Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove, combined with pumpkin, make the perfect pie. And the fall spiced pumpkin flavors melded with the deep richness of coffee? Oh, my. That’s this Pumpkin Spice Latte. Just a whisper of the foamed milk or whipped cream floats on top, giving a smidge of freshly grated nutmeg a place to land…
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Pumpkin Spice Latte
So I had to develop this when my baby developed a new addiction, fueled by his newfound independence and his newly acquired ATM card! He’s been running down to the nearby gas station and buying Pumpkin Spice Latte/Coffee something or others. $1.50 a shot, sometimes twice a day.
About Pumpkin Spice Latte:
While that might not sound like a lot, it was enough for a learning moment. Even at just one a day, this young man would be spending $547.50 a year, and at two a day? $1,095. With tax, it’s $1171.13 This from the one who wants a better X-Box and his own TV. I think we just found the money for him.
As for the latte? I did have a taste and I knew I could do better, so with a little tweaking and a little testing (and we had so much fun doing this) we came up with a blend we love. Hope you love it, too, and share it with friends or family on a cold, snowy (or rainy) fall or winter night.
A happy accident: In my effort to be fabulously frugal, we wanted whipped cream and I didn’t want to whip up small bits every time we wanted a latte – I wanted these at a moment’s notice. I placed dollops of whipping cream on a parchment-lined tray and froze them, see Whipping Cream for the Freezer.
When dropped into the steaming latte, slowly melting, these were truly heavenly…the cold cream and the hot latte. if you ever lounged in the chilly mountain air on a starry night while sitting in a hot tub? This was like drinking that atmosphere…
Whipped Cream for the Freezer – Dollop or pipe whipped cream onto parchment or plastic wrap
Making Pumpkin Spice Latte:
You can easily make just enough of the Pumpkin Spice Latte for one or two servings (about 3 cups) and that’s enough for a quick coffee and a refill or to share between two people.
That’s assuming about a cup and a half a serving; these days serving sizes can be a lot larger so keep that in mind; if you want a huge latte, the three cups could possibly be one serving. That’s no problem because the recipe is so easy to double or triple. Just use the option to make 1x 2x or 3x in the recipe and it will figure it for you.
I’m not a huge coffee drinker so I like mine more milk than coffee. You can just make yours in whatever proportion of coffee to milk that you want.
Storing & Reheating (or not!)
If you make a large pitcher of your Pumpkin Spice Lattes, you can store it in the fridge and just gently heat it back up in the microwave by the cup when you want one or on the stove by the pitcher if you want more.
The flavor of the Pumpkin Spice Lattes is fantastic when they’re first made but even better the next day; it mellows just a bit and all of the spices drop to the bottom of the pitcher where they are easily left behind with a careful pour. They’ve done their work and are resting. They earned it.
Then try it cold (num). You might have to trust me on this but these lattes are fabulous when they’re cold from the fridge. When I first wrote this post back in 2011 (obs I’ve updated this – you should have seen how awful the photos were!) I’m not even sure if the bottled Starbucks Lattes were available. Well, those are delish cold from the fridge and so are the Pumpkin Lattes.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Saving Money on Pumpkin Spice Latte:
So as far as my kid and his latte addiction, ya buy ‘em books, ya buy em books and all they do is eat the pages. Thank goodness we’re not too close to a Starbucks, because they’re a lot pricier there. Buying a single small Starbucks version at $4.00 a day would cost you $1,569 a year. Wow…and you didn’t think you had enough money for that little getaway you wanted?
Freeze your excess pumpkin; just add the portion you wish to use to ice-cube trays and once frozen bag them and label them. Then there’s zero waste and you’re always ready for the next batch. There’s not much worse in food waste than to cover a can of anything with aluminum foil and bless it with good intentions when you toss it in the fridge. Chances are you’re going to pull that out in a week or two or longer and be dismayed by what you’ve found.
Do take advantage of the whipped cream hack (Whipping Cream for the Freezer).Once you have tried that frozen whipped cream with this latte, I am sure you’re gonna come up with all kinds of ways to take advantage of it. Maybe just on plain old coffee but maybe on hot chocolate, too. If you are into making individual servings of anything fun and chocolaty, something like pudding, just add a topper of the frozen whipped cream. It will melt quickly and it’s gonna upgrade anything.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Total Time: minutes
- Yield: 3 cups total (2 servings) 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups coffee
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons sugar or to taste (see note)
- 3/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (see note)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (see note)
- whipped cream for garnish, if desired – see options and nutritional values, below.
- cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg for dusting, optional
Instructions
Combine milk & coffee in desired proportions with, pumpkin, spices, and sugar in a saucepan. Gently heat over medium-high heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla or other preferred option (see notes).
Either top with whipped cream, fresh or frozen or whisk the latte until foamy – this is best done in a heavy cup, like a large Pyrex 2 measuring cup. Put the whisk in and holding the handle between palms, move hands back and forth very briskly, twirling the whisk. (Think of a Boy Scout starting a fire with two sticks.) To get any decent foam at all, whisk wildly and for several minutes.
Garnish simply with a little grate of nutmeg, a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.
Notes:
- As far as coffee & milk, use whatever proportion you prefer.
- Nutritional values based on 2 tablespoons of sugar; I prefer 1 tablespoon, my son likes his sweeter and likes 2 tablespoons.
- If desired forgo the vanilla and use or a teaspoon of brandy, spiced rum, etc.
- Use commercial or Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Excess pumpkin may be portioned in ice-cube trays and frozen.
Keywords: Beverages, Coffee, Cream, Latte, milk, Pumpkin
Nutrition:
I like the fact that this DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte has 1/2 serving of vegetables per latte!
With 3 tablespoons whipped cream: Per Serving: 174 Calories; 2g Fat (13.1% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 135mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrate.
Without the whipping cream: Per Serving: 155 Calories; 1g Fat (3.7% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4mg Cholesterol; 133mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
Starbuck’s Nutritional Values: There were 320 calories and 39 grams of sugar in the 12 oz nonfat Starbuck’s version. There were also some questionable ingredients, in my opinion that is.
Pumpkin Spice Latte made Fall 2011.
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