Are Iced Coffees and Iced Lattes the Same Thing? No, and Here’s Why

Learn the key differences between iced coffees and iced lattes: ingredients, calories, taste, and more

Co-authored by Johnathan Fuentes

Last Updated: March 18, 2023 References

How Iced Coffees and Iced Lattes are Made

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Do they taste different?

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Which is healthier?

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Which has more caffeine?

Have you ever been in line at a coffee shop on a hot summer day and wondered, “Should I get an iced latte or an iced coffee?” What’s the difference, exactly? Though they look similar, these two coffee shop staples are siblings, not twins. They’re made with different ingredients, and if you taste them side by side, you can definitely tell them apart. This article explains how iced lattes and iced coffees are different. Read on to learn how they’re made, which is healthier, and which to use for your next caffeine fix.

Things You Should Know

Iced lattes are made with espresso, milk, and ice. Some people add sweeteners and other flavors too, like chocolate or caramel.
Iced coffees are made with conventional coffee and ice. Some people add milk, sugar, or other flavors.
Iced lattes taste richer and creamier than iced coffee. This is because lattes are mostly milk, while coffee usually contains a small amount of milk, or none at all.
Both iced lattes and iced coffees can be high in calories, especially if you order large sizes or add sugar. However, iced coffees usually have more caffeine.

Section 1 of 4:

How Iced Coffees and Iced Lattes are Made

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An iced latte is made with espresso (plus, milk and ice too). An espresso machine pressurizes water, heats it, and “pulls” it through a special blend of finely-ground coffee beans. If done correctly, the espresso should be creamy and thick, with a small amount of foam on top.^{[1]
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Research source} The espresso is quickly combined with ice and milk, and that's how you make an iced latte.^{[2]
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- Some people enjoy adding other ingredients to iced lattes, including sweeteners, chocolate, and caramel, among many other options.
- Lattes are traditionally served hot. In this case, the milk is steamed until it gets foamy. The steamed milk is then poured over freshly-pulled espresso to make a latte.^{[3]
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An iced coffee, on the other hand, is made from regular coffee. The raw coffee beans are harvested, roasted, and ground. Then, in most cases, one of two things happens: either hot water is poured over the ground beans, or the ground beans are soaked in cold water overnight.^{[4]
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- When hot water is used, the beans release flavors into the water, creating hot coffee, which can then be poured over ice.^{[5]
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  Research source} When cold water is used, the beans slowly release their flavors over several hours, creating cold coffee that is collected and served the next day.
- Many people add milk, sugar, and other ingredients to their coffee. This can make the coffee look like a latte, but regular coffee contains much less milk than a latte.
- You can make cold brew in tons of exciting ways. You can even add coffee-infused ice cubes to your brew!

Section 2 of 4:

Do they taste different?

Iced lattes usually taste richer and bolder than iced coffee. This is because iced lattes contain more milk than iced coffee, which makes them creamier and more filling.^{[6]
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Research source} The espresso in iced lattes also has a bolder, more intense flavor than coffee.^{[7]
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Research source} Though the flavor of iced coffee can vary depending on the coffee beans used to make it—specifically, how long they were roasted—most iced coffee tastes fairly mild, or not too bold.^{[8]
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- Light roast coffees, which are made from lightly-roasted coffee beans, are generally fruity-tasting and not too bitter. Bold roasts are made from well-roasted beans, giving them a more bitter flavor.^{[9]
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- Most Iced coffee is prepared in ways that prevent it from tasting too bitter. For example, cold brewing naturally reduces the acidity of the coffee, preventing it from becoming bitter regardless of whether bold or light roasted beans are used.^{[10]
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Section 3 of 4:

Which is healthier?

Both drinks can be high in calories, but typically, lattes have more. The exact calorie count depends on the size of your drink and what you add to it. Sugar, cream, whole milk, and other ingredients like chocolate syrup can add hundreds of calories. Though, a Starbucks extra-large (“venti”) cold brewed iced coffee with no milk or sugar contains just 4 calories. Meanwhile, a venti iced latte with whole milk contains 210 calories. So if you resist the add-ons, lattes are probably a healthier bet.^{[11]
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Trustworthy Source
University of Rochester Medical Center
Leading academic medical center in the U.S. focused on clinical care and research
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- Though, as mentioned, cold brews rack up calories quickly with extras. A Dunkin Donuts medium cold brew iced coffee has just 5 calories. But if you add cream and sugar, the same drink contains 190 calories.
- Looking to lower your drink's calories? Low-fat milk, unsweetened nondairy milk like coconut or almond milk, and alternative sweeteners like sucralose (the main ingredient in Splenda) will add far fewer calories to your drink.^{[12]
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- A single sugar packet adds about 23 calories to your drink. So if you prefer your coffee super sweet, you might be consuming hundreds of calories from sugar alone.^{[13]
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Section 4 of 4:

Which has more caffeine?

Iced coffees usually have more caffeine than iced lattes. This is because an iced latte only contains a small amount of espresso, whereas an iced coffee is mostly coffee. Espresso has more caffeine per volume, but an iced coffee has more caffeine overall—assuming the drinks are the same size.^{[14]
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- Lattes are usually made with espresso 1-2 shots, though some larger sizes have more.^{[15]
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  Research source} Even so, they still contain less caffeine in total than a similar-sized cup of coffee.
- The amount of caffeine in coffee and espresso can vary depending on the brewing method, coffee beans used, and other factors.^{[16]
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  Trustworthy Source
  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
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