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    Home » Puerto Rican » Puerto Rican Café con Leche

    Puerto Rican Café con Leche

    ★★★★★ from 1 reviews
    Nov 17, 2021 / by Salima Benkhalti / 1 Comment(updated Jan 4, 2023)

    140 shares
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    a cup of coffee
    a cup of coffee
    milk pouring into a mug
    a mug of coffee with milk

    Start the day off right with a warm cup of traditional Puerto Rican café con leche, made with Puerto Rican coffee, sugar and steamed milk. This traditional Latin drink can be found at any given time in panaderías, restaurants and home kitchens across the island.

    a mug of coffee with milk

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    Café con Leche is one of those drinks that you won't really need a recipe for once you've made it once.

    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, this flan is one of my favorite desserts to enjoy with my café!

    What You'll Need to Make Puerto Rican Coffee

    Puerto Rican coffee in a pot

    As mentioned above, the ingredients for this recipe are pretty simple. If you want to take the extra step to make things feel 100% authentic, you can use your favorite Puerto Rican coffee. Today I'm using the brand Yaucono, one my mom and I love.

    Here's what you'll need to make your café con leche:

    • strong, full-bodied coffee (bonus points if it's Puerto Rican)
    • whole milk
    • white sugar

    See recipe card for exact quantities.

    Puerto Rican coffee in a pot

    How to Make it

    Because the base of this dink is coffe, there are many different ways to make it.

    The traditional Puerto Rican method my mom grew up with started with freshly ground coffee and water in a pot on the stove. Once the coffee was sufficiently brewed, it was then strained through a colador (a type of cloth strainer) to strain out all the grounds.

    While this method produces really delicious coffee, I know it's not necessarily the most convenient or the most relevant these days.

    For this recipe 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 ration with water and coffee.

    coffee in a pot on a stove

    Today I'm using my Moka pot and steaming the whole milk in a separate saucepan on the stove.

    Some Puerto Ricans (like my grandma) will put instant coffee, sugar and milk in a saucepan and simmer it all together until the coffee infuses into the milk; making a super quick version of café con leche!

    Milk in a pot on a stove

    Once the milk is warm and simmering, it's time to pour everything into your coffee cups. Start by filling your cups halfway with coffee, then add sugar and mix, and finally add the warm milk.

    coffee pouring into a mug
    sugar pouring into a mug
    a spoon mixing coffee in a mug
    milk pouring into a mug

    Just like that, you've made a cup of coffee like a Puerto Rican!

    Hint: feel free to use white or brown sugar, or omit the sugar completely based on your preference.

    What Makes Café con Leche Unique?

    Now that you've read how to make your café, you may be thinking to yourself "well that was easy". And you're right! It really is that simple.

    Similar to many popular American coffee drinks, it's quite easy to make and requires simple ingredients. That said, there are a few things that make this recipe different from your average cup of Joe.

    Let's compare Café con Leche to other popular drinks:

    • Cappuccino - this drink is likely the closest to the Puerto Rican style of making coffee, however a cappuccino uses frothed milk with espresso, instead of steamed.
    • Latte - lattes also use frothed milk with espresso, but the ratio of milk to coffee is less proportionate. In general, lattes have much more milk than the Puerto Rican style coffee with milk.
    • Black coffee - this one speaks for itself, it's black coffee with no milk! Plenty of Puerto Ricans love their coffee black, but it's not considered café con leche 🙂
    a cup of coffee with a pastry

    What to Eat with Your Coffee

    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 recipes you can make at home:

    • Quesitos - as pictured above, this cream cheese filled pastry is an actual match made in heaven to a warm cup of coffee
    • Maduros - these easy-to-make sweet treats are delicious and super quick to fry up. The subtle sweetness makes a great partner for a cup of coffee.
    • Tripleta - this sandwich made with 3 kinds of meat is satisfying and hearty. Recipe coming very soon!
    • Flan - a classic Puerto Rican dessert that will have you feeling like you're on the island when paired with classic Puerto Rican coffee.

    When all else fails, try a slice of toast with jam and butter. No really, any classic breakfast food is going to be super satisfying with café con leche. You can't go wrong!

    Equipment + Tools

    Here are the tools I used to make my coffee:

    • Moka pot for brewing the espresso
    • Small pot for steaming the milk (this can also be done in a microwave)

    If you want to get super traditional and go the colador route, all you'll need is that and a small pot for brewing the coffee and milk.

    milk pouring into a mug

    Top tip

    Whether using a pot or the microwave, make sure you steam your milk before pouring it into the coffee to keep everything warm. No one likes cold milk in warm coffee.

    Happy brewing!

    the name Salima
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    Puerto Rican Café con Leche

    milk pouring into a mug
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    Start the day off right with a warm cup of traditional Puerto Rican café con leche, made with Puerto Rican coffee, sugar and steamed milk. This traditional Latin drink can be found at any given time in panaderías, restaurants and home kitchens across the island.

    • Author: Salima Benkhalti
    • 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

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ½ cup ground coffee
    • ½ cup filtered water (for brewing the coffee)
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 1 tsp sugar

    Instructions

    1. 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.
    2. While your coffee brews, add milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light simmer before killing the heat.
    3. 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

    If brewing coffee in a saucepan: 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. Enjoy!

    Keywords: Café con Leche, Puerto Rican Café con Leche

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      Comments

    1. Sven

      November 17, 2021 at 1:36 pm

      That coffee is special to me, thanks for the recipe.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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