Dairy free Fall Iced Coffee Recipe with Maple and Cinnamon

This fall iced coffee gets its flavor from maple syrup and cinnamon, with coconut (or regular) whipped cream and a thin drizzle of caramel on top.

It’s made for the days when the calendar says fall but the afternoon hasn’t caught up yet.

Grab your tallest glass and let’s make it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• There’s no seasonal coffee syrup to track down, because the fall flavor comes from two pantry staples.
• Five ingredients plus ice make the everyday version, and the whipped cream and caramel are there for the days you want a treat.
• It’s vegan and dairy free, with almond milk in the glass and coconut whipped cream on top.

Want a Fall Iced Coffee That Isn’t Pumpkin Spice?

This one is for anyone who sat out pumpkin season and still wants something that feels like fall in the glass. And if you turn out to be team pumpkin after all, the dairy free pumpkin spice latte with oat milk is the hot version, made with real pumpkin puree.

It also works for:

• The friend who orders iced coffee in every season, frost or no frost
• A slow Saturday morning when a plain cup of coffee won’t do
• A coffee date at home with someone who doesn’t do dairy

It’s gluten free with almond milk, and with oat milk as long as the carton says certified gluten free. If you’re keeping it vegan, the caramel drizzle is the one topping to check.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brewed coffee (240 ml), from about 2 tablespoons ground coffee (10 g)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (120 ml), or another plant milk
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup (15 to 30 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1 g), plus more for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 ml)
• Ice cubes
• Optional: coconut whipped cream, for topping
• Optional: caramel sauce, for drizzling

Brewed coffee. A French press or a drip machine both work, as long as you end up with 1 cup. It goes into the glass while it’s still warm, so there’s no need to brew it ahead and chill it.

Almond milk. Unsweetened almond milk leaves the maple syrup in charge of how sweet the drink gets. Any other plant milk works in the same amount.

Maple syrup. Use pure maple syrup rather than pancake syrup, which is a different product. Carob syrup works in the same amount if that’s what you have.

The toppings. Coconut whipped cream keeps the topping dairy free. The caramel needs a closer look, since classic caramel sauce is made with butter and cream. This silky vegan caramel sauce uses coconut cream instead, and because it firms up in the fridge, warm it briefly so it drizzles.

How to Make It

1. Brew the coffee.

Brew 1 cup (240 ml) of coffee from about 2 tablespoons (10 g) of ground coffee. If you’re using a French press, pour in just enough hot water to wet the grounds first and wait for the bubbling to settle before filling it. Freshly roasted coffee holds gas that pushes water away, and letting it escape means the rest of the water soaks the grounds evenly. Pre-ground coffee will bubble less, since most of that gas is already gone.

2. Stir in the maple syrup and cinnamon.

In a glass, stir the cinnamon into the maple syrup until it forms a smooth paste, then whisk in the warm coffee. Ground cinnamon doesn’t dissolve, and sprinkled straight onto hot coffee it tends to clump on the surface, so mixing it into the syrup first helps it spread through the glass. Start with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and taste before adding the second, while the coffee is still warm enough for it to blend in easily. If the coffee is still hot after that, let it cool a little so it doesn’t melt the ice too fast and water the drink down.

3. Pour it over ice.

Fill a tall glass with fresh ice and pour the cinnamon coffee over it.

4. Add the almond milk and vanilla.

Pour in the almond milk and vanilla, then stir well. The milk goes in last for a reason: almond milk can curdle when it meets hot coffee, and by this point the ice has taken the heat out of it.

5. Top it off.

Add a spoonful of coconut whipped cream, drizzle over the caramel if you’re using it, and finish with a light dusting of cinnamon. Serve it right away.

Tips and Variations

Freeze leftover coffee into ice cubes. Regular ice melts into water as the glass sits, while coffee ice cubes melt into more coffee, so the last few sips don’t turn watery.

Use cold brew concentrate instead. Dilute it as the label directs to make 1 cup, and there’s nothing to brew or cool. Mix the cinnamon into the maple syrup first, then stir it into the cold brew thoroughly, since syrup blends into cold coffee more slowly than into warm.

Sweeten it with honey. Honey works in the same amount if you’re not keeping the drink vegan. Stir it into the coffee while it’s warm, because honey thickens as it cools and won’t blend in easily once the ice is involved.

Ways to Serve It

• With a soft and chewy vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookie on the side, if you’d like the pumpkin on the plate instead of in the glass.
• With biscotti or an almond cookie for an afternoon coffee break.
• As a fall brunch drink for four. Stir 2 teaspoons (4 g) cinnamon into 1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 ml) maple syrup, whisk in 4 cups (960 ml) warm brewed coffee, and let it cool before adding 2 cups (480 ml) almond milk and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla. Set out glasses of ice with the coconut whipped cream, caramel and a small bowl of cinnamon so everyone can finish their own, and stir the pitcher before each pour, since the cinnamon settles.

Related Recipes

• Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate with Almond Milk, for when the weather finally turns and a hot mug makes more sense.

• Lavender Iced Coffee with Vanilla and Almond Milk, with lavender syrup in place of the maple and cinnamon.

• Silky Vegan Caramel Sauce, for making the caramel drizzle from scratch.

Before the Weather Turns

Iced coffee season doesn’t have to end when the leaves start turning, and this is an easy way to stretch it out. Make two while you’re at it, since a coffee break is better with someone across the table. Save this fall iced coffee recipe to Pinterest so it’s ready the next time an afternoon runs warm. 🍂