The perfect way to begin a fall morning is with a pumpkin spice latte—a nice, hot cup of pumpkin-flavored coffee with warming spices and plenty of sweet frothy milk. This recipe is fully customizable to fit your taste and can be made with homemade ingredients.
I’ve always been a latte girl. When I first started drinking coffee, I liked having tons of cream and sugar in it.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the bitter, bracing flavor of black coffee, but I still have a soft spot for lattes of all kinds.
There’s something comforting about beginning the day with a cup of creamy, sweet hot coffee with or without the fancy flavors.
Pumpkin spice latte is a craveable classic, and one that I’ve been excited to DIY with homegrown ingredients.
In this recipe, I’ll be using my own pumpkin puree, made from pumpkins I grew in my garden this past summer (and finally transitioned from decor to food).
You can find that recipe here, if you’re curious.
For the coffee, read on!
Ingredients for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
To make a pumpkin spice latte at home, you’ll need the following ingredients.
- espresso or strong coffee (I’ve used an espresso machine, moka pot, and standard coffee machine, and honestly I think any are fine. True coffee snobs would disagree, but I’m not one of them!)
- milk of your choice (I use almond milk, but my husband prefers whole milk. Full fat milk froths better, too!)
- pumpkin puree
- pumpkin spice (I never have this on hand, but I make my own blend, which I’ll explain in this post.)
- vanilla extract
- sea salt (Trust me on this.)
If you’re not really a coffee person, consider swapping the coffee with hot chocolate. This recipe makes a delicious pumpkin spice hot chocolate as well!
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How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
First of all, you’ll need to have coffee made. Pull two shots of espresso or brew some very strong coffee.
Next, you’ll need steamed milk. For this one, if you’re a purist, then go ahead and make the nice microfoamy steamed milk with your frother.
I can appreciate that, but also if I’m making this first thing in the morning, I’m not too picky. Although I have an espresso machine with the steamer attachment, I didn’t have it out today, and I didn’t feel like pulling it out, so I just heated milk on the stove and used this little frother to whip the milk into a foamy mess.
The handheld frother is very inexpensive and you can make cold foam with it as well. But, if you don’t have one, then you can use a hand mixer or whisk to whip hot milk in a pot on the stove until it gets foamy. Just be aware that the foam can really expand, so use a bigger pot than you think you might need to keep the milk from overflowing!
Also, you don’t want your milk to ever boil, just get nice and hot. So keep a close eye on the pot.
Once the milk and coffee are ready, it’s time to assemble the drink. In your coffee cup, put the pumpkin puree, brown sugar or sweetener of your choice, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice, and a small pinch of sea salt. (More on making pumpkin spice below.)
If you’re using homemade pumpkin puree, make sure the puree is very fine and not pulpy so that it dissolves into the drink. It’s not fun to get to the bottom of the cup and end up with a mouthful of pulpy pumpkin. Ask me how I know.
I do like using brown sugar, but obviously it’s your drink, so you can use whatever sweetener you want. Maple syrup would be delicious.
And, not to brag or anything, but I make my own homemade vanilla extract with spiced rum and vanilla pods, so putting that in the latte really makes it extra delicious.
Before you say it, I know what you’re thinking, and it’s only 1 teaspoon of extract, so that’s not really enough to make this an Irish coffee.
Once all the ingredients are in the cup, pour the hot coffee or espresso in and stir with the other ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Then pour the rest of the steamed, frothy milk into the cup.
Finally, sprinkle a bit of extra pumpkin spice on top.
A little whipped cream wouldn’t hurt either.
Making Pumpkin Spice
I never have actual “pumpkin spice” on hand, I just make a little mix whenever I need it. These are the spices I normally combine to make it.
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger (optional)
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
This will make enough for two pumpkin spice lattes with extra for sprinkling. The cardamom and ginger move this pumpkin spice into chai territory, but I also love chai, so that’s why I include it.
Feel free to adjust the pumpkin spices to your liking. That’s what I love about this pumpkin spice latte recipe. It’s flexible and you can make it however YOU like it.
Drink Your Pumpkin Spice Latte and Enjoy
I hope this drink gives you a great start to your morning and satisfies that PSL craving! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
- 2 shots espresso or 1/2-1 cup of strong coffee
- 2/3 c milk of your choice
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar or other sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- sea salt a pinch
Instructions
- Make two shots of espresso or 1/2-1 cup of strong, brewed coffee.
- Optional: Steam 2/3 c hot milk. You can do this with a milk steamer if you have one, or you can use a hand mixer or whisk to whip hot (but not boiling) milk on the stove.
- Put 2 Tbsp of pumpkin puree in your coffee cup. If you’re using homemade, make sure the puree is very fine and not pulpy so that it dissolves into the drink.
- To the pumpkin puree, add 1-2 Tbsp of brown sugar or any sweetener of your choice, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1 tsp of pumpkin spice. See notes for making your own pumpkin spice. Reserve a bit of the pumpkin spice to top the drink with. Lastly, add a small pinch of sea salt.
- Pour hot coffee or espresso into the coffee cup and stir with the other ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Then pour the rest of the steamed, frothy milk into the cup. Sprinkle pumpkin spice on top.