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If you’re wondering what the difference is between a mocha and a latte, this brief but thorough guide is for you.
While these two coffee drinks are similar, there are some slight differences — the main difference being that a mocha contains chocolate and a latte doesn’t. But there’s a few other subtleties too.
We’ll cover the makeup of each drink, as well as all the different modifications you may find on a menu and even some tasty recipes to try at home!
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What is a Mocha?
You may hear a mocha called a café mocha or a mochaccino or a mocha latte — which makes everything more confusing. But really all these drinks are the same thing.
That being said, each café or local region may make their version of a mocha slightly differently. But all versions will contain some form of chocolate — which is not the case in a latte.
The chocolate can be in the form of cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, melted chocolate or even chocolate milk.
This chocolate is mixed with an espresso base and the drink is topped with milk and foam. Typically, compared to a latte, a mocha has more milk and combined with the chocolate, it is an overall sweeter drink.
What is a Latte?
A latte, also called a café latte, is almost the same drink as a mocha, but it doesn’t contain any chocolate.
It is made with one or two shots of espresso, and topped with steamed milk and a layer of foam.
Skilled baristas often draw images or patterns with the steamed milk as they pour it on top of the espresso.
Lattes (such as those at Starbucks) are often not just served plain. There are so many variations which add in flavored coffee syrups (flavors other than chocolate).
Mocha Recipes
You can easily make your own basic mocha at home by mixing in 1 to 2 ounces of chocolate coffee syrup with 1 or 2 shots of espresso and topping it off with about ⅓ to ½ cup of frothed milk.
However, there are other variations that you can try as well, such as this iced mocha latte which is great for summer, or this salted caramel mocha which is a tasty Starbucks’ copycat.
You can even make this iced white chocolate mocha which is made with white chocolate syrup rather than milk chocolate.
Latte Recipes
For a basic latte, freshly brew 1 to 2 shots of espresso and pour about ⅓ cup of frothed milk on top.
The amount of latte variations you can make is endless. For flavored versions, add in 1 to 2 ounces of a flavored coffee syrup, such as this peanut butter coffee syrup to make this peanut butter latte or this pistachio syrup to make this Starbucks pistachio latte.
Another creative way to add flavor to iced lattes is by replacing the regular frothed milk with a cold foam, such as this brown sugar cold foam, this chocolate cream cold foam or this sweet cream cold foam.
Some other unique latte recipes include this maple latte which is great for the fall and winter season, as well as this Baileys latte which is made with Baileys and is the best coffee drink for the holidays.
Lastly, this iced chai tea latte or this matcha chai tea latte take a bit of a stretch on the “latte” definition by using chai tea as a base, rather than espresso.
Dairy-Free Modifications
More and more people are not just looking for flavored variations, but rather for dairy-free versions.
Really, any type of dairy free milk can be substituted for cow’s milk in both mochas and lattes. Typically, the most popular substitutions are with oat milk or almond milk, such as in this vanilla oat milk latte, this iced oat milk latte or this almond milk latte.
But you can also use soy milk or even coconut milk like in this coconut milk latte.
If you are making a latte or mocha at home, buy dairy-free milk that is labelled as “barista”. This version is slightly more expensive, but it froths up much better than the regular version and will give you the best results — as if you bought it fresh from a café.
FAQs
Generally a mocha has more calories as it has chocolate added to it. However, flavored lattes with sugary syrups may have just as many or more calories than a mocha.
Mocha refers to a combination of chocolate and coffee flavoring. A mocha drink is made with espresso, chocolate and milk.
Some mochas may be made with coffee, but generally a mocha is made with espresso.
A plain latte is more creamy rather than sweet. However, flavored lattes — such as those you would buy from Starbucks — use flavored sugar syrups that make the latte taste sweet.
Directly translated from Italian, “latte” means “milk”. However when most people talk about lattes, they mean the drink made of espresso mixed with steamed milk.
Conclusion
In simplest terms, the main difference between a latte and mocha is that a mocha contains some sort of chocolate flavoring and a latte doesn’t.
Both drinks are made with espresso, frothed milk, and can be served iced or hot.
There is no universal recipe for a latte or a mocha and rather, each coffee shop will have a slightly different version. There are also countless flavor variations that can be made of each type of drink by using flavored coffee syrups.
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