A salted caramel macchiato is made with milk, vanilla syrup, and salted caramel sauce at the bottom, with an espresso shot layered on top. Finish it with a caramel drizzle and a pinch of sea salt. By following this recipe, you can make it hot or iced.

This recipe takes about five minutes once your caramel sauce is ready, and it lands close to the Sea Salt Caramel Macchiato we serve at Canal Coffee.

Key Takeaways

• Use caramel sauce, not caramel syrup. The butter and cream in the sauce give the drink the richer texture a macchiato needs.
• Vanilla syrup is what makes the drink taste like a real coffee-shop macchiato instead of just sweetened coffee.
• Adding salt directly into the caramel sauce does more for the flavor than only sprinkling salt on top.
• Oat milk is the best non-dairy option because its natural sweetness pairs well with caramel, especially in the iced version.
• For iced macchiatos, pour the espresso over the milk and ice last to get the classic layered look.

What’s in a Salted Caramel Macchiato?

A salted caramel macchiato is made of two parts. 

Base:

• Steamed milk
• Vanilla syrup (small amount)
• Salted caramel sauce, 

Layered coffee on the:

• Espresso – usually 1 shot 
• A pinch of sea salt at the top

The caramel sauce sits at the bottom of the cup, the milk goes in next, and the espresso is poured over the top to create the layered look.

If this brew is similar to a latte, you are not wrong, but there are a few noticeable differences. Check out our breakdown of Macchiato vs Latte to learn more. 

Salted Caramel Macchiato vs. Other Coffee-Shop Drinks

Drink	Coffee	Sweetener	What makes it different
Salted Caramel Macchiato	Espresso	Vanilla syrup + salted caramel sauce	Espresso poured on top of milk, sea salt finish
Caramel Macchiato	Espresso	Vanilla syrup + caramel drizzle	No salt, same layered method
Salted Caramel Mocha	Espresso	Mocha sauce + toffee nut syrup + sea salt topping	Chocolate-forward, not layered
Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew	Cold brew	Vanilla syrup + salted caramel cream cold foam	Cold brew, not espresso, topping does the salt work

Ingredients

When making a salted caramel macchiato at home, the caramel sauce is going to take the most time. But once it’s ready, the drink itself comes together in just a few minutes. 

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

• Granulated sugar, 1 cup (200 g)
• Unsalted butter, 4 tbsp (56 g)
• Heavy cream, 1/2 cup (120 g)
• Sea salt, 1 tsp, or more to taste, plus flaky finishing salt for the top
• Optional, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract stirred in at the end

For the Drink (Per Serving)

• Espresso: 1 or 2 shots
• Milk: 6 oz, whole, oat, or 2%
• Vanilla syrup: 1 tsp, homemade or store-bought, like Torani
• Salted caramel sauce: 2 tbsp
• Pinch of sea salt for topping

How to Make Salted Caramel Sauce

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make caramel sauce for your salted caramel macchiato

1. Add the sugar to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Let it melt into a deep amber color, about 5 minutes. Don’t stir at first, just swirl the pan occasionally so the sugar melts evenly.
2. Once the sugar is fully melted, reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and whisk immediately. The mixture will foam up and may look separated at first. Keep whisking until it smooths out.
3. Slowly pour in the heavy cream while whisking constantly. The caramel will bubble aggressively for a few seconds.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the sea salt and vanilla extract, if using.
5. Let the caramel cool for a few minutes before pouring it into a clean glass jar or container.
6. As the sauce cools, it will thicken naturally. It usually reaches its final texture after about 30 minutes.
7. Store the caramel sauce in the fridge for up to one week. Reheat gently before using if it becomes too firm.

If your caramel seizes up and forms hard sugar lumps, the temperature likely dropped too quickly. Put the pan back over low heat and whisk gently until the sugar dissolves again. If the sauce turns out too thick, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm heavy cream until it loosens up.

