This naturally colorful red velvet latte is creamy and warming with a mild, fruity chocolate flavor.
While I’m one of those people that drink hot beverages year-round regardless of the weather, the cold, rainy winter weather does always manage to increase my consumption. Whether I’m out or at home, I can usually be found with a hot cup of tea in hand this time of year and these days it’s a tea latte.
It’s remarkable how many colors lattes come in now, from green matcha to golden tumeric milk, to black charcoal and even blue algae you can find a latte color that suits your taste. Right now though I’m all about red lattes, red velvet to be specific.
I can’t think of a better drink to lift your spirits when you’ve got the winter blahs. The color alone is enough to put you in a better mood, not to mention that it’s so creamy and soothing to sip on. Speaking of color, it comes here from a combination of rose hips, raspberry leaf, cocoa powder and beet juice blended with milk (dairy-free in this case).
If you drink a lot of herbal tea you may have already heard of rose hips, it’s one of my favorites to sip on during the cold season due to its vitamin C content. Beet juice adds a lovely red hue, while the acidity of the raspberry leaf tea combined with cocoa powder is reminiscent of the distinctive flavor of red velvet cake. Now if you’re still wondering about the taste, I can assure you that it’s quite subtle with a mild, fruity chocolate flavor and not at all beety or earthy.
Using herbal tea makes the latte caffeine-free, making it a good alternative to espresso versions, especially if you are trying to cut back on coffee drinks or caffeine gives you the jitters like me.
And I love that I can drink one at any hour of the day and it doesn’t make me crash like regular tea or coffee would. I can’t think of a nicer frothy mood boosting mug to cozy up with.
Serves 2-4
Sylvie Shirazi
5 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
15 minTotal Time
Save Recipe5 based on 1 review(s)
Ingredients
- 2 Cups/ 480ml filtered water
- 2 bags raspberry leaf tea
- 2 Tablespoons loose rose hips tea (or 2 tea bags)
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup beet juice (fresh pressed)
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon/7g cocoa powder
- 1 can/ 400ml coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice)
- Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil, turn off heat and add raspberry and rose hip tea. Cover and let steep 10 minutes.
- (If you have a milk frother heat the coconut milk separately, froth then set aside. If you don’t have a milk frother add coconut milk to saucepan in the next step.)
- Uncover, strain and return tea to saucepan, adding maple syrup and vanilla syrup. Bring mixture back to a simmer, then turn off heat and whisk in beet juice and cocoa powder.
- If you used a milk frother pour heated tea into mugs and top with frothed milk and milk foam. If not, use a handheld blender to froth mixture in pan or pour into blender jar and blend on high until frothy. Serve warm topped with shaved chocolate if desired.
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