Easy Maca Latte With Warming Spices
This Maca Latte recipe combines the nutty, caramel flavours of maca with a fragrant blend of spices to produce a delicious, energising drink. It’s the perfect mid-morning or afternoon pick-me-up.
In This Article
Nutritional Benefits
The maca plant (Lepidium meyenii) is a root vegetable that derives from the Peruvian Andes and is commonly known as maca, maca root or Peruvian ginseng (1). It’s now one of many superfood powders available on supermarket shelves. Maca has had a boom in popularity in recent years and has been touted as the number one solution for everything from sexual health, sexual dysfunction, fertility issues, managing menopausal symptoms, balancing hormone levels, improving the immune system, supporting healthy thyroid function, improving skin health, it can boost mood, give you a boost of energy or sustained energy and everything in between. Sounds like the magic solution to just about everything, doesn’t it?
While maca is a truly wonderful supplement – it’s worth understanding that research does not currently support all the health claims bloggers and influencers make about it online. What claims are supported? From a wide range of human clinical trials and in vivo (animal) studies completed we do know that maca contains plenty of fibre, vitamins, minerals and an abundance of antioxidant properties. It’s also considered an adaptogen, which helps the body adapt to and manage stress (2). Additionally, maca boasts prebiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, is a great energiser and can aid gastrointestinal health (2). It has also shown a lot of promise in alleviating some menopausal symptoms too, particularly hot flushes (3).
As to the libido, male and female fertility, and other hormonal related issues – research to date is limited at best and studies undertaken in human trials have shown quite varied results. As such, much more research is needed to substantiate those claims.
Ingredients – What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe
Maca powder is so well-known these days it’s very easy to come by. Peruvian maca from the Andes Mountains is generally considered to be the best quality maca. This is because of its climate, location, and traditional farming methods. You can determine where your maca powder is from by looking on the back of the packet. If it’s not there, it’s generally found on the company website.
- Dairy free milk – any type of milk you like is fine (even dairy milk). I do think slightly more viscous milks make this extra delicious. Homemade cashew milk and coconut milk especially but oat milk and almond milk are great too.
- Maca powder – aside from the health benefits outlined above, this brings warm caramel notes that create the base flavour profile for this latte.
- Maple syrup – adds sweetness and a touch more caramel. Coconut sugar is a good substitute if you prefer a granulated sweetener.
- Vanilla extract – contributes a little more sweetness and a touch of vanilla flavour. Some scraped vanilla bean is scrumptious too if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cinnamon powder – this warming spice pairs perfectly with the maca.
- Pinch of salt – this helps to bring out all the flavours of the other ingredients here. The maca and spices above all.
This mix will give you an utterly divine, warm caramel-flavoured drink with plenty of benefits. That said – the ‘warming spices’ in the title of this recipe can be added to give this a caramel chai flavour profile. The spices are ginger, cardamom and clove, plus a small pinch of nutmeg. When combined with the hint of caramel in the maca root powder – you have a delicious treat that makes a perfect morning pick-me-up.
How To Make A Maca Latte
Warming milk and spices over a gentle heat is about as complicated as this gets. If you have an espresso machine or electric milk frother and want to froth the milk separately you can do that too. This is actually my preferred method for a very creamy superfood latte. See the substitutions and variations section below for a how-to.
- Add the milk to a small saucepan and place this on the stove over a medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer then turn the heat down slightly so the milk doesn’t boil.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for a minute or two. Whisking while it simmers helps to fully incorporate the maca and spices and froth the milk.
- Remove from the heat and either pour straight into your mug or give it an extra froth with a handheld frother then pour it in. Sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon on top and enjoy.
This can be a great alternative to coffee if you’re trying to cut down on how many cups you have a day.
Substitutions And Variations
There are endless variations of hot drinks you can enjoy with maca.
- Give your morning coffee ritual a little boost. Make it a maca coffee by adding a shot of espresso to your maca latte once it’s made. Stir it through and enjoy.
- Add half a teaspoon of cocoa powder to make a maca hot chocolate. You can add up to one teaspoon, but it will taste more chocolatey than caramel-spice if doing this.
- Add ¼ to ½ a teaspoon of turmeric and a grind or two of black pepper to make this a golden maca latte.
If choosing to froth your milk separately:
- Heat the maca and spices in a small saucepan with ¼ cup of water.
- Allow to simmer for a minute or two, whisking as it does, then pour into a cup. It should have thickened a touch and look syrupy at this point.
- Froth the milk using your espresso machine or frothing machine then pour over the liquid in the cup.
- Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and enjoy.
Tips For Success With This Recipe
Strain your maca latte into your cup through a small, fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth if you want to rid it of any grit. Some spice mix will remain in the bottom of the cup as you near the end of your cuppa so straining will remove that.
Make a bigger batch of the maca and spice powdered mix so it’s on hand and ready to go whenever you need it. I make 4 x the recipe at a time.
I have mentioned only a ‘good pinch’ and a ‘small pinch’ in reference to sizing of the spices, as what’s added is smaller than your standard measuring spoon. If however, you have the measuring spoons in the picture below – I used ‘drop’ for cardamom, ginger, clove and salt and half the drop measure for nutmeg.
Storing
If making a large batch of the maca latte mix, store the leftovers in an airtight container or dark glass jar. This is important as the maca powder can clump quickly if left exposed to air. Keep it in the cupboard or your spice drawer away from air and direct sunlight, which also ensures the spices won’t oxidise.
FAQ
Maca goes well with creamy or milky things making it perfect for hot drinks or smoothies. It mixes well with sweet flavors like chocolate and caramel, and is great in other recipes like hot chocolate, overnight oats, a mousse, or chia puddings.
Yes, you can. Start by warming the maca and milk on the stove simmering this mix for a minute or two. Once ready, pour into a cup and add a shot of espresso on top and stir to combine.
Generally, yes however, those who are pregnant, lactating, or those with oestrogen sensitive conditions must discuss whether it’s appropriate for them with their primary health care provider before taking it.
More Nourishing Drinks Recipes
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Maca Latte
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat milk (or any milk of your choosing)
- 1 tsp maca powder (see note 1)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Good pinch of cardamom, ginger, clove and salt (see note 2 – optional but delicious)
- Small pinch of nutmeg (optional but delicious)
Instructions
- Add the milk to a small saucepan and place this on the stove over a medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer then turn the heat down slightly so the milk doesn't boil.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for a minute or two. Whisking while it simmers helps to fully incorporate the maca and spices and also froths the milk.
- Remove from the heat and either pour straight into your mug or give it an extra froth with a handheld frother then pour it in. Sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon on top and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Gabby Campbell
Gabby is a degree qualified Naturopath/Nutritionist (BHSc Nat) with a love of all whole foods. She started her Naturopathic career in clinical practice before making the move to recipe development and online education – a result of wanting to combat the misinformation that abounds on the internet about food and health. Whole Natural Kitchen aims to transform the way you think about healthy eating by helping you embrace an abundance of nutritious foods while leaving the health fads behind. MORE ABOUT GABBY