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We’re well into fall and what does fall mean? Pumpkin Spice time, of course, especially when it comes to coffee!
For the past year I’ve been loving making Starbucks drinks at home, from my favorite Cafe Mocha to a Starbucks Chocolate Cream Cold Brew, and even the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino! At long last, the time has come for me to share the ultimate fall latte with this recipe! I’ve been waiting so long to share this, and now it’s the perfect time!
If you’re subscribed to me on YouTube, then you know that for the month of October, we’re celebrating the goodness of pumpkins! While I wasn’t a big pumpkin fan before now, but after doing this theme, I’ve really explored pumpkin in so many new ways! As I describe in more detail in my 5 top tips to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, having a theme can motivate you to try new dishes surrounding that theme! If you want to celebrate pumpkins with me in October, then check out my other pumpkin recipes at the bottom of this post! If you love to pick up your staple latte in the morning but you’ve wanted to make your own for a long time, now it’s the time to check it off your bucket list and make it as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get my free guides by signing up to my email newsletter! Be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your Starbucks recreations!
To follow along as I make this delicious hot drink, be sure to watch the video! If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and hit the bell button so you receive notifications for when the recipe videos go live! I love sharing video recipes as a complement to the written recipes so you’re set up for success! Let’s get cooking!
What is a pumpkin spice latte?▼
Let’s see what Starbucks’ definition of the drink is:
Our signature espresso and steamed milk with the celebrated flavor combination of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Enjoy it topped with whipped cream and real pumpkin-pie spices.
source: Starbucks.com
I have to admit for many years now I pick myself up this drink at least once a year. It is pretty awesome! However (spoiler alert!), after making and tasting my drink at the same time as the Starbucks version, I have to say that with the Starbucks version, you do get a slight artificial aftertaste, whereas with the homemade drink, the taste of pure pumpkin really shines!
Did Starbucks invent this Drink?▼
It seems that the Western world associates this latte with Starbucks. Now, it seems every single coffee shop has to compete with Starbucks, and they all offer their own variations of the drink. However, did Starbucks actually invent this latte? Well, let’s see!
According to Seattle Melt, in spring of 2003 in the laboratory at Starbucks Headquarters in Seattle, the objective was to develop a fall seasonal flavour. At the time, Peter Dukes was a product manager of the espresso division at the company. His mission was to replicate the success of the seasonal Peppermint Mocha and the Eggnog Lattes (be sure to leave a comment if you want me to make these drinks!).
At the time, pumpkin spice drinks were available at local Seattle coffee shops. Dukes was always interested in pumpkin, and he believed that pumpkin is iconic or Americans. Through customer surveys of a potential fall drink, it appeared that the idea of a pumpkin pie latte was not well received. On the other hand, customers were more interested in a chocolate or caramel option.
However, Dukes was convinced that the pumpkin drink would work. While pumpkin is mild on its own, its flavour, along with the flavour of espresso, is enhanced with the addition of the pumpkin spice - the combination of cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and clove are simply incredible, and he convinced marketing managers that this would indeed be a success.After a significant amount of testing including the development team pouring espresso shots over pumpkin pies and tasting different versions to determine the ratio of spice to coffee to milk, the conclusion was to include lots of spice but not actual pumpkin. In fact, it wasn’t until 2015 when Starbucks finally included real pumpkin in the drink. The name was going to be “Fall Harvest Latte,” but it just didn’t have the same flair!
The PSL was first piloted in Vancouver, Canada; and Washington, in about 100 locations. The sales results spoke for themselves, and then the PSL rose to its fame today!
So the answer the question - while there were some pumpkin spice beverages around Seattle, Starbucks was definitely the pioneer of the PSL, and contributed to its popularity to date!
What goes in This latte?▼
Whenever I’m making a drink or food from a chain, I like to investigate into what goes into the original version. Let’s go over the ingredients in Starbucks’ version.
MILK, 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], BREWED ESPRESSO, WHIPPED CREAM [CREAM (CREAM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CARAGEENAN), VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)], PUMPKIN SPICE TOPPING [CINNAMON, GINGER, NUTMEG, CLOVE, SULFITING AGENTS]
source: Starbucks.com
That’s quite a lot going on there! To break things down simply, this latte contains the following:
- Steamed milk
- Pumpkin Sauce
- Espresso
- Whipped Cream
- Vanilla Syrup
- Pumpkin Spice Topping
My recipe will take all of these elements, but I’ll be fusing the pumpkin sauce and the vanilla syrup into one, as you’ll learn about below!
