Sweet, spicy, and delicious, this creamy Fall coffee drink is the best homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe you will ever try!
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Homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe
It is pumpkin season once again, bringing the return of scarves, leggings, changing leaves, and everyone’s coffee shop seasonal favorite pumpkin spice lattes.
But before you run off to Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, or Dunkin’ for a basic PSL, why not save time and money by whipping up your own pumpkin spice latte at home?
This quick, easy homemade version is just as good as the original!
Readers also love this Frappuccino Recipe
Benefits of making your own PSL
One of the best reasons to choose homemade is the price.
Even a tall Starbucks pumpkin spice latte costs over five dollars, while a grande size is close to six dollars.
Order the drink throughout the Fall, and this gets expensive pretty quickly.
In contrast, a DIY pumpkin latte can be made for under a dollar, which is less than one fifth of the traditional coffee shop latte!
Another benefit to making your own pumpkin beverage instead of buying one 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 similar size homemade latte can come in at under 100 calories, with less than a third of the sugar even when using real sugar instead of a no sugar substitute.
And it is no longer necessary to wait until pumpkin season. Enjoy this festive and cozy spiced drink all year long, whether it is Halloween or the middle of summer.
(The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is set to return to their menu on August 24th.)
Finally, the lazy reason. If you make your own pumpkin latte at home, there is no need to ever leave your pajamas or the comfort of your own kitchen.
Starbucks pumpkin latte recipe video
Above, watch the video 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 vegan, gluten free, low calorie, low fat, soy free, and nut free, with no high fructose corn syrup.
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 for dark roast coffee, such as French roast. Medium, light roast, cold brew, or decaf coffee for a mostly caffeine free treat also work if you prefer.
Or you may use two shots espresso instead of the brewed coffee for a stronger latte.
Milk – Generally, whole milk or oat milk produce the best steamed latte foam.
Almond milk or soy milk will also work. Low fat milk and carton coconut milk do not work as well.
Sugar – Feel free to go with your favorite all purpose sweetener, including regular or brown sugar, coconut sugar or date sugar, pure maple syrup, agave, or xylitol for a keto and sugar free pumpkin spice latte.
Pumpkin – To save time, I like to use canned pumpkin puree. If you are feeling ambitious, or if canned pumpkin is not available, you can make fresh homemade pumpkin puree by roasting a pie pumpkin or kabocha squash.
When making your own puree from scratch, it is best to avoid sugar pumpkins. Look for a smaller pumpkin, because large ones tend to be watery and stringy.
Use up leftover pumpkin to make 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 regular grocery stores in America.
In England, the product is also known as mixed spice or pudding spice.
This spice mix 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 wish to make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice, simply combine half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a fourth teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and ground ginger, an eighth teaspoon of ground cloves, and an optional eighth teaspoon of ground allspice.
Store in a tightly sealed container in the kitchen cabinet or pantry. If all of the ingredients are new, this pumpkin spice should keep for up to three years.
Try adding pumpkin pie spice to these Easy Cinnamon Rolls
How to make the best pumpkin spice latte
Gather all of your tools and ingredients.
No espresso machine? No problem! You can easily make this classic Fall recipe without any fancy equipment.
The first step is to stir together the milk of choice, pureed pumpkin, ground pumpkin pie spice, and sweetener of choice in a small saucepan on the stove top.
Whisk over medium heat just until the milk is hot.
If you prefer to use a microwave, simply whisk the first four ingredients in a coffee mug. Heat for around forty five seconds. If you have a cooking thermometer, it should read 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turn off the heat, add the pure vanilla extract, and use a milk frother or whisk vigorously for a few seconds, until the steamed milk forms small bubbles.
A good tip if making pumpkin latte art, is to not whip for too long. Let the foam sit for about thirty seconds to settle.
However, if you wish to turn it into a pumpkin cappuccino, whip away until the pumpkin foam is whipped, bubbly, and frothy, with lots of foam.
Pour the espresso or brewed coffee into a mug, glass, or cup.
Swirl the pumpkin milk mixture into the mug, on top of the coffee.
Enjoy while it is hot. Or refrigerate until cold, then pour over ice to make a wonderful autumn pumpkin iced coffee.
Top your homemade pumpkin drink with caramel sauce, whipped cream, or a cinnamon stick and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
This recipe makes a single serving pumpkin spice latte. For a larger yield, simply double or triple all ingredients.
Serve your latte for breakfast or snack, alongside a batch of Applesauce Muffins or these healthy three ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies.
Vegan pumpkin spice latte
At press time, a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is not vegan even when ordered with nondairy milk, because its pumpkin syrup contains condensed skim milk.
