Sip the flavor of fall with this cozy apple crisp macchiato recipe, layered with fresh espresso flavored with homemade apple simple syrup, milk, and a spiced apple drizzle. Enjoy it hot or iced—and the best part is that you don’t have to wait for the Starbucks seasonal menu because you can make the tasty Autumn beverage year-round!
What is the Apple Crisp Macchiato?
Just when you thought Starbucks had fall covered with the Pumpkin Spice Latte, they surprised us in 2021 with the Apple Crisp Macchiato, and apple lovers everywhere rejoiced.
In Italian, macchiato translates to “stained” or “marked,” referring to espresso topped with just a spoonful (or two) of milk foam. Starbucks puts its own spin on the classic by adding flavored syrups, sauces, and a café-style approach with extra milk to create the sweet drink people line up for.
That’s why making the drink at home is so great—some people like just a touch of milk, others like it creamier.
For a traditional Italian macchiato, pull the espresso shots, mix them with apple simple syrup, and “mark” the espresso with a spoonful of milk foam and a caramel lattice.
If you enjoy a latte macchiato (like the one at Starbucks), you will start with steamed milk and pour the espresso mixed with apple simple syrup over the top to get the layered effect of a macchiato.
While you can grab one in-store, skip the line and make it at home with this easy, homemade apple crisp macchiato recipe.
What’s in the Starbucks Apple Crisp Macchiato?
When you buy the drink at Starbucks, it includes two shots of Blonde Starbucks Espresso, mixed with three pumps of apple brown sugar syrup, and poured over one cup of steamed or iced oat milk. They finish the macchiato with a lattice-shaped spiced apple drizzle that looks like a warm apple pie in a cup.
Key Ingredients
This copycat Apple Crisp Macchiato recipe features fresh apples, homemade syrup, and a caramel sauce for the ultimate fall drink, but don’t worry. You can easily swap in store-bought syrup and sauce to keep things simple. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it at home.
- Apple Crisp Syrup: Simmer chopped apples—Granny Smith Apples, Empire, Gala, Golden Delicious, or McIntosh—with apple cider, a cinnamon stick, brown sugar, and cloves to create the homemade syrup. If you don’t feel like making it from scratch, mix apple syrup with brown sugar syrup or brown sugar cinnamon syrup into the espresso instead.
- Caramel Apple Sauce: Prepare the caramel apple drizzle to create a lattice-shaped topping to your drink. All you need is granulated sugar, apple cider or apple juice (not apple cider vinegar), butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon to make your own. Torani caramel sauce works just as well for the signature drizzle.
- Espresso: A classic Starbucks macchiato uses two shots of blonde espresso, but at home, you can improvise with what you have. Instant coffee, cold brew coffee, or a strong drip coffee works in a pinch; just measure about a half a cup.
- Milk: Starbucks uses creamy oat milk, but feel free to use your preferred milk—whole milk, almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk.
Additions and Substitutions
- Make it stronger. Use an extra shot of espresso or less milk if you prefer a bolder coffee flavor.
- Can I use regular coffee instead of espresso? Just brew a strong half cup of coffee and use it as a substitute for the espresso. You can also try it with instant coffee or cold brew concentrate if you don’t have an espresso machine or Moka pot.
How to Make a Apple Crisp Macchiato Recipe
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Prepare the Apple Crisp Syrup
Step 1: Simmer water, brown sugar, chopped apples, a cinnamon stick, and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: Slowly pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into an airtight container or glass jar and set it aside.
Tip
Don’t toss the apples. You can use them to make recipes like warm apple pie, turnovers, or an apple tart crumble.
Make the Caramel Apple Sauce
Step 1: Warm sugar and apple cider in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Continue simmering until the mixture becomes clear and starts to bubble.
Step 2: Once bubbling, do not stir. Instead, gently swirl the pan to keep everything moving. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to scrape down the sides of the pan, preventing sugar crystals from forming.
Step 3: Sugar clumps will start to form. Continue simmering and swirling the pan for about 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture darkens.
Step 4: Add the butter and stir it into the mixture quickly until it has completely melted, then remove the pan from the heat.
Tip
The sugar will bubble rapidly, so stir it continuously to prevent the sugar from burning to the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: Off heat, stir in the heavy cream a little at a time. Then, mix in the vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set the caramel aside for 10 minutes to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container or glass jar.
Assemble the Apple Crisp Macchiato
Step 1: Pull two espresso shots and mix them with 2-3 tablespoons of apple crisp syrup.
Step 2: Steam the milk and froth it with a milk frother (for a hot macchiato).
Step 3: Transfer the espresso to a drinking glass or mug, and pour the frothed milk over the top. Add a scoop of ice (for an iced macchiato), but do not stir. Then, use the apple drizzle to create a caramel lattice topping just like Starbucks.
