Almost Better than Starbucks Vanilla Steamer Recipe

Last week I shared my all time favorite “Better Than Starbucks Hot Chocolate Recipe” but have you tried sleeping after sipping on 8 oz. of semi-sweet goodness? At night before I go to sleep, I like to wind down a little with something hot to drink, but if I want to actually go to sleep I have to cut out the chocolate. So I turn to my back-up beverage, a vanilla steamer (also called hot vanilla)!

But there is no middle ground with a vanilla steamer, it is either totally amazing or totally gross. I have tried just using sugar and vanilla extract, but it is not the same. After a little experimentation, I finally have it. It rivals Starbucks, but doesn’t quite beat it. But it is much cheaper, super easy to make, and saves you a trip to the store. Just think, if you have one of these a day, you will be saving yourself over $1450 a year!

Almost Better than Starbucks Vanilla Steamer Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 oz fat free milk
• 1-2 tbsp. of Torani Vanilla Syrup*
• A sprinkle of Ground Saigon Cinnamon (I love this kind of cinnamon because it has a stronger and fuller flavor)

Directions

1. Pour your milk into a mug and microwave it for 1 minute and 45 seconds. It cools down once you froth it, so you want it on the hot side.
2. Add the vanilla syrup and the cinnamon and stir it just a bit.
3. Pour your milk into a milk frother. I use this frothing pitcher, but the wand frothers are also really nice because there is less you have to wash.
4. Lightly froth the milk. You don’t want to do it too much or it gets too foamy. Don’t skip this step! It won’t taste the same! And frothing is actually crazy easy to do.
5. Pour it back into your mug and add a little whip cream if you want.

Calories
Milk: 87 calories
Vanilla Syrup: 80 calories
Whip Cream: 15 calories
Total Calories: 182 calories
This is almost the same number of calories as Starbucks flavored steamed milk.

*It is also fun to experiment with different syrups. I hear the Toasted Marshmallow Syrup is super yummy and right now the Almond Roca Syrup is one of my favorites!

The cheapest place to get Torani Syrups is at Smart and Final, but you can also get them here: