No need to pay for pricey coffee-shop pumpkin spice lattes with this easy, homemade version that uses real pumpkin puree (no fake, sugary syrups) and can be made quickly and inexpensively at home. And now you can enjoy pumpkin spice lattes year-round from home.
Every year around this time the world seems to go crazy for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes
The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes are lovely…
But you can make them at home
And I’d like to think my make-at-home version wins
Why?
Because you can make them vegan at home, if you so choose.
And the ones you purchase are generally made with fake, sugary, pumpkin-flavored syrups, not real pumpkin puree.
It should be noted that this is a natural latte, made with real pumpkin puree and real pumpkin pie spice. It does not all fully dissolve and there will be some settling at the bottom of the mug. If you don’t want settling, the way to avoid that is to use synthetic syrups made from chemicals rather than real pumpkin and real spices. Your choice.
Since some people enjoy a daily dose of HFCS, you make lattes at home and can control what goes into your latte.
Another reason the at-home version wins is because you could go into the poorhouse if you like your coffee as much as I like mine buying these specialty drinks.
I bet the cost per cup of the homemade latte is less than a quarter and probably even less.
Far less than the $4 coffee shop lattes and the cheapskate in me wants to make things at home whenever possible.
And I actually prefer the taste of my version to the Starbucks version but I could be biased.
For the recipe, there are many ways to make these and many recipes I’ve seen on the internet, but here’s what I do because I like these ratios the best.
And oh yes, it’s easy.
A Visual Guide
Brew your coffee
I was lucky enough to receive this Godiva Pumpkin Coffee from Godiva in conjunction with being a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher
The coffee is delicious and being that it’s pumpkin-flavored it just enhances the recipe but it’s not required to use pumpkin coffee
Any ole coffee will do if you don’t have any of these just laying around your cupboards
After you’ve made your coffee, make the pumpkin milk
Everything in
Blend
This stuff is so good!
You don’t even need to pour it into coffee. You can just drink this as is. Mmmm, good. Just ask Skylar.
And when you’re chugging this straight taste-testing this before you pour it into the brewed coffee just remember the old saying: “Pumpkin Milk: It does a body good!”
I recommend heating the pumpkin milk mixture up in the micro (or stovetop) before you add it to the brewed coffee (or Vita users, just let ‘er rip and let the machine do the work for you)
But I truly despise lukewarm coffee drinks so I always heat it up as to not cool off my coffee too much
Pour the coffee into your mug, top with half the pumpkin milk mixture
Garnish and Drink Up
And be glad you don’t have to rely on buying pumpkin spice lattes anymore!
As I said in the recipe section, you know you will want a refill
Every bit as good as Starbucks Star Who?
And easy and cheap!
And for the rest of the can of pumpkin puree you have on your hands, I have a great recipe coming up for how to use it…
Tip: I actually mix up about 2 cups+ worth of pumpkin milk at a time and store that in the fridge and heat it up as needed and then add that to coffee as I see fit over the next couple days
I figure as long as I am dirtying dishes and have everything out, I always make a little extra for refills or future use
Or, you can also freeze the extra pumpkin puree in a small container and make something else that tickles your pumpkin fancy because you never know when a pumpkin craving is going to hit.
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Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
- At least 2 cups coffee, strong and freshly brewed
- 1 cup milk, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk but use any kind you wish from whole to soy to rice milk
- ¼ heaping cup pumpkin puree, more if you really love pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- sweetener of choice, to taste (I suggest 2 tablespoons agave or 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste)
- Optional: pinch of ground nutmeg, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, or other warming spices to taste
Instructions
- Make coffee (a pot, single-serving cup, in whatever fashion and however you prefer making your coffee. The stronger the better)
- Make Pumpkin Milk by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well by hand or blend using a Vita-MIx or blender Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop (I do a quick nuke of about 1 minute)
- Pour 1 cup of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy. (The other half of the pumpkin milk mixture is for the refill you know you will want. If you truly don’t want a refill, refrigerate it for up to a few days and use for your next latte, in a smoothie, or drink it as is. As long as you’re dirtying dishes, I always make a little extra for refills or for later)
- Optional: Finish by garnishing with real whipped cream/whipped topping such and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon on top
- Notes: The spices will not “blend” or entirely dissolve. This is to be expected and normal. If this bothers you, this may not the recipe for you and you may want to experiment with other recipes or techniques.All spices and seasonings are to taste; in this case, mine. If you want to reduce the spices (or increase them), obviously adjust everything according to your own taste preferences. Some people may find the amounts I used a bit strong, but I like robust flavors.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Here’s a Roundup of my Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
Do you like Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Are you one of those people who has been over-paying for your seasonal pumpkin spice lattes (or come Christmastime the gingerbread lattes)?
