Breville Barista Touch Recipes: 12 Easy BES880 Drinks to Make

These Breville Barista Touch recipes give you 12 easy drinks to make on the original BES880, from a straight espresso and Americano to latte, cappuccino, mocha, iced coffee and affogato.

The Barista Touch already provides Espresso, Americano, Latte, Flat White and Cappuccino from its touchscreen, but you are not limited to those five drinks. By changing the espresso-to-milk ratio and adding a few simple ingredients, the same BES880 can make a much wider coffee menu.

This guide is specifically for the Breville Barista Touch BES880. It does not cover the Barista Touch Impress BES881.

Breville Barista Touch Recipes at a Glance

Drink	Espresso	Milk / water	Extra ingredient
Espresso	Double	None	None
Americano	Double	4–6 oz hot water	None
Latte	Double	About 6 oz textured milk	None
Flat White	Double	About 4 oz silky milk	None
Cappuccino	Double	About 4 oz foamier milk	Optional cocoa
Mocha	Double	About 5–6 oz milk	1 tbsp cocoa
Cortado	Double	About 2 oz warm textured milk	None
Espresso Macchiato	Double	Small spoonful of foam	None
Iced Americano	Double	Cold water	Ice
Iced Latte	Double	Cold milk	Ice
Caramel Latte	Double	About 6 oz textured milk	Caramel syrup
Affogato	Double	None	Vanilla gelato or ice cream

These quantities are starting points rather than rigid rules. Cup size, coffee strength and personal preference can all justify changing the ratio.

Before You Make These Recipes

A flavored drink cannot hide a badly extracted espresso completely. Before changing recipes, establish a shot that flows and tastes balanced with your beans.

If the espresso runs too quickly, chokes the machine or tastes noticeably sour or bitter, use our Breville Barista Touch grind size guide to dial in the BES880 first.

For most of the milk drinks below, a double espresso provides enough coffee intensity to remain noticeable after milk is added.

1. Double Espresso

Start with the simplest Barista Touch recipe because every other drink depends on getting the espresso base right.

• Double filter basket
• Approximately 18 g freshly ground coffee as a starting dose
• Double brew selection
• Preheated espresso cup

1. Select Espresso on the touchscreen.
2. Grind into the double basket, distribute and tamp evenly.
3. Lock the portafilter into the group head.
4. Select Double and start the extraction.
5. Serve immediately.

A balanced espresso should have enough sweetness and body to drink on its own. Once that base is working, milk and flavored recipes become much easier to adjust.

2. Americano

An Americano keeps the espresso flavor but dilutes it into a longer drink. The BES880 has a dedicated Americano function and hot-water outlet, so this is one of the easiest recipes to make directly from the touchscreen.

• 1 double espresso
• Approximately 4–6 oz hot water

1. Select Americano.
2. Prepare the double espresso basket.
3. Position the cup so it can receive both espresso and hot water.
4. Select the Americano size that best matches your cup.

Use less water for a stronger drink or more for a milder coffee. The BES880 also lets you dispense hot water manually if you prefer to control the ratio yourself.

3. Café Latte

A latte combines a double espresso with a relatively large amount of silky microfoamed milk. Breville’s own café latte recipe also uses a double espresso as its coffee base. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

• 1 double espresso
• Approximately 6 oz cold milk
• 8–10 oz cup

1. Select Latte.
2. Pull a double espresso into the cup.
3. Texture the milk until it is smooth and pourable rather than excessively foamy.
4. Swirl the milk jug and pour into the espresso.

For exact starting points for milk temperature, froth level, alternative milks and how to adjust the result, use our Breville Barista Touch latte settings guide.

4. Flat White

A flat white uses less milk than a latte and keeps the microfoam layer thinner, giving the espresso a more prominent role. Breville also describes its flat white as a smaller drink with a thin layer of microfoam. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

• 1 double espresso
• Approximately 4 oz milk
• 6–8 oz cup

1. Select Flat White.
2. Extract a double espresso.
3. Texture cold milk with relatively low aeration.
4. Pour a thin layer of silky microfoam into the espresso.

If your flat white tastes almost identical to your latte, try using a smaller cup and less milk rather than simply increasing coffee strength.

5. Cappuccino

A cappuccino uses noticeably more aerated milk than a latte or flat white. Breville’s classic version starts with a double espresso and adds a generous layer of microfoamed milk. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

• 1 double espresso
• Approximately 4 oz milk
• Cocoa powder, optional

1. Select Cappuccino.
2. Pull a double espresso into the cup.
3. Select a higher milk texture than you would use for a latte.
4. Texture the milk and pour it over the espresso.
5. Dust lightly with cocoa powder if desired.

The goal is creamy aerated milk, not stiff dry foam. If the foam sits separately on top like shaving cream, reduce aeration slightly.

6. Café Mocha

A mocha is one of the easiest ways to turn the BES880 into a dessert-style coffee machine because it simply combines espresso, chocolate and textured milk.

• 1 double espresso
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate sauce
• Approximately 5–6 oz milk

1. Add the cocoa or chocolate to the cup.
2. Extract the espresso over it.
3. Stir until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
4. Texture the milk with a latte-style consistency.
5. Pour the milk into the chocolate espresso.

