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Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino
If you’re craving a cold refreshing drink with the goodness of a pumpkin pie, you gotta try this fall frappuccino recipe!
Where did the time go? I can’t believe we’re only a few days away from Halloween! If you follow me on YouTube, you know I’ve been celebrating October with a pumpkin theme this month! I’ve explored pumpkin in so many ways! From my Aloo Kohra - Indian potatoes & pumpkin curry - to my Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Mushrooms, and of course a Pumpkin Bread Pudding to sweeten things up, pumpkins have been on my mind this month and I’ve enjoyed every second of it! I think I’ve had more pumpkin in one month than I ever have in my entire life!
October is a little bit of a strange month here in Canada. Sometimes it’s freezing cold with lots of wind (like today!), sometimes there’s early snow, or sometimes it’s as hot as summer! You can’t really predict the weather, and it changes on a daily basis.
You certainly want to reach for a hot beverage when it’s super cold, but when it’s on the warm side, then you want to enjoy the chilled beverages as much as you can before the warm weather goes away forever! I can relate!
That’s where this frappuccino comes in. I’ve loved frappuccinos pretty much ever since I arrived to Canada. They’re such a tasty treat! My favorite is of course the Mocha Cookie Crumble, but I’ve really opened up a place in my heart (and tummy!) for pumpkin beverages.
While I love to enjoy a beverage from a coffee shop, doing it regularly can get expensive, especially at Starbucks! It’s notorious for being pricey! However, getting a drink once in awhile sure is a wonderful source of inspiration. I go into more detail about the benefits of going out to eat (or drink!) to inspire you in the kitchen in my Make Cooking Fun! guide. This has my 5 top tips to explore your potential in the kitchen (having a theme is another tip, and in this case it’s pumpkin!). If you’ve been wanting to recreate your own frappuccino for awhile, then cross it off your bucket list and make it as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Be sure to tag your frapps on Instagram to share your refreshing pumpkin creation with me!
Don’t forget to watch the video to follow along with me preparing this drink! If you haven’t already, I’d appreciate it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell button to get notified when new videos are released! I love to make video recipes along with the written ones so you’ve got a visual representation of the method! Let’s get blending!
What Is a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino?
We’ll first see how Starbucks defines the frappuccino:
Pumpkin plus traditional fall spice flavors, blended with coffee, milk and ice and topped with whipped cream and pumpkin-pie spice. Think of it as the ultimate fall care package.
source: Starbucks.com
Sounds about right! If you’ve never had a this, I do recommend you give it a try if you’re a pumpkin spice lover! A few weeks ago it was very cold here, but this past week it’s been almost as warm as summer! It’s on these occasions where a cold drink really comes in handy, and I personally try to enjoy the cold drinks on the warmer days while I still can before we begin to freeze!
What Are the Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino?▼
Again, let’s review the ingredients in the Starbucks drink:
ICE, MILK, COFFEE FRAPPUCCINO SYRUP [SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID], COFFEE, WHIPPED CREAM [CREAM (CREAM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CARAGEENAN), VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)], PUMPKIN SPICE SAUCE [SUGAR, CONDENSED SKIM MILK, PUMPKIN PUREE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE FOR COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, ANNATTO, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE], PUMPKIN SPICE TOPPING [CINNAMON, GINGER, NUTMEG, AND CLOVES]
source: Starbucks.com
That does contain a lot of ingredients! Ours will certainly be less processed than the Starbucks version as you’ll see in the ingredient list further in this post. To break things down, here are the elements that go into the frappuccino:
- Ice
- Milk
- Coffee syrup
- Coffee
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla syrup
- Pumpkin spice sauce
- Pumpkin Spice topping
My recipe will contain most of these elements, but we will emphasize a little more pumpkin and less sugar. I’ll omit vanilla syrup in my recipe and instead of coffee syrup, we’ve got a strong coffee flavor from Javy coffee concentrate in the pistachio flavor.
Is this Frappuccino Seasonal?▼
Unfortunately for pumpkin spice fanatics this is a seasonal drink. You can order it when the fall menu starts - around the end of August or early September, until the winter menu rolls out, which is around late November. There is no close substitute to this frappuccino in the year-round menu as Starbucks removes the option to top with pumpkin spice and to add the pumpkin spice sauce in your drinks. If you want to order a custom drink, perhaps try the Caramel Frappuccino and add in cinnamon dolce syrup, topped with cinnamon sprinkles. Of course cinnamon isn’t pumpkin spice, but you’ll get a similar essence.
The beauty about being able to recreate your fast food or restaurant favorites at home is that you can enjoy your favorite drinks whenever you want! When the drink gets off the menu, then you can prepare as many of these homemade Frappuccinos as much as you want!
