Cuban Café con Leche Recipe
Cuban café con leche is strong Cuban coffee mixed with hot milk. It’s what a lot of Cuban families drink every morning, usually with buttered Cuban toast for dipping. It’s rich, a little sweet, and easy to make at home once you know the basic method.
What is café con leche?
It’s coffee and hot milk, mixed together, usually about half and half. The coffee itself is strong — dark roast, espresso, or cuban cafe con leche like cuban cafe con leche
— and the milk is heated and often a little frothy. Sugar is added to taste, sometimes a lot of it. That’s really the whole idea. It’s not a fancy drink, it’s just strong coffee made softer with milk.
How to Make Café con Leche
Makes 1 large cup · 10 minutes
What you need
1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso (Bustelo or another Cuban-style coffee works well)
1/2 cup whole milk
Sugar, to taste
How to make it
- Brew your coffee strong. If you’re using a stovetop espresso maker (a moka pot),cuban cafe con leche that works great here. A strong drip coffee works too, just use less water than usual so it comes out concentrated.
- Heat the milk in a small pot on the stove, or in the microwave, until it’s hot but not boiling.
- If you want it frothy, whisk the hot milk quickly for about 20 seconds, or use a milk frother if you have one.
- Pour the coffee into a cup, then add the hot milk. Most people do about half coffee, half milk, but adjust it to how strong you like it.
- Add sugar to taste and stir.
That’s it. Serve it hot, with buttered toast on the side, or alongside something like ham croquetas if you’re making a fuller breakfast spread.
Common Questions
Is café con leche the same as a latte?
Not exactly. A latte is espresso with steamed milk, made with an espresso machine cuban cafe con leche and usually has a thin layer of foam. Café con leche is simpler — it’s just strong coffee and hot milk, no machine required. The taste is similar, but café con leche is more of a home coffee than a café-made drink.
What’s the difference between café con leche and a cortadito?
A cortadito is a small, strong shot of Cuban coffee with just a little milk, more coffee-forward. Café con leche is the opposite ratio — more milk, milder, and served in a bigger cup.
Can I make café con leche without an espresso machine?
Yes. A moka pot works well, or even strong drip coffee. You don’t need special equipment, just coffee brewed stronger than usual.
How much caffeine is in café con leche?
It depends on how much coffee you use, but a typical cup made with strong coffee and half milk has somewhere around 80-120mg of caffeine, similar to a regular cup of coffee.
Does café con leche have sugar in it?
Not automatically, but most people add some. It’s common to sweeten it while the coffee is still hot so the sugar dissolves easily.
Where does café con leche come from?
It’s common across Spain and Latin America, not unique to Cuba, but the Cuban version — made with strong, dark-roast coffee like Bustelo — is a specific style that’s become closely tied to Cuban breakfast culture, especially in Miami.
