Pumpkin Spice Latte

The past month or two, we’ve really been leaning into fall flavor when developing new recipes for the blogs, updating old ones, and finally getting around to shooting recipes we’ve been making forever, and just haven’t posted.

Today I’m sharing my homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe!

Inspired by the OG Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, this is a great recipe for making your own pumpkin spice lattes at home - no speciality ingredients needed!

Like the original recipe, this PSL is an actual pumpkin latte, getting the pumpkin flavor from actual pumpkin puree - rather than just adding pumpkin spice flavors to a coffee.

... and like the famous pumpkin spice latte you can get in coffee shops, this recipe is a great way to indulge your sweet tooth!

Also?

The ingredients are all super basic and generally available year round - you don’t have to rely on your local coffee shop deciding that it’s finally “time”. 🙂

So, dig out your favorite mug, because now it’s “PSL season” whenever youYOU want it to be!

Ingredients

This recipe is made up of simple ingredients - all whole foods. You should be able to find all of it at any grocery store.

A few notes on the key ingredients:

Pumpkin Puree

You’ll want to use real pumpkin puree for this, rather than pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has added ingredients - you just want the pumpkin.

Sweetener

We generally make this with brown sugar or maple syrup.

If you’re looking to reduce the grams of sugar in the recipe, you can definitely use and artificial sweetener instead.

I recommend Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute.

Fun fact: If you use Swerve and a low carb milk (like unsweetened vanilla almond milk)... this delicious pumpkin spice latte becomes keto friendly!

Milk

Warm milk is what makes this a latte, so it’s a pretty important ingredient!

That said, you can use any kind of milk you like: whole milk, skim milk, nonfat milk, whatever.

I find that the high fat content milks froth up better, but they’ll all work.

As for dairy-free milk options...

We use unsweetened almond milk as a default, as that’s what we tend to have on hand.

Coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk are all tasty non-dairy milk options in this recipe, and I’d imagine that soy milk would also work.

Strong Coffee

In the Starbucks’ version uses hot espresso, but any strong black coffee will work well in this homemade version.

I can’t be arsed to have an espresso maker or buy a specific type of coffee, so I just use whatever my husband has on hand.

Usually that’s a basic coffee, but this also works with flavoured coffees. Just pick a coffee flavor that works well with the other ingredients.

Warming Spices

I use a homemade pumpkin spice blend for this recipe, using Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Cloves, and Ground Nutmeg.

I just generally don’t keep premix pumpkin pie spice on hand, as I always have the individual fall spices ... and I’m frugal.

That said, you can use 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice in place of those spices, if you do have it on hand!

Other Stuff

Rounding out the recipe, we have Pure vanilla extract.

Beyond the actual recipe, you can have fun with garnishes, if you like. Whipped cream, star anise, cinnamon stick, a drizzle of caramel sauce... whatever floats your boat!

Equipment

While you won’t need an espresso machine to make this pumpkin spice latte recipe, you’ll want something to froth it up with.

I recommend having a Milk Frother.

I bought one a while back for making my keto iced coffees every morning, and LOVE it.

I’ve been using it a lot more since getting into making these fall coffee and tea drinks. (Like my Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte and my Apple Crisp Macchiato copycat recipes!)

No milk frother?

An Immersion Blender also works well.

You’ll also need something to pour the drinks into - I recommend a large mug

How to Make Homemade PSL

The full recipe follows in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is the pictorial walk through.

In a small saucepan, mix together pumpkin, brown sugar (or maple syrup), spices and salt.

Cook pumpkin mix over medium heat for a minute or so, until the spices become fragrant.

Stir in almond milk, whisking until smooth and well combined. Bring milk mixture to a boil.

Remove from heat, add coffee and vanilla extract.

Pour into two mugs, garnish with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice if desired, and , serve immediately.

To Make an Iced Pumpkin Chai Latte

I like to make 2 batches, when it comes to making this as a cold version.

Ahead of time, I make one batch, skipping the frothing step.

Once it’s cooled to room temperature, I portion it out into an ice cube tray and freeze it solid.

I make the second batch when I’m in the mood for that iced pumpkin spice latte, and let the hot drink cool a bit.

Then, pop some of those pumpkin latte ice cubes into a tall glass, pour the fresh latte over it, and serve!

More Amazing Pumpkin Recipes

When fall is here, is there anything better than indulging in some pumpkin goodies? We’re down for all things pumpkin, whether for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a random Tuesday!

Here are our favourite ways to use the gourd!

Baked Pumpkin Custard
Easy Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
Easy Pumpkin Martini
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro
How to Make Pumpkin Mead
Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
Quick Pumpkin Bread
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse

... and from my other blogs:

Fluffy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas Pasadas
Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs
Keto Pumpkin Bars
Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below!