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Iced Shaken Espresso: Recipe, Calories & Latte Comparison

Iced shaken espresso has a light coffee foam from shaking sweetened espresso with ice, followed by a small pour of cold milk. It stays more coffee-focused than a milkier iced latte, with an airy first sip.

By Mara EllisonReviewed by Online Coffee Guide editorial teamPublished Updated 5 min read
Iced shaken espresso with light milk swirls, large ice cubes and a thin tan coffee foam
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Drink Snapshot

Caffeine
75 mg reference36 g prepared espresso; generic USDA compositionCoffee, dose and extraction affect the caffeine estimate.
Calories
Estimated 80 kcalDefined whole-milk and sugar recipeIncludes all measured milk and sugar.
Serving, sugar and sources
Serving
1 drink: 36 g espresso, 10 g (2½ US tsp) sugar, 60 g (¼ US cup) whole milk and 150 g (5.3 oz) ice
Made with
Espresso, sugar, ice and a little cold milk
Sugar
Estimated 13 g total. 10 g added sugar plus 3 g naturally occurring milk sugar.
Preparation
About 5 minutes with espresso equipment ready

USDA composition references checked 26 September 2026. Estimates use the stated recipe quantities. See the full calculation or label comparison.

Key Takeaways
  • Shaking gives the coffee a light foam; a small milk finish keeps the espresso more noticeable than in a milky latte.
  • Drink it soon after shaking to enjoy the airy texture before the foam settles.
  • Stir the coffee over ice with the lid off until cold before closing the metal shaker.
On This Page9 Sections

What Shaking Does to Espresso

Shaking chills the coffee, mixes the sweetener and introduces air. The result has a light foam and a different first sip from espresso simply poured over ice. Foam is temporary, so make the drink when you are ready to serve it.

Starbucks' published home version uses two espresso shots and 60 ml (2 US fl oz) milk, with a shake-and-strain approach. Its café menu also describes sweetness and milk. Our recipe below sets its own gram amounts, keeps the shaking ice and adds unfrothed milk.

What Does an Iced Shaken Espresso Taste Like?

Iced shaken espresso has a brisk coffee flavor softened by sugar and a small pour of milk. Freshly shaken, its light bubbles make the first sip feel airy; underneath, the drink is cold and fluid rather than thick. The coffee leaves a clearer roasted finish than it would beneath a large milk portion.

I keep the milk addition small because I want the light coffee foam and roasted finish to remain the most noticeable parts of the drink.

How to Make Iced Shaken Espresso

Use a 330 ml (11.2 US fl oz) glass with headroom. Have the espresso machine hot and ready. A metal cocktail shaker should have room for the ice to move.

Recipe

Iced shaken espresso with milk

Makes:
1 serving
Time:
About 5 minutes, with the espresso machine ready

Ingredients

  • 18 g coffee beans, ground for espresso; brew to 36 g espresso
  • 10 g (2½ US tsp) granulated sugar
  • 150 g (5.3 oz) ice cubes
  • 60 g (¼ US cup) cold whole milk

Equipment

  • Espresso machine with a double basket suited to 18 g
  • Espresso grinder and tamper
  • Digital scale
  • Small heatproof pouring cup
  • Spoon
  • Metal cocktail shaker with room for the ice to move
  • 330 ml (11.2 US fl oz) glass
  • Timer

Method

  1. Mix. Brew 18 g ground coffee to 36 g espresso in a heatproof cup. Stir in 10 g (2½ US tsp) sugar until dissolved.
  2. Chill. Put 150 g (5.3 oz) ice in a metal cocktail shaker. Pour in the sweetened espresso and stir with the lid off until the mixture is cold.
  3. Shake. Close the shaker securely, hold both parts firmly away from your face, and shake for about 15 seconds.
  4. Serve. Pour the coffee and its ice into a 330 ml (11.2 US fl oz) glass. Add 60 g (¼ US cup) cold whole milk and stir gently if preferred. Leave headroom and serve promptly.

Estimated nutrition: 80 kcal · 13 g total sugar. Per drink, using whole milk and 10 g added sugar.

Use the espresso brewing guide to dial in the coffee before building the drink.

Sweetened espresso stirred over ice in an open shaker until cold, then shaken under a closed lid and transferred with its ice before milk is added.
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Cool the coffee before sealing the shaker and add milk after shaking.

No espresso machine? A short, concentrated moka-pot coffee can make a useful alternative. Measure 36 g (1.3 oz) of the collected coffee and dissolve 10 g (2½ US tsp) sugar in it. Stir over 150 g (5.3 oz) ice with the shaker open until cold, then close and shake. Pour the coffee and its ice into a 330 ml (11.2 US fl oz) glass and add 60 g (¼ US cup) cold whole milk. Use the chosen coffee’s caffeine information. Without a shaker, stirring over ice still makes a cold drink, but will not reproduce the same aeration.

