There's a very particular moment — the one where you dunk a speculoos biscuit into hot coffee and the cinnamon, clove and cardamom all wake up at once. That's the moment worth putting into a mug. The trouble is that most "speculoos lattes" sold in coffee shops are built on a flavoured syrup that delivers plenty of sugar and very little actual speculoos.
The good news: you can do far better at home, in three minutes, using a fruit-and-spice powder — no syrup, no artificial flavouring, no caffeine. Here's the homemade speculoos latte, its iced version, its espresso version, and everything else you can do with it.
Speculoos: a spice blend before it was ever a biscuit
Speculoos (speculaas in the Netherlands, Spekulatius in Germany) is a Low Countries biscuit traditionally tied to Saint Nicholas' Day in early December. Its signature isn't the sugar or the butter — it's the spice blend, inherited from the maritime trade that carried cinnamon, clove and nutmeg from the Indies into Antwerp and Amsterdam.
Which means the thing you actually love about a speculoos translates beautifully into a drink — provided you use the real blend, not a laboratory "speculoos flavouring".
The 8 spices in the traditional blend
Pure Tea's Banana Speculoos uses the 8 spices of the Belgian original: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, clove, allspice and fennel. Each one does a specific job:
- Cinnamon: the dominant note — warm and sweet without any sugar.
- Clove and allspice: the depth, that impression of caramelisation.
- Cardamom and coriander: the top notes, almost citrusy, that stop the blend feeling heavy.
- Ginger: the little kick on the finish.
- Nutmeg and fennel: the roundness, and that faint aniseed edge typical of the Belgian biscuit.
Why the banana changes everything
Spices alone in milk make a chai — good, but lean. What's missing is the body of the biscuit. That's where the banana comes in: milled into a powder, it brings the velvety texture and gentle sweetness that recall the crumb of a banana bread. The date replaces added sugar: it sweetens naturally while contributing fibre, which smooths out the energy release instead of producing a spike and a slump.
The result is a drink at roughly 11.6 kcal per 200 ml (based on 3 g of powder in water), with no added sugars, no artificial flavourings, no colourings and no preservatives — and no caffeine, so you can drink it at 9pm without paying for it later.
The hot speculoos latte recipe
What you'll need
- 1–2 tsp Banana Speculoos powder (1 for a gentle version, 2 for a proper biscuity hit)
- 150–200 ml milk of your choice (dairy, oat, almond, soy…)
- A splash of hot milk or water for mixing
- Optional: a pinch of cinnamon to finish
Method
- Make a paste first. Tip the powder into the mug and add only 2–3 tablespoons of liquid. Stir until completely smooth. This step decides everything: powder poured straight into a large volume of milk will go lumpy, every single time.
- Heat the milk to 65–70 °C, no hotter. Never let it boil — past that point plant milks split, the foam collapses and the spices turn bitter.
- Top up gradually. Pour the hot milk onto the paste in a steady stream, stirring as you go.
- Froth for 15–20 seconds with a handheld frother, or shake hard in a sealed jar. If you're starting from scratch equipment-wise, we've covered 5 ways to froth a latte without a machine.
- Dust with a veil of cinnamon and drink straight away.
Three mistakes that ruin a speculoos latte
Boiling the milk. Mistake number one. Milk that's too hot kills the foam and hardens the spices.
Skipping the paste. A fruit powder isn't instant cocoa — it needs to be hydrated in a small volume before it's diluted.
Under-dosing out of caution. At 1 teaspoon the drink is pleasant but reserved. The real biscuit flavour arrives at 2. A 50 g pouch gives you 8–10 cups at 1 teaspoon, or 5–7 cups at 2 — comfortably under £1 a cup either way.
The iced version, for days that refuse to end
Unlike gingerbread or pumpkin, speculoos works just as well cold as hot — which is its single biggest advantage on a drinks menu.
