Sweet, spicy, and delicious, this creamy Fall coffee drink is the best homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe you’ll ever try!
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
It’s pumpkin season again, bringing the return of scarves, leggings, changing leaves and everyone’s coffee shop seasonal favorite, pumpkin spice lattes.
But before you run to Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, or Dunkin’ for the ultimate PSL, why not save time and money by making your own pumpkin spice latte at home?
This quick, easy homemade version is just as good as the original!
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Advantages of creating your own PSL
One of the best reasons to choose homemade products is the price.
Even a tall Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is more than five bucks, and a grand size close to six bucks.
Order a drink throughout the fall and it gets expensive pretty quickly.
In contrast, a DIY pumpkin latte can be made for under a dollar, less than a fifth of a traditional coffee shop latte!
Another benefit of making your own pumpkin drink instead of buying it from a cafe is the nutrition facts.
A tall Starbucks pumpkin spice latte contains 300 calories, 38 grams of sugar and 12 grams of fat. Meanwhile, a similarly sized homemade latte can be under 100 calories, even less than a third of the sugar when using real sugar instead of sugar substitute.
And you don’t have to wait until pumpkin season. Whether it’s Halloween or midsummer, enjoy this festive and comfortingly spiced drink all year round.
(The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is set to return to its menu on August 24.)
Finally, the lazy cause. When you make your own pumpkin latte at home, you never have to leave your pajamas or the comfort of your own kitchen.
Starbucks pumpkin latte recipe video
Watch the video above on how to make a pumpkin spice latte at home
Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Ingredients
Depending on the ingredients you choose, this healthy pumpkin latte can be high-fructose corn syrup-free, vegan, gluten-free, low-calorie, low-fat, soy-free, and nut-free.
The pumpkin recipe calls for brewed coffee or espresso, milk of choice, pumpkin puree, pure vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and sweetener of choice.
Coffee – My personal preference here is a dark roast coffee, such as a French roast. For a mostly decaffeinated meal, medium, light roast, cold brew, or decaffeinated coffee also works if you prefer.
Or you can use two shots of espresso instead of brewed coffee for a stronger latte.
milk – In general, whole milk or oat milk produces the best steamed latte foam.
Almond milk or soy milk will also work. Low-fat milk and cartons of coconut milk don’t work either.
Sugar – Feel free to go with your favorite all-purpose sweetener, including regular or brown sugar, coconut sugar or palm sugar, pure maple syrup, agave or xylitol for a keto and sugar-free pumpkin spice latte.
Pumpkin – I like to use canned pumpkin puree to save time. If you’re feeling adventurous or don’t have canned pumpkin, you can make fresh homemade pumpkin puree by roasting butternut squash or kabocha squash.
When making your own puree from scratch, it’s best to avoid sugar pumpkin. Look for smaller pumpkins, as large pumpkins tend to be watery and stringy.
Use the remaining pumpkin to prepare Pumpkin Banana Bread
What is pumpkin pie spice?
You can usually find jarred pumpkin pie spice, sometimes called pumpkin spice, in the spice section of most grocery stores in America.
In England, the product is also known as mixed spice or pudding spice.
This spice blend combines ingredients like ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. It does not contain any pumpkin, but is often used to enhance the flavor of both sweet and savory pumpkin recipes, including pumpkin pie and pumpkin curry.
If you want to make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice, simply combine half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon each of nutmeg and ground ginger, an eighth teaspoon each of ground cloves, and an additional eighth teaspoon of allspice.
Store in a tightly closed container in the kitchen cupboard or pantry. This pumpkin spice should keep for up to three years if all the ingredients are fresh.
Try adding pumpkin pie spice to these Easy Cinnamon Rolls
How to make the best pumpkin spice latte
Gather all your tools and ingredients.
Don’t have an espresso machine? No problem! You can easily make this classic fall recipe without any fancy equipment.
The first step is to mix your milk of choice, mashed pumpkin, ground pumpkin pie spice, and your chosen sweetener in a small pot on the stove.
Whisk the milk over medium heat until it boils.
If you prefer to use the microwave, simply whisk the first four ingredients in a coffee mug. Heat for about forty-five seconds. If you have a cooking thermometer, it should read 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turn off the heat, add pure vanilla extract and whisk for a few seconds with a milk frother or vigorously until the steamed milk begins to form small bubbles.
A good tip when making pumpkin latte art is to not whip for too long. Let it sit for about thirty seconds to dissolve the foam.
However, if you want to make it into a pumpkin cappuccino, whip the pumpkin foam until it’s frothy and bubbly, with lots of foam.
Pour the espresso or brewed coffee into a glass, mug or cup.
Pour the pumpkin milk mixture into the glass, over the coffee.
Enjoy while hot. Or refrigerate until chilled, then pour over ice to make a delicious fall pumpkin iced coffee.
Top your homemade pumpkin drink with caramel sauce, whipped cream or a cinnamon stick and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
This recipe makes one serving of Pumpkin Spice Latte. Just double or triple all the ingredients to make a larger batch.
Serve your latte with a batch for breakfast or as a snack Applesauce Muffins or these three healthy ingredients Banana Oatmeal Cookies.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
At press time, a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is not vegan even when ordered with non-dairy milk because its pumpkin syrup contains condensed skim milk.
Thankfully, making your own pumpkin coffee drink at home is easy and just as delicious as the Starbucks version. And it can be completely dairy-free and plant-based.
To make a vegan pumpkin latte, use oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or another dairy-free milk alternative as your milk of choice.
Choose a vegan-friendly sweetener instead of honey and top off your vegan drink with a store-bought or homemade drink. Coconut Whipped Cream.
- 1 cup milk choice
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee or espresso
- 2 spoon pumpkin puree
- 1/4 c.q pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 c.q pumpkin pie spice
- 1 – 2 tbsp sugar or sweetener of your choice
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How to make the pumpkin spice latte recipe: Combine pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin pie spice, and sweetener in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm. (If you have a cooking thermometer, it should read 150 degrees Fahrenheit.) Turn off the heat, add the vanilla and use a whisk or milk frother for a few seconds until small bubbles form. Dissolve the foam, then pour a cup over coffee or espresso. See nutrition facts
More homemade pumpkin recipes
or this Keto Pumpkin Bread
