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Cuban Café Con Leche: Recipe and Breakfast Guide

By Ali Can DoralarReviewed by Online Coffee Guide editorial teamPublished Updated 6 min read

Cuban café con leche is a breakfast drink of strong coffee and hot milk, usually sweetened to taste and often served with buttered Cuban toast. A moka pot works at home; cafés may use espresso. Adjust the milk balance and sweetness to taste.

Cuban café con leche in a ceramic breakfast cup beside buttered toast and a moka pot
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Drink Snapshot

Caffeine
Depends on the moka brewEspresso-only reference: 126 mg in 60 ml (2 US fl oz)Mayo Clinic reference for 60 ml (2 US fl oz) prepared espresso.
Calories
About 145 kcalWhole milk + 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar + generic espresso energy proxyAbout 115 kcal without added sugar; toast excluded.
Serving, sugar and sources
Serving
1 breakfast cup; 60 ml (2 US fl oz) coffee + 180 g (¾ US cup) milk
Made with
Prepared strong coffee + hot milk
Sugar
About 17 g total. About 9 g naturally present in milk plus the optional 8 g added sugar.
Preparation
About 5 minutes with coffee prepared

USDA ingredient estimates use an espresso energy allowance for the coffee. Milk and added sugar account for almost all estimated calories. See the full calculation or label comparison.

Key Takeaways

  • 1For one home example, combine 60 ml (2 US fl oz) prepared coffee with 180 g (¾ US cup) whole milk; add up to 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar to taste.
  • 2Café con leche is a larger, milkier serving than a cortadito. A thick foam cap is optional.
  • 3Milk has naturally present sugar: this example has about 9 g without sweetener, or 17 g with the full 8 g added.
On This Page10 Sections

This milkier Cuban-style breakfast version lets you choose the sweetness separately. Our general café con leche guide starts with a smaller equal-volume serving. Choose the milk balance you prefer.

Cuban Café Con Leche Recipe

Use a 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) mug with room to combine the coffee and milk.

Recipe

Cuban-Style Café con Leche

Makes:
1 breakfast serving
Time:
About 5 minutes with coffee prepared; brewing additional

Ingredients

  • 60 ml (2 US fl oz) prepared unsweetened moka coffee or espresso
  • 180 g (¾ US cup) whole milk, weighed cold
  • 8 g (2 US tsp) white sugar, optional

Equipment

  • Coffee brewer
  • measuring jug
  • kitchen scale
  • small pan
  • thermometer
  • spoon
  • 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) mug

Method

  1. Measure the coffee. Set aside 60 ml (2 US fl oz) prepared unsweetened coffee; this is finished coffee, not brewer water.
  2. Warm the milk. Heat all 180 g (¾ US cup) milk in a pan, stirring, to 60–65°C (140–149°F). Avoid boiling; keep foam minimal.
  3. Choose the sweetness. Dissolve optional 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar in the hot milk. Omit it if the coffee is already sweetened.
  4. Combine. Pour the milk and coffee into a warmed 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) mug and stir. Leave room to stir.
  5. Serve. Taste and drink comfortably hot. Buttered toast is optional and excluded from nutrition.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 145 calories; total sugar 17 g. Serving: 1 drink; includes optional 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar.

Recipe notes

With 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar: about 145 kcal, 17 g sugar; without: 115 kcal, 9 g sugar. USDA estimate uses an espresso energy proxy.

Caffeine depends on the coffee base. For the espresso alternative, the generic reference is 126 mg per 60 ml (2 US fl oz).

Without an espresso machine: brew a moka pot at its intended capacity, following its manufacturer’s instructions, then measure the 60 ml (2 US fl oz) portion from the finished coffee. Moka coffee is a concentrated stovetop brew; it is not espresso made under espresso-machine pressure.

The milk temperature is a gentle home starting point, consistent with Breville’s milk guidance. Some family recipes heat milk more strongly. Keep the milk smooth, with minimal foam.

Cuban café con leche home recipe with 60 ml coffee, 180 g whole milk and optional 8 g sugar; about 9 g milk sugar plus 8 g added sugar gives 17 g total
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Milk supplies natural sugar even when you omit the optional sweetener.

Cuban Café Con Leche Caffeine, Calories and Sugar

Choose your sweetness: the unsweetened version is about 115 kcal and 9 g total sugar; the optional 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar version is about 145 kcal and 17 g total sugar.

The moka version’s caffeine is unmeasured. As a separate reference, Mayo Clinic lists 63 mg per 30 ml (1 US fl oz) espresso, or 126 mg for 60 ml (2 US fl oz). Adding milk changes concentration and taste; it does not remove caffeine already in the coffee.

Serving calculation and ingredient basis

The 145 kcal estimate uses 180 g whole milk, 8 g sugar and a small generic espresso energy allowance for the coffee. USDA reference values give approximately 110 kcal from milk + 31 kcal from sugar + 5 kcal from coffee. The same milk supplies about 9 g naturally present sugar; the sweetened version has about 17 g total sugar.

How Changing Sugar Changes This Cup

Keep the coffee and 180 g (¾ US cup) whole-milk portion the same. These calculations use the same USDA references and rounded calorie estimates; they do not include toast.