Mix 2 teaspoons of powder into 3 tablespoons of lukewarm milk (lukewarm is non-negotiable: in cold milk the powder stays gritty). Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in 200 ml of cold milk, then add the mixture. Stir with a straw — the caramel-beige gradient that forms looks every bit as good as a coffee-shop latte.
For a frappe, blend the lot with 4 or 5 ice cubes and half a fresh banana. You get a thick milkshake with no added sugar and no ice cream.
The espresso version
Banana Speculoos contains no caffeine, which makes it an excellent base to pair with an espresso when caffeine is exactly what you're after — with a biscuit flavour in your coffee.
Make the hot latte as above, then pour a short espresso over the top. The spices round off the coffee's bitterness and the banana brings the body you'd normally look for in sugar. It is, near enough, a "biscoff latte" — minus the syrup.
If you'd rather cut down on coffee instead, our guide to coffee-free, caffeine-free lattes runs through seven alternatives.
Which milk for a speculoos latte?
Speculoos spices are assertive, so they can carry stronger-tasting milks that would overwhelm a more delicate fruit powder.
- Oat: the best all-rounder. Naturally sweet, froths beautifully, extends the biscuity, cereal note.
- Whole dairy milk: closest to a biscuit dunked in milk, very creamy.
- Almond: lighter, brings out the cardamom and coriander.
- Soy: excellent foam stability, with a slightly beany note you'll need to enjoy.
- Coconut: indulgent but domineering — keep it for the iced versions.
We compared texture, foam stability and flavour in our guide to the best plant milks for lattes.
Far more than a drink: 5 uses in the kitchen
Because it's a fruit-and-spice powder rather than a syrup, Banana Speculoos folds straight into recipes.
- Porridge: 1 tsp stirred into the oats at the end of cooking. The perfect autumn breakfast.
- Pancakes: 2 tsp in the batter for 8 pancakes.
- Muffins and banana bread: replaces both the flavouring and part of the sugar.
- Smoothie bowl: blended with a frozen banana and a plant yoghurt.
- Energy balls: dates, oats, almond butter and 1 tsp of powder.
Banana Speculoos, Pumpkin Spice or Gingerbread: which one?
The three spiced lattes in the Fruity Latte range look alike from a distance and taste clearly different in the cup.
- Banana Speculoos: the gentlest and most versatile. Velvety banana, caramelised spice. The only one of the three that's equally good iced, all year round.
- Pumpkin Spice Latte: more vegetal and velvety, gentle spicing, 5 ingredients. The September-to-November classic.
- Gingerbread Latte: the most intense and the spiciest, heavy on ginger and clove. The festive one, from November to February.
And if spices aren't your thing, the range also runs to two properly fruity profiles: Tropical Strawberry (strawberry, banana, mango — 100% fruit) and the sharper Passion Blackcurrant.
Frequently asked questions
Does a speculoos latte contain caffeine?
No. Banana Speculoos is made only from banana, date and spices — there's no caffeine at all, so it won't disturb your sleep in the evening. If you add an espresso for the coffee version, the caffeine comes from the coffee.
Is there any added sugar?
None. The sweetness comes from the banana and the date, which also contribute fibre. The product has no added sugars, no artificial flavourings, no colourings and no preservatives.
Can children drink it?
Yes — it's one of the most common uses. Caffeine-free, no added sugar and tasting of biscuit, it makes a well-received after-school drink. One allergen note: the product is packed in a facility that also handles nuts, milk and gluten.
How do I avoid lumps?
Always mix the powder into a small splash of liquid until you have a smooth paste before adding the rest of the milk. For the iced version, use lukewarm milk for that first step, then top up with cold milk and ice.
How many cups are in a pouch?
A resealable 50 g pouch makes 8–10 cups at 1 teaspoon, or 5–7 cups at 2 teaspoons. Packs of 2 and 4 pouches are available at a reduced price per pouch.
Is Banana Speculoos vegan and gluten-free?
Yes: the powder is 100% plant-based, gluten-free, and made in France.
