Not Your Typical Healthy Gingerbread Latte Recipe

This gingerbread latte recipe is unique and great for the holidays (or any time of year) to shake things up from your normal cup. Delicious and healthy, there are many substitutes to fit this latte into your dietary needs. Thank you to Four Sigmatic for gifting this immune-boosting coffee!

A Healthier Gingerbread Latte Recipe

There are few things cozier than a steaming hot beverage on a cold day! This gingerbread latte recipe is the perfect bribe to get yourself out of bed on a chilly day or treat yourself after a brisk morning walk.

Even better, making it at home means you can take some time off from ordering at Starbucks. (The Starbucks gingerbread latte has 38g of sugar!)

Eating sugary, heavy foods is just part of the holiday season. And that's totally okay because they're delicious and 'tis the season. Actually, it's always the season for treats if you want them.

But, if you want to be mindful of how much excess sugar you're consuming, having healthier alternatives on hand doesn't hurt. It's really easy to make a healthier version of the gingerbread latte if you want less sugar. In this post, along with the gingerbread latte recipe, I'll give you some ideas to customize it for yourself.

Either way, the basic version of this latte uses ground coffee from Four Sigmatic that has natural and wholesome nutrients built right into it!

Why Do I Use Four Sigmatic Coffee For My Healthy Homemade Gingerbread Latte?

This isn't your typical healthy gingerbread latte— it uses kinda uses mushrooms. Before you run, hear me out.

Did you know that there are tons of mushroom varieties in the world? And that a good chunk of them are great for you? Like really, superfood-level good for you. And Four Sigmatic makes these mushrooms accessible and tasty through their products, including their ground coffee.

Um, of course, I was intrigued!

The medium roast coffee I tried out contains:

• Chaga Mushrooms (300mg)

• Turkey Tail Mushrooms (200mg)

Both of these mushroom varieties are immune-boosting and gut-supporting. Blended together with sustainably grown coffee beans, you wouldn't even know that you're consuming mushrooms or probiotics.

Yup, there are probiotics in there too! Even more support for a healthy and happy gut.

The probiotic source in the ground mushroom coffee comes from Bacillus subtilis, which is a heat-resistant probiotic. Kind of essential since you have to brew coffee at high temperatures.

Finally, organic yacon juice powder provides prebiotics to the coffee, rounding out the nutritional treat.

I love this brand because where else would I get responsibly sourced wild nutritional mushrooms? When I first tried Four Sigmatic and this healthy gingerbread latte recipe, I didn't even want to eat baby bellas.

I actually love roasting baby bellas for a dinner side now...so maybe this mushroom coffee changed my taste buds?

That's a theory to test another day, so for now I'll just end with this: Four Sigmatic also incorporate healthy mushrooms right into other normal foods that we all already eat anyways. There's the coffee obviously... plus protein powder, and pre-workout nutrition!

What You Need For The Gingerbread Latte Recipe

Every recipe I post can be customized for your likes and your situation. Honestly, I'm only a fan of recipes that are easy to make. And that includes being able to use basic ingredients that you already have as often as possible.

But in general, this is how I make this healthy homemade gingerbread latte:

3/4 cup of coffee or 3 shots of espresso

1- 1.5 cups of milk

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, nutmeg

1 tablespoon of molasses

Even though this combination of spices gives this latte the taste of gingerbread, most of these ingredients can be used to your personal preference. If you don't have ground cloves, for example, you can easily still make this without it.

Mix and match to make it delicious for you!

How To Make A Latte At Home

Here are some quick tips for how to make a latte at home, just in case you haven't come across that yet. I've talked about it quite a bit on Instagram, so my followers know I love whipping up lattes without a machine.

A latte is traditionally 1/3 coffee and 2/3 milk (frothy on the very top). And while a fancy barista machine might be ideal for making a latte, that does not mean it's impossible to make a pretty and delicious latte at home without one.

All you need to do is:

• brew espresso (or strong coffee if you don't have an espresso machine)

• heat and froth milk (without a frother, try blending or shaking a closed container)

• simply flavor the milk with desired sweeteners and spices.

For the steamed milk, a milk heater and/or frother might be the easiest way to go, but if you don't have this don't worry! I love to make a quick latte by heating the milk mixture in a mason jar in the microwave.

Then I cover and shake the can of milk vigorously for 60 seconds and it froths right up.

You can also use a hand whisk (get your arm workout in) and I've even used my handheld mixer while heating the milk on the stove. (Prob not my fav option.)

Pour the coffee, and then use a spoon or knife to block the froth while you pour in the milk. Spoon the froth on top and sprinkle with cinnamon or add whipped cream. Easy enough!

Substitutions For A Skinny Gingerbread Latte

I don't love the phrasing, but you probably know these recipes by this name. A skinny gingerbread latte essentially means that there are fewer processed ingredients and sugar involved.

The following substitutions can help you make a healthier version of that Starbucks gingerbread latte. Match your dietary restrictions, lower the sugar amount, or change up the taste based on your preferences.

Milk:

Make this latte with the milk of your preference! Any dairy alternatives will work if they're needed/desired.

Molasses and Brown Sugar:

The molasses gives this drink an authentic touch, and the brown sugar really brings home the homemade cookie vibe. But these ingredients are less common in a kitchen and a little bit heavier, so here are some sweetener alternatives for your healthy gingerbread latte:

• honey

• maple syrup

• agave

Note: these will decrease the amount of sugar (and/or processed sugar) in the beverage, but they may also affect the gingerbread flavor.

Spices:

Use a gingerbread spice mix that is premade or omit one of the spices if you don't have it on hand.

Coffee:

Any espresso or coffee will work! It just might not have immune and gut-supporting mushrooms in it, though. :)

Staying Warm With Healthier Seasonal Treats

There are plenty of chilly days available for you to spend your time perfecting this wintery latte! And even if you're one of the lucky ones who have a warmer winter season, this healthy gingerbread latte will make your holiday season a little bit brighter.

The Four Sigmatic coffee is just so powerful, and fun latte recipes are just so enjoyable, that I won't judge if you make this Starbucks gingerbread latte recipe dupe all year round.

Give yourself the perfect winter pick me up with this simple gingerbread latte loaded with extra nutrients from nature's mushrooms. And if you do try it, let me know what you think!