Expert Tips
- Gently heat the syrup. Warm the apple simple syrup ingredients over low heat, just enough to dissolve the sugar. Don’t let it boil. Once the sugar dissolves, remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container or jar.
- Watch the caramel sauce. The sugar and apple cider will look cloudy at first, but as it heats, the mixture will turn clear and begin to bubble. Once sugar clumps start forming, keep a close eye on the pan to prevent the sugar from burning. Stir until the color deepens into a rich amber brown. Add the butter and whisk continuously until you achieve a smooth, glossy caramel; then remove the pan from the heat.
- Order matters. Start by adding your espresso or coffee, depending on what you’re using. Dissolve the simple syrup directly into the hot espresso to ensure it blends instead of sinking to the bottom. Next, you can steam and froth the milk. Pour the espresso into whatever drinking glass or mug you’re using. Finally, pour the milk over the milk for a classic “stained” or “marked” Italian macchiato effect.
If you enjoy this apple crisp macchiato recipe, try more drink recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy the apple macchiato hot or iced with your favorite breakfast treat. Grab a banana carrot muffin, sourdough discard scone, old-fashioned cinnamon roll, or a thick slice of a Hawaiian roll french toast.
If you need something more filling, try it with Starbucks favorites like sous vide egg bites or a hearty breakfast sandwich. You love this turkey and egg sandwich with chili aioli!
What To Do With Leftovers
Although making the extras for the apple crisp macchiato recipe is somewhat labor-intensive, you will have enough leftovers to create delicious fall drinks and other recipes.
- Store the leftover apple crisp syrup in an airtight container or glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one month.
- Pour any leftover caramel apple sauce into an airtight container or glass jar. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. It will thicken as it cools, but you can microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it before using it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you supposed to stir an apple crisp macchiato?
A traditional macchiato is not stirred, but since it’s your drink, you can do whatever you want.
Is this apple crisp macchiato recipe better iced or hot?
The flavor is mostly the same, but I find the iced version tastes more apple-forward than the hot version. I should mention that I am an iced coffee girlie, so my opinion may be biased.
What does the Starbucks apple crisp macchiato taste like?
It tastes like a caramel apple in a cup or one of those caramel apple lollipops with the green wrapper.
What I love most about this coffee drink is that it has a strong apple flavor without being overly sweet. Sure, there’s sugar in the syrup and the caramel sauce, but it comes out tasting balanced.
More Recipes With Fruit:
Apple Crisp Macchiato Recipe
- Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup apple cider or apple juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup apple cider or apple juice
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 shots espresso
- 2-3 tablespoons apple crisp syrup
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon caramel apple sauce, to garnish
- Simmer water, brown sugar, chopped apples, a cinnamon stick, and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Slowly pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into an airtight container or glass jar and set it aside.
- Warm sugar and apple cider in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Continue simmering until the mixture becomes clear and starts to bubble.
- Once bubbling, do not stir. Instead, gently swirl the pan to keep everything moving. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to scrape down the sides of the pan, preventing sugar crystals from forming.
- Sugar clumps will start to form. Continue simmering and swirling the pan for about 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture darkens.
- Add the butter and stir it into the mixture quickly until it has completely melted, then remove the pan from the heat.Tip: The sugar will bubble rapidly, so stir it continuously to prevent the sugar from burning to the bottom of the pan.
- Off heat, stir in the heavy cream a little at a time. Then, mix in the vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set the caramel aside for 10 minutes to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container or glass jar.
- Pull two espresso shots and mix them with 2-3 tablespoons of apple crisp syrup.
- Steam the milk and froth it with a milk frother (for a hot macchiato).
- Transfer the espresso to a drinking glass or mug, and pour the frothed milk over the top. Add a scoop of ice (for an iced macchiato), but do not stir. Then, use the apple drizzle to create a caramel lattice topping just like Starbucks.
- Gently heat the syrup. Warm the apple simple syrup ingredients over low heat, just enough to dissolve the sugar. Don’t let it boil. Once the sugar dissolves, remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container or jar.
- Watch the caramel sauce. The sugar and apple cider will look cloudy at first, but as it heats, the mixture will turn clear and begin to bubble. Once sugar clumps start forming, keep a close eye on the pan to prevent the sugar from burning. Stir until the color deepens into a rich amber brown. Add the butter and whisk continuously until you achieve a smooth, glossy caramel; then remove the pan from the heat.
- Order matters. Start by adding your espresso or coffee, depending on what you’re using. Dissolve the simple syrup directly into the hot espresso to ensure it blends instead of sinking to the bottom. Next, you can steam and froth the milk. Pour the espresso into whatever drinking glass or mug you’re using. Finally, pour the milk over the milk for a classic “stained” or “marked” Italian macchiato effect.