Iced Shaken Espresso vs. Iced Latte and Shakerato

Iced Shaken Espresso vs Iced Latte and ShakeratoScrollable table
Iced Shaken Espresso vs Iced Latte and Shakerato
DrinkMain preparationMilk and serving ice
This iced shaken espressoEspresso and sugar shaken over ice60 g (¼ US cup) milk, with the shaking ice served
Iced latteEspresso combined with cold milk and iceMilk forms a larger part of many recipes; shaking is optional
Caffè shakeratoEspresso shaken with ice, then strainedOur Italian-style recipe has neither milk nor serving ice

Milk quantity changes how concentrated the coffee tastes; it does not remove caffeine. Comparing caffeine requires knowing the actual espresso portion in both drinks.

Cold brew extracts grounds in cool water before filtering; shaken espresso starts with hot espresso, then chills and aerates it with ice.

For brown sugar, oat milk and cinnamon, use the separate brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso recipe. For plain espresso over ice, see iced espresso.

Iced Shaken Espresso Calories, Sugar and Caffeine

This whole-milk recipe has an estimated 80 kcal and 13 g total sugar. Its 75 mg caffeine estimate uses generic composition for 36 g prepared espresso; beans and extraction affect the actual amount.

I measure the sweetener before adding the final milk portion. That keeps the shaken coffee familiar from glass to glass, so I can make a useful adjustment without changing syrup, milk and melting ice at the same time.

This recipe uses granulated sugar dissolved in espresso. If you use syrup, calculate its sugar from the label. The ingredient estimates below keep 36 g espresso and 150 g (5.3 oz) ice unchanged.

Iced Shaken Espresso Calories, Sugar and CaffeineScrollable table
Iced Shaken Espresso Calories, Sugar and Caffeine
VersionMilk and added sugarEstimated caloriesEstimated total sugar
Main recipe60 g (¼ US cup) whole milk + 10 g (2½ US tsp) sugar80 kcal13 g
Less sweet60 g (¼ US cup) whole milk + 5 g (1¼ US tsp) sugar60 kcal8 g
No added sugar60 g (¼ US cup) whole milk, no sugar added40 kcal3 g
Black and unsweetenedNo milk or sugar3 kcal0 g
Serving calculation and sources

USDA reference values per 100 g are 9 kcal and 212 mg caffeine for prepared espresso, 61 kcal and 5.05 g sugar for whole milk, and 387 kcal and 99.8 g sugar for granulated sugar. The main recipe therefore gives (36 × 0.09) + (60 × 0.61) + (10 × 3.87) = 78.54 kcal, rounded to 80. The calculated total sugar is 13.01 g. Espresso caffeine is 36 × 2.12 = 76.32 mg, rounded to 75. These calculations count all measured ingredients served.

Whole milk contains milk allergens. A plant-based alternative changes nutrition and may introduce other allergens; use the actual carton label. Decaf espresso reduces caffeine, but does not mean zero caffeine.

Iced Shaken Espresso Troubleshooting

Iced Shaken Espresso TroubleshootingScrollable table
Iced Shaken Espresso Troubleshooting
What you noticeCheck firstUseful adjustment
Watery after a few minutesWarm glass, small melting ice or extra unmeasured milkChill the glass and keep milk at the measured portion
Very bitter or sourThe espresso before adding milkAdjust the espresso recipe rather than covering a brewing defect with sugar
Little foamWhether the drink was shaken or only stirredGive cold coffee and ice space to move; serve immediately
Too milkyMilk measured by weight versus filling the glassStop at 60 g (¼ US cup); a larger glass is not a milk instruction
Gritty sweetnessSugar added to the cold drinkDissolve it in the hot espresso first

Serve promptly to enjoy the light foam; it settles with time and can be disturbed when you pour in milk.

Common Questions

Can I make shaken espresso without milk?
Yes. Leave out the milk for a black version and decide separately whether to include sugar. You can serve it over its ice; straining it into a chilled glass moves it toward shakerato service.
Do I need syrup for iced shaken espresso?
No. This recipe dissolves granulated sugar directly in hot espresso. If using commercial syrup, follow its sugar label; 10 g (2½ US tsp) sugar is not the same as 10 ml (2 US tsp) syrup.
Is shaken espresso stronger than an iced latte?
It may taste more concentrated with less milk, but caffeine depends on the espresso amount. Compare the coffee portions rather than the drink names.
Can I make iced shaken espresso ahead?
Shake just before serving for the best foam and least ice dilution. Assembling it hours ahead lets the foam fade and the ice melt into the drink.

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading

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