free vanilla syrup

Make sugar free homemade syrups using allulose as the sweetener instead of sugar.

Allulose works well in syrups because it dissolves easily and creates a smooth texture similar to traditional sugar syrups.

Dairy-Free Option

This drink is easy to make dairy-free with a few swaps.

For the drink base:
• Use oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or your preferred plant based milk

For the cold foam:
• Use barista-style oat milk
• Use dairy-free heavy whipping cream

Dairy-free heavy cream alternatives froth beautifully and still create a thick, creamy foam.

Lower Calorie Version

If you want a lighter version of this drink, try this simple variation.

Lower Calorie Ube Coconut Latte

• ½–1 tablespoon toasted coconut syrup
• 6 ounces almond milk or 1% milk
• Tiny splash ube extract
• 2 shots espresso
• Ice cubes
• Optional: toasted coconut flakes

Add the syrup, milk, and ube extract to a cup and froth with a handheld milk frother or on the cold froth setting of an electric milk frother until thick and creamy.

Pour the mixture over the espresso, add ice cubes, and stir to combine. Top with optional toasted coconut flakes.

How to Make It Hot

You can also enjoy this drink as a cozy hot latte.

1. Add toasted coconut syrup to a mug.
2. Brew two shots of espresso into the mug.
3. Steam or heat and froth the milk until warmed and textured.
4. Pour the milk into the espresso mixture.
5. Prepare the ube cold foam the same way and spoon it over the latte.
6. Finish with toasted coconut flakes.

The result is a warm coconut-ube latte with creamy foam on top.

Starbucks Ratios

I tend to like my coffee drinks with more coffee flavor, less milk, and less sweetener, but if you want to most accurately replicate the exact Starbucks taste for each size drink, follow these ratios:

	TALL	GRANDE	VENTI
TOASTED COCONUT SYRUP	1 TABLESPOON	1.5 TABLESPOONS	2.5 TABLESPOONS
2% MILK	6 OUNCES	8 OUNCES	12 OUNCES
ICE CUBES	–	–	–
ESPRESSO	1 SHOT	2 SHOTS	3 SHOTS
UBE COLD FOAM	–	–	–
TOASTED COCONUT FLAKE	–	–	–

Tips for the Best Flavor

• Use freshly brewed espresso for the best coffee flavor – see my post titled 5 Ways To Make Espresso at Home for the best methods
• Start with ½ tablespoon syrup, then adjust the sweetness
• Only use a tiny splash of ube extract since it’s strong and can easily turn the cold foam from a light purple color to a deep dark purple color

More Starbucks Copycat Recipes

If you love making coffee shop drinks at home, check out these recipes:

• Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
• Starbucks Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
• Homemade Coffee Syrups and Sauces
• Homemade Creamer Recipes