Iced London Fog Latte Recipe

Learn how to make an Iced London Fog Latte at home with this step-by-step tutorial and recipe! I included two versions: Classic iced latte and sweet cream!

If you’re looking for a highly flavorful drink to add into your tea rotation, may I suggest an Iced London Fog Tea Latte.

The Earl Grey tea is good and pungent, and my recipe calls for 2 tea bags to ensure the flavor shines through (we don’t want barely-flavored iced tea lattes here!).

Plus I included two ways to make this drink: the classic iced Earl Grey tea latte, and a second version featuring a delicious vanilla sweet cream (the second version is my personal favorite).

Are you ready to learn how to make them? Okay, let’s get started!

Quick aside: If you prefer a hot drink, make sure to check out my Hot London Fog Tea Latte recipe!

Video Tutorial

Here’s a video tutorial in case you learn better by watching a demonstration. The full written tutorial and recipe card are below!

Ingredient Notes: Traditional Iced Latte

For the traditional iced latte version, here’s what you’ll need:

• Earl Grey Tea Bags: As I mentioned before, I use 2 tea bags to ensure the flavor is strong enough. You should be able to find Earl Grey tea bags at most grocery stores. I like black tea Earl Grey, but I’m sure you could experiment with another variety. Make sure that bergamot oil is in the ingredient list!
• Lavender: This is optional, but it does add an extra layer of flavor. Make sure you source organic, food grade lavender flowers! Use just half a teaspoon for a touch of lavender flavor, or a full teaspoon for a bolder flavor.
• Boiling Water: I wanted to make this into a tea concentrate to avoid a watery iced latte, so I only use ½ cup of water to brew the tea.
• Ice Cubes: I like to use a medium-sized ice cube for this drink, but any size will do!
• Vanilla Syrup: Starbucks uses vanilla syrup to sweeten and flavor their version, so use that for the most accurate recreation. See the Substitutions section at the end of this post for some ideas for what to use instead. You can use a store-bought syrup or my Homemade Vanilla Syrup.
• Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk for their version, but I like to use whole milk for a creamier, richer flavor.
• Cream: Starbucks doesn’t include any cream in their version, so skip this and use more milk if you prefer a leaner drink.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Place the lavender in a tea strainer and close tightly.

If you don’t own a tea strainer, you could simply place the lavender in the boiling water, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve when it’s done brewing.

Pour ½ cup of boiling water into a heat safe glass or measuring cup.

Add the tea bags and lavender to the hot water.

Cover and allow to steep for 5 minutes.

Add the ice cubes to a 12 to 16 ounce glass. Pour the milk and cream on top.

Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of vanilla syrup and mix well.

When the tea is done steep, remove the lavender and squeeze out the tea bags.

Yes, I know this is controversial. I like to squeeze the bags to extract more flavor. If you are completely opposed to this, just skip it!

Pour the brewed tea over the milk/cream/vanilla syrup mixture in the glass.

Serving

Serve immediately.

You can either mix everything together, or keep the layers separate. It’s mostly an aesthetic preference between stirring and not stirring.

Ingredient Notes: Sweet Cream Cold Foam Version

Now it’s time for the sweet cream version (my personal favorite)! You’ll be using all of the same ingredients as the classic iced latte, but in different ratios.

The main difference is you’ll be brewing the tea with more water, and you’ll use a higher ratio of cream.

Also, you’ll use the syrup to sweeten both the tea and the sweet cream.

Pour the boiling water into a heat proof glass or measuring cup, but this time use ⅔ cup. I chose this amount to mimic the flavor strength of cold brew.

Add the lavender (in a tea strainer) and tea bags to the boil water.

Cover and allow to steep for 5 minutes.

Remove the lavender and squeeze out the tea bags (or don’t if you prefer).

Pour the brewed tea over 1 cup of ice in a 16 ounce glass.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla syrup and stir well.

Making the Sweet Cream:

Place the vanilla, cream, and milk in a small glass or measuring cup.

Whip with a handheld milk frother until it increases in volume and thickens somewhat.

You don’t want to over-mix it, otherwise it will become very thick and won’t mix well with the rest of the drink.

Pour the sweet cream over the tea/ice mixture.

Look how beautiful that is!

Serve immediately.

What a wonderful way to still enjoy your daily cup of tea during the warmer months!

Make-Ahead:

You could brew up a double batch (or an even bigger batch) of tea, then store what you don’t use in an airtight container in the refrigerator for the next day.

Substitutions:

• Vanilla Syrup: If you don’t have any vanilla syrup on hand, make sure to check out my Vanilla Syrup Substitute post. You could also use ¾ teaspoon of sugar or another dry sweetener for each “pump” of syrup. If you opt for a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar, you can substitute at a 1:1 ratio and add a bit of vanilla extract.
• Milk: For the classic iced latte version, you can substitute your favorite plant based milk and creamer for the milk and cream. I personally prefer oat milk over almond milk or coconut milk for iced drinks, but if you love one of those, by all means use it! Now the sweet cream version relies on the cream to thicken the mixture, so a plant-based alternative probably won’t work as well there.
• Lavender Flowers: If you have a hard time sourcing lavender flowers, you could always try using a lavender syrup for part or all of the sweetener. You should be able to find one at most grocery stores. Another option would be to purchase a lavender Earl Grey tea.

What’s in a Starbucks Iced London Fog Latte?

The Starbucks Iced London Fog is made from ice, milk (2% is the standard), tea, water, and vanilla syrup.

Here is the full ingredient list:

Ice, Milk, An infusion of [water, black tea, bergamot essence, lavender flowers], Vanilla Syrup [sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid]

How Much Sugar is in the Starbucks Iced London Fog?

A tall Starbucks iced London Fog Latte contains 19 grams of sugar. The Grande has 25 grams of sugar, and a Venti has 37 grams of sugar.

How Much Caffeine is in the Starbucks Version?

A tall Starbucks iced London Fog Latte (which is made with only 1 tea bag) has around 40 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, a tall Iced Caffè Latte contains 75 milligrams of caffeine, or a little under double the amount of the iced tea latte.

So while this drink has less caffeine than an espresso-based drink, it still has a pretty good amount. I sometimes use a decaf Earl Grey tea, so in that case it’s caffeine-free.

Price Comparison (How much money you’ll save making it at home):

A tall Starbucks Iced London Fog Latte will cost around $4.95 before tax and tips (it will probably be closer to $6 when all is said and done).

My homemade version will cost you just $1.25 if you use a similar quality of ingredients as Starbucks. Of course if you opt for organic milk, cream, and tea, the price will go up. But it will still be more affordable than the non-organic Starbucks version!

More Tea Recipes

Recipe Card