Puerto Rican-Style Café con Leche
Start the day off right with a warm cup of traditional Puerto Rican Café Con Leche, made with ground Puerto Rican coffee, sugar and steamed milk. Ready in only 10 minutes, make it with a Fresh press, pour over, Mokapot, or your go-to coffee maker. This traditional Latin drink can be found at any given time in panaderías, restaurants and home kitchens across the island
I grew up with this recipe brewed in our kitchen daily by my mom. It’s a huge part of our culture.
Café con Leche is one of those drinks that you won’t really need a recipe for once you’ve made it once. It’s a classic drink that’s served with countless Puerto Rican recipes.
In fact, you’ve likely already made a variation of it in your own kitchen. All it consists of is strong brewed coffee, steamed whole milk and sugar.
If you’re looking for something to serve with your coffee, these easy Authentic Quesitos (pictured below) are often served alongside.
How to Make it
Tasty Pairings
You’re officially an expert at making Puerto Rican coffee and you’re on your third cup. It’s probably time to eat something, so let’s talk food pairings!
At any Puerto Rican panadería you’re going to be offered a plethora of sweet and savory pastries to enjoy with your coffee, so you’ll be set.
Here are some bites you can make at home:
Buen provecho,
Puerto Rican-Style Café con Leche
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1–2 cups 1x
- Category: drinks, beverages
- Method: boiled
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Start the day off right with a warm cup of traditional Puerto Rican Café Con Leche, made with ground Puerto Rican coffee, sugar and steamed milk. Ready in only 10 minutes, make it with a Fresh press, pour over, Mokapot, or your go-to coffee maker. This traditional Latin drink can be found at any given time in panaderías, restaurants and home kitchens across the island
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ground coffee
- 1/2 cup filtered water (for brewing the coffee)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Brew your coffee according to the instructions on the coffee making device you’re using. See notes for directions if using a saucepan to make your coffee.
- While your coffee brews, add milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light simmer before killing the heat.
- Fill your cup with coffee until just halfway full. Add sugar and stir with a spoon. Pour steamed milk in to fill the cup. Enjoy!
Notes
Grandma’s Instant Coffee Method: combine instant coffee, sugar and milk in a saucepan and simmer together until the coffee infuses into the milk. Enjoy!
Colador Method: add water and bring to a simmer before adding in coffee grounds, simmering together for a minute, killing the heat, allowing it to steep for 2 minutes, then straining through your colador into a large cup. Add brewed coffee, sugar and milk to a clean saucepan and steam until hot.
The traditional Puerto Rican method of café con leche with ground coffee my mom grew up with started in a pot on the stove and used a colador (a type of cloth strainer) to strain out all the grounds.
While this method produces really delicious coffee, it’s not necessarily the most convenient. Instead, I recommend brewing your coffee in whatever method you already use at home.
Whether it’s a French press, pour over, Mokapot; they will all get the job done. Just make sure to brew it strong, almost like espresso. I like to use a 1:1 ratio with water and coffee.
Loved this recipe so tasty and just like the original homemade. Thank you for the recipe 🙏🏻
Ran out of creamer so I decided to use this recipe. It’s delicious and so simple.
Delicious! I tried the recipe with Reserva Gustos Puerto Rican coffee (Juracan). Loved how smooth it turned out. Thanks for sharing this recipe! 💚