Breville’s own basic café mocha uses cocoa, espresso and milk, so you do not need special machine programming to make one. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

7. Cortado

A cortado is useful when you want the softness of milk without turning the coffee into a large milk drink.

• 1 double espresso
• Approximately 2 oz warm textured milk
• 4–5 oz glass

1. Extract a double espresso into a small glass.
2. Texture a small quantity of milk with low to moderate foam.
3. Add approximately the same volume of milk as espresso.

The smaller milk ratio preserves much more espresso intensity than a latte while softening acidity and bitterness.

8. Espresso Macchiato

An espresso macchiato needs very little milk. Think of it as espresso marked with a small amount of foam rather than a miniature latte.

• 1 single or double espresso
• A small amount of textured milk

1. Pull the espresso into a small cup.
2. Texture a small quantity of milk.
3. Add one or two spoonfuls of microfoam to the espresso.

This is a good recipe when you want to soften straight espresso while keeping almost all of its strength and body.

9. Iced Americano

The original BES880 does not need a special cold-extraction mode to make a simple iced Americano. Brew normal espresso and cool it with water and ice.

• 1 double espresso
• 4–6 oz cold water
• Ice

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add the cold water.
3. Pull a double espresso.
4. Pour the espresso over the water and ice.
5. Stir briefly and serve.

For a stronger iced Americano, use less water rather than adding more ice, since melting ice will dilute the drink further.

10. Iced Latte

An iced latte is even simpler because the milk does not need to be steamed.

• 1 double espresso
• 5–6 oz cold milk
• Ice

1. Fill an 8–12 oz glass with ice.
2. Add the cold milk.
3. Extract a double espresso separately.
4. Pour the espresso over the milk and ice.
5. Stir before drinking.

Use less milk if you want the espresso to remain prominent. Plant-based milk can be substituted directly because no steaming behavior needs to be considered.

11. Caramel Latte

A caramel latte uses the same basic workflow as a normal latte, so it is an easy first flavored drink to make on the Barista Touch.

• 1 double espresso
• 5–6 oz milk
• 1/2–1 oz caramel syrup, depending on sweetness

1. Add caramel syrup to the cup.
2. Extract the double espresso over the syrup.
3. Stir until combined.
4. Texture the milk as you would for a normal latte.
5. Pour the milk into the espresso mixture.

Start with less syrup than you think you need. It is easy to add sweetness, but too much syrup can hide both the espresso and the milk texture.

12. Affogato

Affogato is the simplest dessert recipe in this list and needs no milk steaming at all.

• 1 double espresso
• 1–2 scoops vanilla gelato or vanilla ice cream

1. Place the gelato or ice cream in a small glass or dessert bowl.
2. Pull a fresh double espresso.
3. Pour the hot espresso directly over the frozen dessert.
4. Serve immediately.

A darker or chocolate-forward espresso can work particularly well here because the sweetness of the ice cream softens bitterness.

How to Create Your Own Barista Touch Recipe

You do not have to stay with the five standard drinks shown on the touchscreen. The BES880 lets you create a custom drink based on an existing style and save personalized settings for future use.

1. Open the drink-selection screen.
2. Select Add New.
3. Choose the closest standard drink as your starting point.
4. Adjust the available brew and milk parameters.
5. Name and save the drink.

The Barista Touch can store up to eight personalized coffees. If you need the full touchscreen procedure, controls or factory-reset behavior, see our Breville Barista Touch manual guide.

How to Modify Any Recipe

Once you have a basic recipe working, change only one part at a time. Most Barista Touch drinks can be customized in four simple ways.

• Stronger coffee: reduce the milk or water before changing the espresso dose.
• Milder coffee: add a little more milk or water.
• More texture: increase milk froth slightly.
• Sweeter drink: add syrup, chocolate or another flavor after establishing the espresso base.

Making one small change at a time makes it much easier to reproduce a drink you actually like.

Breville Barista Touch Recipes FAQ

What drinks can you make with the Breville Barista Touch?

The BES880 touchscreen includes Espresso, Americano, Latte, Flat White and Cappuccino, but you can also make drinks such as mocha, cortado, macchiato, iced Americano, iced latte, flavored lattes and affogato by changing ratios or adding ingredients.

Can you save your own recipes on the Barista Touch?

Yes. The BES880 can save up to eight personalized coffees after you customize the available drink parameters.

Can the BES880 make iced coffee?

Yes. You can brew normal espresso and combine it with ice, cold water or cold milk to make iced Americanos and iced lattes. You do not need a dedicated cold-extraction mode for these basic recipes.

Can you make a mocha on the Breville Barista Touch?

Yes. Mix cocoa powder or chocolate sauce with espresso, then add textured milk. No special mocha program is required.

What is the easiest Barista Touch recipe for beginners?

Start with a double espresso, Americano or latte. These use the BES880’s standard touchscreen drinks and make it easier to learn extraction and milk texturing before adding syrups or more complicated ratios.

Should I use a double espresso for milk drinks?

A double espresso is a strong starting point for most normal-size lattes, flat whites and cappuccinos because it remains noticeable after milk is added. Smaller cups can also work well with a single shot.