The Best Homemade Iced Mocha

I’ve been making this exact iced mocha for two years now (ever since we got our espresso machine) and I am asked for the recipe every time I post a story or photo of it. I made a couple Instagram reels, but wanted a static place for this deliciousness to live as well! I do make it hot instead of iced (steam the milk and forego the ice) when it’s real chilly. I have yet to master proper latte art though.

I can’t sing the praises of our espresso machine enough. We made the investment two years ago, when we lived in the forest and didn’t have coffee shops close by… an hour away type-far-away. We are from Sacramento, California if you aren’t familiar with our story, and are what some may call — coffee snobs. We really appreciate craft roasted beans and the flavor and diversity they can bring to a cup of coffee. They typically are a “lighter” roasted bean, are not oily at all, and do not taste burnt whatsoever. It makes a big impact on the shots you pull from your machine!

Our favorite is a subscription from our friends at Bouquet Coffee Roasters. We once lived two blocks away from their first coffee shop, The Mill, and found ourselves in their seats or patio more times of the week than not. We love being able to support Nick and Ilah, even from far away! They were always so sweet to us in their shops.

I started loving mochas way back on mine and DJ’s first date. I honestly hated coffee until then, if you can even believe it. He introduced me to Mexican mochas and I’ve been hooked ever since 🙂

I began making these nutrient-dense mochas because if I’m going to be having the coffee, I just want to make it the best way to get in extra sources of nutrition. Having black coffee on an empty stomach is just a horrible idea for hormone health, so paired with a breakfast of eggs or high protein yogurt and a slice of homemade sourdough… this is my go-to on the daily.

Here’s what I use for mine:

• Raw Fermented Cacao

• Grass-fed Collagen

• Organic Local Maple Syrup

• Vanilla Bean Powder

• Raw whole milk, or low-pasteurized local whole milk

• Splash of heavy cream

• Organic Ceylon cinnamon (not pictured)

• Recently started adding Pearl Powder, too!

I choose these specific ingredients based on brand practices, ethics, and overall consumption awareness. Raw fermented cacao is not only more flavorful, it’s good for the gut, filled with antioxidants, high in natural magnesium, iron and fiber. It’s just… really great. Big fan.

I love either Great Lakes collagen. Fantastic “small” brand (not bought out by a big corp like Nestle), and their products are truly grass fed and finished, leaving us with only the goodness that bovine collagen has to offer. Also flavorless and dissolves completely. Filled with amino acids, supports joint, skin, and hair health, and a solid form of bio-available protein (easily absorbed).

Organic maple syrup is a wonderful powerhouse natural sweetener, sometimes we swap for raw local honey! Another powerhouse sweetener. I usually opt to purchase somewhere locally! But here is a great option to try.

Vanilla bean powder has been my MVP for four years. I bought a little bag off of amazon years ago and this stuff is so potent, that the tiniest bit goes a really long way, adds impeccable flavor, and lasts forever. Plus the little vanilla beans specks in all the things adds a bit of charm I hope to always include 🙂

Raw milk! PACKED and nutrient dense. I could write a whole blog post on raw milk and it’s benefits, how it impacted our life for the best, and so much more. But you can find some brief FAQ about here and here. Another resource is realmilk.com

Pearl powder I grab here, and you can read the full listing description to learn more about it. I add it either directly in the cold milk or sometimes in the espresso like pictured.

Organic Ceylon cinnamon is great for flavor and really gives it the Mexican mocha taste, while also providing extra support in regulating glucose, antioxidants, and is also anti-inflammatory.

Alright so let’s make some coffee!

Settings will vary per your machine, your elevation, your home temp, your beans… all the things. The manual will often suggest to put your settings a certain way, but really you just need to fidget with your settings to pull the best shots. It will always vary!

I usually add a double shot to mine, but feel free to add four if that’s what works for ya! You want the settings to have your shots pulling around 25-35 seconds.

I add my scoop of cacao (1.5 Tb), a small amount of pearl powder, and a smidgen of cinnamon to a glass or stainless pitcher and have my shots pour directly onto the powder.

Mix it well with the hot espresso, being careful not to splash it around… and get it splattered everywhere… I know this from experience. Many times.

Next, pour your milk into your frother. Or, pour into a glass and use a handheld frother like this one. I pour to just under the max line, to leave some room for the things I add in. I press the button and hold it down until it’s blue, which means it does a cold froth instead of hot.

Here’s the frother we have had for many years. Here is a similar that does the same goodness, and here’s a hand frother.

Add a pinch of vanilla bean to your milk/cream while its frothing.

Add about 2 tablespoons of organic maple syrup. Sometimes I do less if I’m wanting it less sweet.

Add one scoop of collagen gradually and let it mix in.

Grab some ice for your glass. We recently started grabbing ice from Chick-Fil-A. I do not think it’s filtered up to my standards… but making our own ice in the camper has been a challenge so it’s been a huge blessing to be able to have on hand!

We loved the ice maker on our fridge in our old house, and we’re eyeing this or this ice maker for our future house. I’ve seen and heard too many positive stories about it! Apparently it’s worth the investment so we’re saving for it — love that you can add your own filtered water to it, and still have that amazing tiny-pebble ice.

Here are the glasses we have and love.

When your milk is frothed and slightly foamy (because I add collagen and syrup, it doesn’t get cloudy-foamy, you can omit these if you really want some super foamy milk, and be sure to add enough heavy cream if using raw milk for it to fluff up), pour it over your ice.

Pour your mocha mix over top, grab a straw and enjoy! It’s been my favorite for *literally* years, and I’ve converted most of my friends from plain coffee and creamer to this. It’s delicious and nutrient packed… you really cannot go wrong. Although, I do still love and appreciate a solid Gibraltar, too 😉