Iced Pink Latte with Hibiscus and Beetroot
First off – as strange as it may sound, the combination of hibiscus and beetroot in an iced oat latte is actually a super tasty thing. I was even a bit surprised, since I made this experiment with creating a cute looking pink vegan latte just for the sake of it – with no intention of writing a recipe.
When you look at the pictures, this drink might seem a bit specific and nerdy, but I have a bit of an explanation. I mean, a pink latte – OK. But an oat milk beverage with hibiscus-flavoured ice cubes and whipped beetroot foam, well… This is the backstory.
Does anyone still remember the dalgona coffee trend from a few years ago? It was a relatively short-lived hype, but at the time it was everywhere, and everyone was making it at home and posting on social media about it.
The idea seemed fun, and I wanted to try it, secretly, within my four walls. I would have probably poured it out into the compost bin because I can’t really stand sugar or instant coffee, its two main ingredients.
But as usual, everything took an unexpected turn and I ended up making a… dalgona beetroot. With hibiscus. Cute and pink and potentially drinkable, right? Actually, it turned out really tasty. That’s why I decided to share the recipe in the end.
Ingredients for the pink hibiscus and beetroot latte
To make this cool pink latte, you will need:
- Dried hibiscus calyces (the ones you would normally use to brew hibiscus tea)
- Dried beetroot powder
- Oat milk – my favourite for this recipe because of its natural sweetness, but you can use other plant milk instead (coconut or almond would work well too); I cannot guarantee it would turn out as tasty with cow’s milk, but you can try it if you want
- Aquafaba – water from cooking chickpeas; if you are new to cooking with aquafaba, I would recommend to use the one from a chickpeas can because it usually already has the right consistency (doesn’t need to be boiled down)
- Agave nectar
- Himalayan salt
- Lemon.
Making iced oat latte with hibiscus and beetroot
You will first need to brew a strong hibiscus tea a day ahead, or at least enough hours ahead to be able to freeze it. We are making hibiscus ice cubes that will go into plain oat milk, and release flavour as they melt.
I don’t add any sweetener to the oat milk – in most cases it is already naturally sweet because the oat starch gets broken down in the milk production process. However, if you like it sweeter, or decide to use almond or coconut milk instead, you can add some agave or maple syrup.
Before assembling the drink, you can whip the aquafaba into a creamy foam and add the beetroot powder to give it the pink colour. This can be done with an old-school cake mixer (takes about 15 minutes), or in a high-speed blender (done in about a minute). I will write this in more detail in the recipe below.
Now, to assemble the pink latte, you’ll need to fill approximately half a glass with hibiscus ice cubes, pour the oat milk to cover the cubes, and add the whipped beetroot foam on top.
The drink will look really cool before stirring, so you can serve it like that – with all three elements (plain oat milk, dark magenta hibiscus cubes and pink foam) visible. As soon as the drink is stirred with a straw, the milk will also become pink in colour, and get more and more of the hibiscus flavour as the ice cubes melt.
In case you prefer a hot latte, it can be done with this recipe too. Instead of freezing the hibiscus brew, you can use it while it’s still hot – in that case you can also heat up the oat milk. (I have to admit that the iced latte version of this recipe is still my favourite, though.)
I really enjoyed the flavour of this cool-looking pink latte, and so did my friends and family when I made it for them. If you decide to give it a try, let me know your thoughts!
Iced Pink Latte with Hibiscus and Beetroot
With this simple recipe you can make a delicious plant milk latte with hibiscus and beetroot.
Ingredients
- 120 g chilled aquafaba* (equals about 2/3 liquid from a can)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 heaping tsp beetroot powder
- 1 cup oat milk
- 3/4 cup strong brewed hibiscus tea
Instructions
- Brew a strong hibiscus tea with 3/4 cup water, strain it and pour into ice moulds.
- Leave it in the freezer overnight.
- Put the aquafaba into a blender (alternatively you can use a bowl and a regular mixer, but it will take a bit longer to foam and thicken), add salt and lemon and blend on a low speed until it gets a meringue-like consistency.
- While still blending, slowly add the agave syrup and beetroot powder (I dusted it through a tea strainer) and keep blending until everything is combined and forms a thick, fluffy cream.
- Divide the frozen hibiscus tea cubes into two glasses, pour the oat milk inside and top with the beetroot cream.
Notes
- The hibiscus tea brew should be stronger than you would usually make for a regular cup of tea. The exact amount depends on what you normally like, and if your dried hibiscus flower calyces are whole or is in pieces. I normally put almost a double dose of dried hibiscus for this recipe, so that I get the most flavour when combined with oat milk. You can also brew it longer than usual.
- Aquafaba is water from cooking chickpeas; its viscosity and chemical composition make it a good ingredient to whip into a creamy, meringue-like foam. You can strain the liquid after cooking chickpeas and reduce it over a low heat to thicken a bit. If you are not sure about the right thickness (it takes some trial and error to get to know the right consistency), you can use the liquid from a can of cooked chickpeas.
- If you prefer a hot latte instead of an iced one, you can brew the hibiscus tea and instead of freezing it, use it hot and follow the rest of the steps as instructed. In that case you can also heat up the oat milk a bit, to have a proper warm drink.