Thankfully, making your own pumpkin coffee drink at home is easy and just as tasty 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 non dairy milk alternative as your milk of choice.
Choose a vegan friendly sweetener instead of honey, and top your vegan beverage with store bought or homemade Coconut Whipped Cream.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee or espresso
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 – 2 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- How to make a pumpkin spice latte recipe: Stir pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin pie spice, and sweetener in a small saucepan over medium heat just until hot. (If you have a cooking thermometer, it should read 150 degrees Fahrenheit.) Turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and use a whisk or milk frother for a few seconds, until small bubbles form. Let the foam settle, then pour it over the coffee or espresso in a mug. View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Homemade Pumpkin Recipes
or this Keto Pumpkin Bread
Looks divine to me! I am such a sucker for all the holiday drinks this time of year and this I will have to try out and match it with one of you lil goodies…
🙂
I love pumpkin and you have no idea how happy I am that you made a healthy pumpkin spice latte!!!! I love pumpkin in oatmeal, brownies, shakes, and especially pie. I challenge you to make a delicious super healthy pumpkin pie! If you did, my life would be complete. Also my life would be complete if you made a healthy mocha coconut frap!
Mmmm oh goodness, I think I need to! Good idea!!
Yummy!!! I used to LOVE those Starbucks Pumpkin Spice lattes until I learned I couldn’t have them anymore. Boo! But this sounds great!
I’ve never had canned pumpkin – it’s not really a staple here in Ireland! I’d love to try this 🙂
Pumpkin in oatmeal for sure!!! I love this recipe! You rock gurly 🙂
Mmmm, that looks delicious! I love pumpkin, especially pumpkin pie. My fav recipe is a pumpkin-tofu pie that is less powerfully pumpkin-y and has a lighter flavour than “normal” pumpkin pie, probably thanks to the tofu. It’s a great recipe that makes 2 pies which is just as well because everybody I’ve served it to loves it!
P.S. I finally made that chocolate pie this morning! I ate the filling that was left in the blender jar and it was so chocolatey that I couldn’t bring myself to have a slice of the pie. I was chocolated out! I guess this makes me persona non grata around here 😛
This looks great Katie — I used to love those types of coffee drinks but honestly the amount of sugar in there makes my stomach hurt. Maybe I should try making them at home instead!
Oh, pumpkin, thank you for reminding me that autumn is almost here – my favorite season! Time for sweaters, cool nights, and sprinkling cinnamon on any and everything! Now if the weather would just cooperate. What’s all this 50 at night and 90 in the day? Texas never wants summer to end, I just know it!
It’s better than the winter, when it’s 30 at night and then 80 in the day. Texas winters are just crazy!
I haven’t tried it either, but I have seen a ton of tweets about it not being vegan. Your recipe looks delish, although I’m not a coffee drinker. Maybe I’ll try it with some kind of cinnamon tea or chai.
Love pumpkin in oatmeal, vegan baked goods, puddings and sometimes just as it is. It’s one of the best parts of fall. You could use it to make some pumpkin donut pops (like cake pops) with a glaze on them.
Intriguing … I go to Caffe Nero because I like their coffee best; according to our Italian friend and her family who visit England occasionally they have the most authentic Italian coffee. They’re also slightly cheaper than Starbucks! 😀 I don’t even know if UK Starbucks offers the Pumpkin Pie Latte…
I’ll be trying this the next time I open a can of pumpkin! I’ll be opening it when a craving for pumpkin pie overnight oats hits: Oh She Glows has the most beautiful recipe for Pumpkin Pie Delight Overnight Oats Banana Soft Serve Parfait, and just pumpkin pie overnight oats with blackstrap molasses (which I love). I love pumpkin puree in smoothies too, namely Green Monsters! I’ve also used it to make Pumpkin Banana Wheatgerm Oatmeal Muffins, Pumpkin Pie Banana Chunk Oatmeal Cookies (hm, I need to make those again soon), and I used it blended into your Five Minute Chocolate Mousse recipe along with half a banana to make an oatmeal parfait (bottom layer: plain oatmeal, middle layer: oatmeal blended with half of the mousse, top layer: mousse, with fresh mixed berries between layers and topped with coconut, cacao nibs and buckwheat groats) … it was eyes-rolling-back-in-head delicious 😀
PS Have you tried searching your blog for ‘pumpkin? There are a lot of entries! 🙂
LOL! I should do that! Normally, though, I use kabocha in my pumpkin recipes… I think it’s sweeter and more buttery. I wish they sold canned kabocha!