Pumpkin spice latte is an autumn latte with warm spices and pumpkin. At home it takes 10 minutes, even without an espresso machine, and you decide how much sugar goes into the mug. Below you will find the spice blend with proportions, a step-by-step method and three variations: with purée, with syrup and iced.
What a pumpkin spice latte is
It is a caffè latte, meaning espresso with steamed milk, with pumpkin spice and a sweet pumpkin element added. The name can be misleading: pumpkin spice is the spice blend used for pumpkin pie, not the flavour of pumpkin. Pumpkin goes into the drink separately, as purée or syrup, and gives it colour, body and a gentle sweetness.
Pumpkin spice blend: ingredients and proportions
There is no single official recipe. Most blends contain cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice, and often cloves. This batch makes just under 4 teaspoons, enough for a dozen or so drinks:
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Each spice goes in at half the amount of the one before, so the ratio is easy to remember. Cinnamon leads, ginger adds a kick and a small amount of cloves gives a warm, spicy finish. Keep the blend in a sealed jar away from the stove and use it within a few months, as ground spices lose their aroma quickly.
Ingredients for 1 drink
- a double espresso (about 36 g of coffee from 18 g of grounds) or about 60 ml strong moka pot coffee
- 200-250 ml whole milk or barista-style oat milk
- 1-2 tablespoons pumpkin purée or 15-20 ml pumpkin syrup
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup (purée version only)
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend
- whipped cream to top (optional)
Method, step by step
- Put the pumpkin purée and sugar, or the pumpkin syrup, into a mug or tall glass (about 350 ml). Add half of the spice.
- Brew the espresso straight onto the pumpkin and immediately stir everything smooth with a teaspoon while the coffee is hot.
- Steam the milk to 60-65 °C. Add air at the start, then just keep the milk spinning so the foam stays fine.
- Pour the milk into the coffee. Top with whipped cream and dust with the rest of the spice.
Homemade pumpkin purée
Pumpkins with firm, not too watery flesh work best, such as hokkaido or butternut squash. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and cut it into pieces. Roast at 180 °C for 40-50 minutes, until a fork slides into the flesh easily. Scoop the flesh from the skin and blend until smooth; if it is watery, reduce it briefly in a pan.
The purée keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge. The easiest option is to freeze it in an ice cube tray and take out one cube per drink.
Pumpkin syrup or purée
Syrup takes no work and gives the same taste every time, but the drink is sweeter and thinner. Purée means an hour in the kitchen the first time, but gives a thicker, less sweet drink with a real pumpkin colour. If you have to choose one thing, the spices matter more: a version with spice and no pumpkin tastes closer to the original than pumpkin with no spice.
Pumpkin spice latte without an espresso machine
Replace the espresso with about 60 ml of strong coffee from a moka pot or AeroPress. Froth the milk with a handheld frother or in a jar: pour cold milk into a jar until half full, close it and shake hard for a dozen seconds or so, then take off the lid and heat the jar in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Everything else is the same as above. Our maple brown sugar latte, another autumn latte, is made in a similar way.
Iced pumpkin spice latte
Stir the pumpkin or syrup and spice into hot coffee and let it cool. Fill a glass with ice, pour in cold milk and add the coffee slowly down the side so the drink forms layers. If you freeze coffee in an ice cube tray, the drink will not get watered down as the cubes melt.
Is pumpkin spice latte healthy
It is a dessert drink, and its calories depend mostly on the sugar, the type of milk and the whipped cream. Café versions made with ready-made syrups can be very sweet. At home it is easy to control: purée with a teaspoon of sugar instead of syrup, and skipping the whipped cream, make the biggest difference. In these amounts the spices are there for flavour, not for health benefits.
Pumpkin spice latte in Kołobrzeg
If you would rather have one in a café, pumpkin spice latte is on the autumn menu at Colbergcoffee on Dubois 21A this year. The roastery makes it with espresso from its own coffee, with pumpkin and the same five-spice blend. Read about the whole autumn menu in our article Colbergcoffee launches its autumn menu.