What You’ll Love About Making This at Home!
- An essential fall drink made at home!
- Minimal ingredients
- Inexpensive - a grande is costing $6.72 CAD right now!
- Paired with a homemade pumpkin sauce and homemade pumpkin spice
- Easy recipe to follow!
Why Make a pumpkin Sauce versus adding pumpkin puree?▼
Pumpkin Puree itself is not that flavourful and it needs help to really shine through. The pumpkin syrup is what will allow you to be able to use pumpkin in the drink. It has the consistency of a syrup, is packed with flavour and sweetness most importantly will not result in a grainy texture in your drink.
Tips for the Coziest Fall Latte
- The syrup only needs to be warmed through until the sugar is dissolved and the condensed milk, vanilla, pumpkin and spices are mixed thoroughly.
- Use sweetened condensed milk to control the amount and type of sugar to add to your syrup.
- Make sure to stir the milk occasionally to ensure it does not burn while coming up to a simmer.
- Keep a close eye once the milk is simmering to ensure it does not boil over, remove from heat the moment you see steam and small bubbles on the edges.
Equipment Required
Ingredients
Time to see what we’ll need for our latte!! I’ll also go over the ingredients for our Perfect DIY Pumpkin Spice and for the Homemade Pumpkin Sauce. Be sure to check out the full Pumpkin Spice and Pumpkin Sauce recipes for more details and storage instructions!
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD or press the “Jump to Recipe” button to get all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe instructions for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many cups you want to make - this would be excellent to serve for family gatherings or just when you’ve got company who love these drinks!
FOR the HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE
For the Pumpkin Sauce
- Pumpkin puree: Ensure that you are using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. There is a big difference! Pumpkin puree is literally just that - pumpkin! On the other hand, pumpkin pie filling has sugar and other ingredients that won’t be good in our pumpkin sauce! If you’re really ambitious and want to keep this drink as natural as possible, you can make your own pumpkin puree!
- Condensed milk: I’m using sweetened condensed milk. If you use unsweetened, you’ll probably need to add more sugar. Again, if you really want to, you could make your own Sweetened Condensed Milk, and this recipe is lactose-free if you’re sensitive to lactose!
- Vanilla extract: Just a small amount to further bring out the flavors of the pumpkin puree and the sauce.
- Table sugar: Regular table sugar will work just fine.
- Water: As needed to dissolve the sugar for the syrup.
- Pumpkin spice: You can use a store-bought one if you want or make it yourself as I’ll describe.
FOR the Latte
- Milk: The standard recipe uses 2% milk, and this is what I would recommend for best results. You can use whatever milk you’d like! I’m using 1% milk because that’s all I have. You can use dairy-free milk too if you want, but keep in mind the taste and texture will not be the same.
- Whipped cream: Homemade Whipped Cream is a fun option, but you can use it from an aerosol can too if you’d like! That’s what I’ll be doing because canned whipped cream has that nice airiness and fluffiness from the gas.
- Instant Coffee or Liquid Coffee Concentrate: When I make these Starbucks drinks at home, I find it so easy to use Javy Coffee liquid coffee concentrate (click this link to save on your next order!). Thanks a ton Javy for sending me a bottle! You save the time from brewing coffee and you only need a tiny bit for a strong flavor! Don’t worry if you don’t have Javy, though! All you need to do is substitute with instant coffee or espresso powder.
- Pumpkin spice: Some more for garnish.
- Cinnamon stick: For garnish.
How to Make a Real Pumpkin Spice Latte Starbucks Style
FOR the HOMEMADE 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 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 LATTE
Combine 2 cups of milk and 2 tsp of Javy Coffee in a saucepan. Allow the mixture to warm through over the stove on medium heat.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add 3-4 Tbsp of the pumpkin syrup. Then, use a blender, a whisk or a frother to froth up this mixture.
Top with whipped cream, pumpkin spice, and a cinnamon stick.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Can I make This latte decaf?▼
You sure can! All you need to do is use decaf espresso or brewed coffee! If you’re using Javy, they actually have a decaf option that would be perfect for you!
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