Kenco Iced Hot Vanilla Latte: How to Make It Iced or Hot

Kenco Iced Hot Vanilla Latte: Building the Iced Glass

The secret of the iced version is one small step: a splash of hot water first. Dry powder added straight to cold milk leaves streaks whatever you do with the spoon, while a dissolved base turns into a smooth glass.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Kenco Iced Hot Vanilla Latte: Building the Iced Glass, in summary: Eight sachets of sweet vanilla milk coffee that work in a hot mug or an iced glass. For iced, dissolve the powder in a splash of hot water before the ice and cold milk; for hot, water alone finishes it.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

The secret of the iced version is one small step: a splash of hot water first. Dry powder added straight to cold milk leaves streaks whatever you do with the spoon, while a dissolved base turns into a smooth glass.

The iced glass, step by step

Empty the sachet into a tall glass and stir in about 50 to 60ml of hot water until no dry powder is left. Then add ice, and plenty of it, before topping up with cold milk. Milk gives a rounder glass than cold water, though water and ice will still do the job. A mean handful of cubes melts fast and drags the vanilla down with it, so fill the glass properly.

Cold also changes the taste. An iced glass sends less scent up to your nose, so the same sachet comes across cleaner and less perfumed than it does hot, with the vanilla noticeably quieter. If you like the vanilla up front, the hot mug is where it shows most; if you find it a touch sweet, the iced glass lengthened with extra milk is the gentler drink.

The hot mug, and how to adjust it

Hot, it needs nothing but water, because the milk is already in the powder. Boiling water scorches milk powder and leaves a cooked, faintly tinny edge, so give the kettle a minute to settle after it clicks. Stir the powder to a paste with a little of the water, fill the mug, and finish with a brisk stir to raise some foam.

The sweetness is set at the factory and there is no unsweetened version, so the only way to soften it is dilution: more water or milk, never less powder. To bring the coffee forward instead, mix half a teaspoon of plain instant with the powder while it is still dry. You gain roast without gaining sugar, which helps whenever the vanilla drowns out the coffee.

A flavour for any month

Vanilla never goes out of season. A spiced or toffee sachet belongs to a narrow window of the year, while this one makes as much sense in a cold glass in August as in a mug in February, and that is the whole point of the Iced Hot format. The vanilla itself is the confectionery kind rather than scraped from a pod: sweet and rounded, with the coffee still noticeable underneath.

Milk is in there twice over, as skimmed milk powder and as milk proteins, so it is no use in a dairy-free house. Eight sachets make eight drinks, a sensible size for finding out whether a sweet vanilla latte becomes a habit. If it does not, and caramel appeals more, the Iced Hot Salted Caramel box is built on the same hot-or-cold idea.

The packs we stock

Kenco Iced Hot Vanilla Latte Instant Coffee, 8 Sachets (barcode 8711000493472)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Kenco Iced Hot Vanilla Latte Instant Coffee, 8 Sachets (barcode 8711000493472) says it contains milk. Recipes get revised, so rely on the allergen notes printed on the box of Vanilla Latte you are sent.

Ingredients, as published: sugar, glucose syrup, skimmed mik powder (18%), maltodextrin, palm kernel oil, instant coffee (5,6%), flavourings (contains milk), modified starch, anticaking agent (e551), milk proteins, stabilizer (e340), thickener (e415), emulsifier (e481).

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	401 kcal
Fat	7g
of which saturates	6.9g
Carbohydrate	76g
of which sugars	52g
Fibre	1.7g
Protein	7.8g
Salt	0.6g

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. What the box says overrides this page.

What to eat with it

McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: dark chocolate brings the bitter edge that a sweet vanilla latte lacks.
Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: butterscotch and vanilla are old friends, and the pairing is at its best with the hot mug.
McVitie's Digestives Biscuits The Light One, 250g: a plain digestive beside an iced glass, for when you want the drink to be the sweet part.

Elsewhere in the Kenco range

The full range is on the Kenco brand page.

FAQ

Does the vanilla latte really work iced? Yes. Melt the powder into a little hot water, then add ice and cold milk; dry powder in cold milk streaks.

Do I need to add milk? Not for a hot mug, since the milk is in the powder. For iced, cold milk gives a rounder glass than water.

How do I make it less sweet? Only by adding more liquid. Using less powder thins the milk as well and tastes watery.

How many drinks are in a box? Eight, because one sachet makes one drink.

Is it dairy-free? No. The published ingredients include skimmed milk powder and milk proteins.

Curator's note: Make it in the tallest glass you own, pack it with ice and use proper cold milk. Done that way it is a summer drink worth keeping in the cupboard all year. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Kenco Iced Hot Vanilla Latte: Building the Iced Glass

Field	Detail
Brand	Kenco
Packs we stock	8 Sachets
Category	Instant Coffee
Allergens (as published)	It contains milk.
Caffeine	caffeinated
Iced	Yes, splash of hot water first
Sweetness	Sweet; lengthen it to soften
Best with	A dark chocolate digestive