Does this Frappuccino have coffee?▼
Yes, the standard frappuccino recipe has coffee. Ordering from the Starbucks app or website, you’ll see it preset to “3 Frappuccino® Roast pump(s)”. You can also add espresso shots if desired. By default, one shot of espresso is added. You can get a coffee-free frappuccino, which is the Pumpkin Spice Creme Frappuccino. Instead of coffee, the frappuccino is cream-based. Feel free to do that with this recipe if you’d like! If you like the coffee flavor but don’t want the caffeine, then Javy coffee has a decaf flavor!
How Much Sugar is in this Frappuccino?▼
I will never be someone to stay away from food because of the nutrition label. However, to compare my recipe versus Starbucks’, the Starbucks drink has 65 grams of sugar! Yikes!!
I’ll be honest with you that when I drank the Starbucks version at the same time as mine (as you can see in the video at the bottom of this post!), I could really taste the syrup in there. It was very prominent and sweet, whereas mine was a little more subtle. Of course, when you make your own frappuccino, you can control the amount of sweetness you want. I won’t add any extra sugar in the blender - it just comes from the pumpkin spice syrup and there’s some in the whipped cream. As shown above, the default recipe has vanilla syrup plus the pumpkin spice syrup for sweetness.
Equipment Required
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Ramekin
- Non-stick pan
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Blender
- Serving cups
- Whisk
- Straws
Ingredients
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD for all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many frapps you want to make - these are awesome for guests!
For the Pumpkin Spice
For the Pumpkin Spice Sauce
- Pumpkin puree
- Condensed milk
- Table sugar
- Water
- Pumpkin spice
- Vanilla extract
For the Frappuccino
- Ice cubes: A must to make a frappuccino! It’s a blended iced beverage, so we need these to chill our milk and coffee! Plus, the ice cubes add volume and thickness to the drink.
- Coffee: For this recipe, I’ll be using Javy coffee concentrate in the pistachio flavor. Why pistachio? Just to have a personal fusion of flavors going on here! No worries if you don’t have Javy, though! You can substitute with instant coffee or espresso powder for this recipe, depending on how strong of a coffee flavor you want. You could also brew coffee or espresso if you have a machine or want to do so. To mimic the pistachio flavor that will come from using Javy, add 1/4 teaspoon of pistachio extract with your coffee.
- Pumpkin spice sauce: Make your own as mentioned above or you can use a store-bought syrup if you want.
- Milk: The standard Starbucks recipe uses whole milk to make their frappuccinos. I’ll use 1% milk because that’s what I had. It’ll still be creamy, but you’ll get better results with whole milk to be honest!
- Whipped cream: From a can or make your own!
- Pumpkin spice: Store-bought or homemade as I’ll be describing.
How to Make a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Recipe
We’ll quickly go over how to make the pumpkin spice and pumpkin spice sauce. For more details, be sure to check out my Perfect DIY Pumpkin Spice and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Sauce recipes!
For the Pumpkin Spice
To make this pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
FOR THE PUMPKIN SPICE SAUCE
- In a saucepan, add the water and sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Once dissolved, add the pumpkin puree, condensed milk, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract. Heat for 1-2 minutes and then turn off the heat.
- Pour out the pumpkin syrup into a mason jar for storage in the refrigerator.
For the Frappuccino
In a blender/food processor add the milk, ice, Javy coffee, and pumpkin sauce.
Blend well until the ice is completely crushed.
Pour into a serving glass. Top with whipped cream and pumpkin spice.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for the Most Refreshing Fall Frappuccino
- The amount of ice is important to consider to get the right final consistency in the drink.
- Avoiding over-blending the drink to prevent excessive foam. If you do get extra foam due to blending, you can spoon that out.
- Serve it right away to get the complete experience of the drink with the frozen bits of ice.
How can I Switch up my Frappuccino?▼
Syrup: Try adding one of these syrups into the blender along with our pumpkin spice syrup
Coffee: I used the pistachio-flavored Javy coffee concentrate. However, they also have a pumpkin spice flavor, so you can have an even stronger
Pumpkin: If you really want this to be a super pumpkin-y drink, then add some pumpkin puree into the blender too! This will give a wonderful orange color depending on what kind of pumpkin you’ve used to make your puree or if you’re using it from a can! Furthermore, you can freeze your pumpkin puree in ice cube trays and add the pumpkin ice cubes directly into the blender, replacing “regular” ice cubes!
Sauce: If you want a touch of mocha to your frappuccino, you could add some Cafe Mocha Chocolate Syrup over the whipped cream or in the blend. You could even have a little touch of caramel by using my Simple Caramel Sauce. If you want to make this an adult frappuccino, then feel free to try my Coffee Whiskey Caramel Sauce!