How to Make a Hot Salted Caramel Macchiato

Once you have your caramel sauce, here is how to prepare salted caramel macchiato:

1. Spread 1 tablespoon of salted caramel sauce around the bottom and inside walls of an 8-oz mug. This creates the caramel wall that gives the drink its layered flavor.
2. Stir 1 teaspoon of vanilla syrup into 6 oz of warm milk. Froth the milk until it’s lightly foamy.
3. Pour the milk into the mug over the caramel sauce.
4. Pull a 2 oz double shot of espresso. Slowly pour it over the back of a spoon onto the milk so the espresso layers on top instead of blending in immediately.
5. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of additional caramel sauce over the top. Finish with a small pinch of flaky sea salt for the final finish.

How to Make an Iced Salted Caramel Macchiato

On sunny days, you can easily adapt this recipe to make it iced. Steps remain almost the same.

1. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of salted caramel sauce around the inside walls of a 16 oz glass. This gives the drink its signature layered look and caramel flavor throughout the cup.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla syrup and 8 oz of cold milk to the glass. Stir briefly to combine.
3. Fill the glass with ice.
4. Pull a 2 oz shot of espresso and slowly pour it over the ice so the espresso settles on top of the milk instead of mixing in right away.
5. Finish with a caramel drizzle and a small pinch of flaky sea salt.
6. Don’t stir the drink before serving. The layered espresso top is part of the experience, and the drink blends together naturally as you take the first sip.

Why Does Salt Make Caramel Taste Better?

Salt changes the way your palate perceives flavor. It suppresses bitterness slightly and makes sweetness come through more clearly, which is why salted caramel doesn’t usually taste salty, it tastes more like caramel.

The same principle shows up across baking and pastry. Bakers add salt to chocolate desserts to deepen the chocolate flavor, and salted butter is standard in many French pastries for the same reason. In caramel drinks, the salt works best when it’s added directly into the sauce, not just sprinkled on top at the end.

What Milk to Choose? 

The milk you use changes both the texture and the way the caramel comes through in the drink. Some options make the caramel taste richer and smoother, while others pull more attention toward the coffee or the milk itself. In most cases, whole milk and oat milk are the best choices.

• Oat milk: Best non-dairy option for salted caramel macchiatos. Its natural sweetness boosts the caramel flavor, and it froths well. Especially good for the iced version.
• Whole dairy milk: Best choice for the hot version if you want thick foam and a richer mouthfeel.
• Almond milk: Usable, but the nutty flavor competes with the caramel.
• Skim or 2% milk: Completely fine to use, but the drink will feel lighter and less creamy, closer to sweetened coffee than a traditional macchiato.

How to Make It Without an Espresso Machine?

Espresso is always the best option. But if you don’t have an espresso machine, there are a few workarounds.

• Strong cold brew concentrate: A great alternative for the iced version. You can adjust the dilution ratio to find the balance that tastes best to you.
• Moka pot: A strong option for the hot version. It won’t taste exactly like espresso, but it comes close enough that most people will barely notice the difference.
• Espresso pods: Nespresso-style machines can also work well. Use darker or more concentrated pods so the coffee flavor still stands out against the caramel and milk.

Instant coffee or regular brewed black coffee won’t work as well here. They don’t have the concentrated coffee flavor needed to balance the caramel and salt.

Worth Ordering vs. Worth Making

A salted caramel macchiato is worth making at home if you already have caramel sauce in the fridge or prefer a milk option that coffee shops don’t usually carry. It also makes sense if you enjoy the process itself, especially on slower evenings when making the sauce feels more relaxing than inconvenient.

It’s worth ordering if you don’t want to deal with making caramel sauce from scratch. The extra 15 minutes are real, and so is the sticky saucepan afterward. Canal Coffee’s Sea Salt Caramel Macchiato is one of the signature drinks that we perfected, and it tastes absolutely delicious.

FAQ

How many calories are in a salted caramel macchiato?

At Canal Coffee, a 12 oz salted caramel macchiato contains 340 calories. A homemade version using the recipe above usually lands somewhere between 300 and 400 calories per drink, depending on the milk you use. Whole dairy milk tends to be on the higher end, while skim milk or oat milk usually comes in a bit lower.

What’s the difference between a salted caramel macchiato and a salted caramel mocha?

A salted caramel mocha uses chocolate sauce and toffee nut syrup, while a salted caramel macchiato uses vanilla syrup and salted caramel sauce. The mocha is fully mixed, while the macchiato is layered with espresso poured over the milk. Flavor-wise, the mocha leans chocolatey, while the macchiato is more caramel-forward.