It’s no secret that I love coffee, and nothing says fall like a warm pumpkin spice latte! Seeing them on every Starbucks sign makes my mouth water, but I can’t justify consuming that much sugar (50 grams in a grande size) plus all the junky additives.
Not to mention it costs about $5 per cup to consume said sugar!
With my love for pumpkin coffee I knew I had to find a way to make it at home for less.
A Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe, with Real Pumpkin
I’ve fine-tuned this easy pumpkin spice latte recipe over the years and now I can’t drink anything else! It’s easy to make just for yourself or for a crowd with just a blender and a stove top (or Crock-Pot).
This pumpkin spice latte tastes very similar to the coffeeshop versions without the artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. Oh, and it actually contains pumpkin… because it’s not a REAL pumpkin spice latte without it!
To make it dairy free, sub coconut, almond, or macadamia milk. (Macadamia is my favorite!) These are easy to find in the store, but cheaper (and less watered down) made at home.
A dollop of whipped heavy cream or coconut cream finishes off this recipe and makes it extra decadent. Try a whipped cream dispenser for homemade (and low sugar) whipped cream on demand.
If you’re on a therapeutic diet or want to avoid any sugar at all, feel free to omit it. In fact I use these pumpkin spice stevia drops and don’t miss the sugar one bit!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk coconut milk, almond milk, or my favorite, macadamia milk
- 1 TBSP canned or fresh pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or make your own
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice or ½ tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle each of cloves and nutmeg
- ¼ cup strong coffee or espresso
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup or to taste
- whipped cream or whipped coconut cream or a spoonful of the cream that accumulates at the top of a can of coconut milk optional
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients except for heavy cream or coconut cream in a blender until smooth and incorporated. Or, if you have an immersion blender, pour all ingredients into a medium saucepan and blend with an immersion blender.
- Heat the mixture by simmering for about 5 minutes until hot. Stir often.
- Top with whipped heavy cream or coconut cream and a dash of cinnamon, and enjoy! By making your pumpkin spice latte at home you just saved yourself $4 bucks, 10 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of fat!
Notes
- If you are using canned pumpkin and won't use the whole can, freeze the rest in ice cube trays and keep in a bag for future batches.
- Making for more than one person? Easily double, triple, or quadruple the recipe to make for extra people. Serving for a party? Multiply by 10 and keep warm on low in a slow cooker or in a carafe.
- Make it cold: Can also be served chilled by cooling the coffee first and blending all ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup of ice. Add a tsp of grass-fed gelatin or a scoop of healthy protein powder if desired.
Nutrition
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Where do you fall on the pumpkin spice debate? What’s your favorite fall drink? Share below!
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Hi I’m from Australia and have been making some your recipes, which are fantastic BTW. You’ve got me stumped with the canned pumpkin. We don’t have canned pumpkin here. Is it just mashed up pumpkin in a tin? If I was to steam my own and blend it would I end up with the same thing?
It is basically just canned mashed pumpkin, so you could certainly make your own. Just make sure it is well blended and it should work great! Australia is on my bucket list… can’t wait to make it there and hopefully scuba dive someday!
I’m so stoked to make this!!! Will be using homemade almond milk as a sub. Thanks for the awesome ICE CREAM IDEA!! Genius! Chocolate chip pumpkin ice cream just made its way to the top of my to-do list 🙂
Do you have any experience with storing and re-heating the left overs?
Sounds wonderful! I feel the same way about the Starbucks version – too expensive, too much sugar. In fact, when we had our first cool morning a few weeks ago, I got one against my better judgment, and you know what? It was just too sweet. That’s what primal/paleo life will do to you, huh? 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I want one now after reading that recipe. Sounds so warm and nourishing.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I’ve been drying for a pumpkin latte. Every coffee shop I’ve asked uses that nasty syrup to flavor the coffee. I can’t wait to make this!
This is great – one thing that I’m having a hard time with when switching over to paleo is not having any treats for the kids to celebrate little things like the first day of autumn or feast days, etc. I want to cut way back on sugar but it’s fun to have little traditions throughout the year. Recipes like this are great – if you have anymore, please keep them coming. I am going to use decaf coffee – don’t need four littles running around maniacally!
Karyn, treats are my weakness! Here are a few ideas to help you out:
I adapted these muffins from a recipe from Elana’s Pantry. My husband loves them! Add chocolate chips for an extra treat: http://nograinnopain.blogspot.com/2011/09/banana-nut-muffins-paleo-style.html
This stuff is gold! Great way to get your fruit servings in. I’ve made it with heavy cream as well as almond milk: http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/07/25/decadent-fruit-dip/I’ve also played around with this recipe a bit. It’s nice to have something reminiscent of a cookie every so often: http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/09/30/one-crazy-week-nutty-cookies/ (scroll down to the bottom of this link for someone else’s variation on this yummy little cookie as well: http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/01/16/paleo-talk-episode-2/ – I loved these straight out of the freezer!)
Best of luck with the paleo kiddos 🙂
Great suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
Now I have to go to the store for vinegar for bone both AND canned pumpkin tonight!
Sounds SO yummy! I can’t wait to try this!
Delish! I am wondering if this can be canned…make up large batches and store the rest by canning.
I haven’t tried but it probably could… let me know how it turns out!