Maybe you’ll make these at home because as I said here, if I relied on Starbucks for my coffee or specialty drink fix, I’d be broke!
Plus I truly prefer the taste of the make-at-home.
Yes! Can’t wait to try your recipe! I gave up Starbucks a while back. Too expensive, gave me a stomachache/headache, & as a Catholic, I can’t support their politics! So all around, I’m grateful to have found this little luxury of my favorite season! Bless you:)
Thanks for the sweet comment & glad this recipe will come in handy for you!
My hubby and I tried this tonight. We foun it wasn’t very flavourful. We even added extra pumpkin. I think we will give it another try but looking for opinions how to give it a more pumpkin spice flavour?
Perhaps increase the spices or cut back on the amount of milk.
I hate to be picky but you did mention numerous times how the syrups used in Starbucks were fake, however the Godiva Pumpkin Spice Coffee is artificially flavored too. I know you say several times in the recipe you can you use any coffee, but if you are going to make such a big deal of fake syrups then why use a coffee that has artificial favors?
I just discovered this recipe and I’m so glad I did! I like the taste of Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, but they tend to give me a stomachache (I think it’s the chemicals and fake flavors you mentioned). I can’t wait to make a natural version at home!
Enjoy it! There’s something in their coffee, but it gives me a stomach ache too. Even just the drip coffee. I can drink coffee I make all day long but something in theirs…not sure why it does that. Anyway, enjoy the latte!
My goodness, 3 pages of comments…a very popular post! You may not see this comment but just in case: could you give me an idea of spice amounts you’d use when you make up a mega batch of the pumpkin milk? I know for sure I loooove lots of spices, don’t mind the texture issue and want to be able to control my sugar source. What I made last year for a pumpkin latte base-syrup was pretty involved, if I remember correctly and yours sounds much simpler. I’d love to try it and know I’d want to make it in a big batch from the start.
If you double the batch, use double the spices called for. If you quadruple it, use 4x the amount. Simple! :) Or, of course, add to taste!
Since the spices do not dissolve…if that bothers you…just add the spices to your coffee grounds before brewing and the coffee will then be infused with the taste of the spices! Enjoy! I usually always add cinnamon to my coffee grounds
Great tip to just add the spices to your coffee grounds! What a great way to infuse them, without having to deal with the solubility issues. I personally just stop drinking the last inch or so of liquid in the mug, but this is a great solution and idea. Thanks for sharing!
Do you think you could make this recipe using espresso instead of coffee? If you did this, do you think you would need to add water to the espresso to equal out the same amount of liquid as the 2 cups of coffee? I ask just because I would LOVE to try this with my espresso machine and make an ACTUAL latte with shots! :)
I would just add a couple shots of espresso to the coffee, or play around with it til you get the flavor to be the intensity you like. Very forgiving recipe! And yes you could strain it, if you wish. Or just don’t drink the last couple sips <-- easier :)
I went vegan in January, and I almost rethought my decision when I thought about all the pumpkin lattes I wouldn’t be drinking. You saved my life! This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it, I’m pretty sure it will be memorized and used for the rest of my life. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Well I am so glad to hear you’re that excited about it and hope it serves you well!
I linked to this recipe through Happy Healthy Mama’s blog…I am trying this today!! It’s chilly and rainy here in Germany, and I have cans of pumpkin and a vitamix ready to go :)
Thanks for stopping by and finding me and enjoy your latte this morning!
Now that it’s Pumpkin Spice time again, I’m once again tempted to buy one just to see what the hype’s about. The problem: all those flavored drinks make me sick, so it’s a total waste to buy one, take one sip and dump the rest. Thank you for solving that problem! And I have a possible solution to the pumpkin solids at the bottom of the cup – just put the pumpkin milk through a cloth lined sieve first, you still get the flavor without the sludge. I’ll definitely be trying this soon.
And the super simple solution that takes no time at all, is just don’t drink the last couple sips :) Enjoy the recipe!