The Underrated Non-Dairy Milk You Should Be Frothing For Homemade Lattes
These days the milk options for your latte go far beyond non-fat and whole. By now you've probably tested out almond or oat milk a time or two, but you can even go a step further and delve into non-dairy options like pecan or pistachio. However, if you're specifically looking for a rich, cloud-like froth on top of your latte, you'll want to go with macadamia milk.
This works to create the perfect foam because your milk needs to have a couple of key components — protein and fat. The former contributes to the bubbles, as the proteins break apart and re-configure with the air you've inserted. When it comes to the latter, you want enough fat that your froth is stable, but not so much that it loses volume. Macadamia milk meets both of these requirements and it will also give your latte a delicious flavor.
As opposed to almond milk, for example, which can taste a little thin, this macadamia addition is more similar to cashew milk in that it's richer and creamier. It's a perfect flavor addition to coffee, as we know from Starbucks' new summer cold brew the tasty White Chocolate Macadamia Cream and it'll work beautifully in your latte too.
Macadamia milk is underrated, but worth the effort to track down
The only downside to using macadamia nut milk for lattes? There aren't a ton of options out there the way that there are with other non-dairy types like almond or oat milk. However, Milkadamia is a relatively popular brand that you can find at major retailers like Amazon and Vons, which has sweetened or unsweetened versions. You may also be able to track down cartons from smaller companies like Lechia if you do a little searching.
Once you've found the right milk for your latte, it's time to froth. If you have experience with an espresso machine, a great way to turn non-dairy milk into pillowy foam is to use the steam wand. Just make sure you don't heat it up past 145 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its flavor.
If you don't own one of these devices or if you just don't want to mess with yours on a given morning, your next-best option is to use an automatic frother. It's a fairly hands-off method that will heat your macadamia milk for you. As a last resort, you can test out a handheld frother. It won't warm up your liquid, but you can use it to amp up your iced coffee with plenty of froth.