How Changing Sugar Changes This CupScrollable table
How Changing Sugar Changes This Cup
Added white sugarEstimated caloriesTotal sugar, including milk
NoneAbout 115 kcalAbout 9 g
4 g (1 US tsp)About 130 kcalAbout 13 g
8 g (2 US tsp), the full recipe optionAbout 145 kcalAbout 17 g
12 g (1 US tbsp)About 160 kcalAbout 21 g

Changing to evaporated milk, a plant drink or a larger milk portion needs a new calculation from the relevant label. Unsweetened evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are different ingredients.

What Is the Cuban Café Con Leche Coffee-to-Milk Ratio?

Start with 60 ml (2 US fl oz) prepared coffee and 180 g (¾ US cup) whole milk, then adjust the balance to taste. Jamie Silva’s Cuban breakfast recipe starts with a quarter-cup coffee and half-cup milk, then adjusts to taste. Café Bustelo’s published version uses a larger batch, whipped sugar and foamed milk. Both show how the coffee and milk balance can be adjusted.

This Cuban café con leche is milkier than a small cortadito. Coffee is measured by volume and milk by weight. If you want more coffee presence, try a smaller milk portion first; adding more coffee also changes caffeine. If the coffee itself tastes burnt, change the brew rather than adding sugar repeatedly.

Does It Need Espumita?

No. Espumita is the sweet foam made by beating a little coffee with sugar. It is useful for a cafecito, but you can make this breakfast cup by dissolving sugar directly in the hot milk, as Silva’s method does. A milkier café con leche does not need to keep a distinct foam cap.

For the whipped-sugar alternative, half of our linked Cuban-coffee batch supplies 60 ml (2 US fl oz) prepared coffee and 12 g (1 US tbsp) sugar. Use that half-batch with 180 g (¾ US cup) milk and omit the extra 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar. It produces the sweeter, approximately 160 kcal / 21 g total-sugar example above. Half the mixed batch is the instruction; measuring 60 ml (2 US fl oz) of an already-sweetened mixture would not give the same coffee and sugar amounts.

Café Con Leche vs. Cortadito and Latte

Café con Leche vs Cortadito and LatteScrollable table
Café con Leche vs Cortadito and Latte
DrinkWhat usually distinguishes itUseful ordering question
Cuban café con lecheA larger milk-coffee serving, commonly sweetened and paired with breakfastHow much coffee, and is sugar already added?
CortaditoA small sweet coffee with a smaller portion of milk; proportions varyWhole milk or evaporated milk?
Cafecito / café cubanoSmall sweet coffee without milk; espumita is characteristicIs this one serving or a shared colada?
LatteEspresso with a larger portion of textured milk; sugar is optionalWhat size and how many shots?
Spanish-style café con lecheCoffee and hot milk, often in roughly equal volumes; local practice variesWhat coffee base and milk balance are used?

The Greater Miami tourism board’s ordering guide distinguishes a small cortadito from café con leche and a shared colada. Use those names to choose the coffee and milk balance you want.

What Does Cuban Café Con Leche Taste Like?

Expect milk to soften the impression of a concentrated coffee, with sweetness from lactose and any added sugar. A roast with cocoa or toasted-nut notes may work well, but choose the roast you enjoy. The goal in this home version is a smooth, evenly mixed cup rather than layers or a thick foam topping.

Cuban Café Con Leche Troubleshooting

Cuban Café con Leche Troubleshooting
Cuban Café con Leche Troubleshooting
ProblemLikely adjustment
Too sweetStart with unsweetened coffee and use less added sugar; check whether a prepared cafecito is already sweetened.
Too milkyReduce the measured milk portion or increase the finished coffee portion. Recalculate nutrition and caffeine assumptions accordingly.
Harsh or burntCheck the coffee and avoid overheating milk. More sugar does not repair a scorched ingredient.
Milk skin or excessive foamStir gently while heating, introduce less air and combine promptly.
Weak coffee from a tiny moka batchFollow the pot’s designed fill, then measure the brewed portion; use a suitably sized brewer.

History and Culture

The Spanish phrase means “coffee with milk,” but this page focuses on a Cuban breakfast preparation rather than defining every use of the name. Cuban-American recipe developer Jamie Silva describes serving it with buttered Cuban toast and adjusting coffee and milk to taste. Coffee may arrive separately from the milk so the drinker can mix their preferred balance.

At a café, ask whether the coffee arrives sweetened and whether you can adjust the balance. “Sin azúcar” requests no added sugar; it does not remove the sugar naturally present in dairy milk.

Common Questions

Is Cuban café con leche the same as a latte?
Both combine coffee and milk, but Cuban café con leche belongs to a different breakfast and ordering tradition. It can use moka coffee at home and is commonly sweetened. A latte uses espresso and textured milk. Cup size and recipes overlap.
Can I use evaporated or condensed milk?
Unsweetened evaporated milk makes a different, more concentrated dairy version. Sweetened condensed milk also adds substantial sugar. Neither is a nutrition-equivalent swap for the 180 g (¾ US cup) whole milk here; use its label and adjust sweetness.
Can I make it without sugar?
Yes. Start with unsweetened coffee and omit the optional sugar. This whole-milk example still has about 9 g naturally present sugar.
Can I use decaf coffee?
Yes. Use decaf moka coffee or espresso. It usually contains some caffeine, and the amount still depends on the coffee and preparation.

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading

8 references

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