Sweetener: I didn’t add any sweetener to my frappuccino because I found it was sweet enough. However, as mentioned earlier, the Starbucks drink contains vanilla syrup. You can sweeten your drink with my Quick Vanilla Syrup for Coffee recipe and add it in the frappuccino blend. No worries if you don’t have this syrup and don’t fee like making it! Table sugar will work great. If you want a natural sweetener, try brown sugar, honey, cane sugar, or maple syrup.
Lighten the calories: Skim milk and a light whipped topping work to reduce the calories of the drink. You can sweeten your drink with a zero-calorie sweetener such as Stevia as well if you want.
Make a vegan frappuccino: Use coconut whipped cream and your favorite plant-based milk. However, I can’t guarantee the texture and taste will be the same.
Other Starbucks CopyCat Recipes!
- Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino
- Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
- Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha
- Starbucks White Hot Chocolate
- Starbucks Cafe Mocha
- Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Filling, and Other Swaps
The one substitution that will change the drink is the pumpkin. This recipe uses 1/3 cup of plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and already spiced, so it throws off both the sugar in the syrup and the balance of the pumpkin spice you just mixed yourself. If you cannot find canned puree, butternut squash puree or sweet potato puree both work in the same quantity. For the coffee, I use Javy concentrate, but instant coffee or espresso powder is a straight swap, and a shot of espresso works too if you have a machine, which gives you the strongest coffee flavor of the three. Whole milk is what Starbucks uses and it gives the creamiest result; I used 1% because that is what was in the fridge and it still blends beautifully. Whipped cream from a can is fine, and coconut whipped cream keeps the topping dairy-free.
Making Your Own Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino: Cost, Syrup and Blending
This is a copycat recipe in the most literal sense. The ingredients are the same handful you would find behind the counter at Starbucks, and making your own pumpkin spice frappuccino costs a fraction of the cafe price once the syrup is sitting in your fridge. The sauce is really a simple syrup with extras: half a cup each of sugar and water warmed until the sugar has completely dissolved, then the puree, condensed milk, pumpkin spice and vanilla stirred in and heated for a minute or two. It keeps in a mason jar in the refrigerator, so the second and third drinks take about a minute each.
From there it is a single blend. Milk, ice, coffee and the pumpkin sauce go into the blender and you run it only until the ice is completely crushed, no longer, or you whip air into the drink and lose the texture. It is worth being clear-eyed about what this is: between the sugar in the syrup, the condensed milk and the whipped cream on top, it sits closer to dessert than to a daily coffee, and the small amount of protein in the glass comes from the milk and condensed milk. That is equally true of the version you would buy, which is rather the point of making it at home.
If you liked this recipe please let me know in the comments. Tag your post on social media using #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. If you’ve tried out Javy coffee concentrate for this syrup, be sure to tag #drinkjavy in your posts too! Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Make a creamy Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino at home in minutes! This easy Starbucks copycat recipe tastes just like the real thing and costs a fraction of the price.
Stovetop
Rate this recipe ✦
10 min
Prep
8 min
Cook
18 min
Total
2
frappuccinos
easy
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
For the pumpkin spice
For the pumpkin spice sauce
- (100 g) table sugarShop →
- (120 ml) water
- (43 g) pumpkin puree · make your own
- condensed milk · make your ownShop →
- (5 g) pumpkin spice · make your ownShop →
- (5 ml) vanilla extractShop →
For the frappuccino
- (130 g) ice cubes
- (15 ml) Javy coffee concentrate, pistachio flavorShop →
- (15 ml) pumpkin spice sauce · make your own
- (240 ml) milk
- whipped cream (as needed) · make your own
- pumpkin spice (as needed) · make your ownShop →
Instructions
For the pumpkin spice
- 1
To make this pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
To make this pumpkin pie spice recipe, all you need to do is mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the pumpkin spice sauce
- 1
In a saucepan, add the water and sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
In a saucepan, add the water and sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- 2
Once dissolved, add the pumpkin puree, condensed milk, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract. Heat for 1-2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Pour out the pumpkin syrup into a mason jar for storage in the refrigerator.
Once dissolved, add the pumpkin puree, condensed milk, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract. Heat for 1-2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Pour out the pumpkin syrup into a mason jar for storage in the refrigerator.
For the pumpkin spice frappuccino
- 1
In a blender/food processor add the milk, ice, Javy coffee, and pumpkin sauce.
In a blender/food processor add the milk, ice, Javy coffee, and pumpkin sauce.
- 2
Blend well until the ice is completely crushed.
Blend well until the ice is completely crushed.
- 3
Pour into a serving glass. Top with whipped cream and pumpkin spice.
Pour into a serving glass. Top with whipped cream and pumpkin spice.
- 4
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- •If you don't have Javy coffee concentrate, simply substitute by using instant coffee or espresso powder + 1/4 tsp pistachio extract
Nutrition per frappuccino
212
Calories
5g
Protein
15g
Carbs
15g
Fat
0g
Fiber
15g
Sugar
122mg
Sodium
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
Filed under
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