How to Make a Healthier Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home
As soon as September arrives, pumpkin spice seems to appear everywhere. I am not entirely sure when we all became so obsessed with putting pumpkin spices into coffee, but I am absolutely here for it.
What I am slightly less keen on is paying coffee-shop prices every time I fancy one. Some of them are also incredibly sweet, which is lovely occasionally, but not necessarily what I want every time I have a coffee.
So, obviously, I started thinking about making my own. A homemade pumpkin spice latte is actually really easy to make, and once you have the spices in the cupboard, you can make all sorts of versions. Hot, iced, blended into a frappuccino, made into a macchiato or covered in cream and caramel when you fancy something a bit more indulgent.
You can also decide how sweet you want it rather than having your coffee taste mostly of syrup.
Here are a few of my favourite ways to make pumpkin spice coffee at home, including some slightly healthier versions for when you want that autumn coffee-shop feeling without quite so much sugar. You don’t have to stop having the foods you enjoy just because you are trying to be healthy.
What is actually in pumpkin spice?
Pumpkin spice is one of those names that is slightly misleading because there isn’t necessarily any pumpkin in it at all.
It is basically a mixture of the spices traditionally used in pumpkin pie, usually cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, sometimes with allspice too.
You can buy pumpkin spice blends, but I wouldn’t go out and buy one specially if you already have a cupboard full of spices.
I use roughly:
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
Mix it together and pop it into a little jar.
Don’t get too hung up on the exact quantities. If you love cinnamon, add more cinnamon. If you discover you don’t actually own allspice despite being convinced you did, leave it out. I have definitely done that sort of thing before.
Do you actually need pumpkin?
You can make a perfectly nice pumpkin spice latte without pumpkin. That sounds ridiculous written down, doesn’t it?
Adding a spoonful of pumpkin purée does make it taste a little more like the coffee-shop versions and gives the milk a slightly thicker texture, so it is worth trying.
Just make sure you buy pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin pie filling because they aren’t quite the same thing.
I probably wouldn’t open an entire tin just to use one spoonful in a coffee, though. If I was already using pumpkin for a recipe, I would save a little for drinks, or freeze spoonfuls of leftover purée to use another time.
My easy, healthier pumpkin spice latte
You really don’t need anything fancy for this.
For one big mug I use:
- 1 espresso or about 60ml strong coffee
- Around 200ml milk
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée, if I have it
- ¼–½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- A little maple syrup, honey or sweetener
- Cinnamon for the top
Warm the milk gently in a saucepan with the pumpkin, vanilla and spices.
Give it a good whisk as it heats because this helps everything combine and makes the milk slightly frothy.
Make your coffee in your favourite mug, pour the milk over and taste it before adding loads of sweetness. I usually find that vanilla and cinnamon make something taste sweeter anyway, so you might need much less syrup than you expect.
If you have a milk frother, this is absolutely the time to dig it out of the cupboard.
Finish it with cinnamon or another little sprinkle of pumpkin spice.
That’s it. No £5 coffee required.
Making it a little lighter
I don’t particularly like recipes that take something lovely and remove practically everything from it in the name of saving calories. If I want a pumpkin spice latte, I want it to actually taste like one.
I would rather make a few small swaps.
Using semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of whole milk can reduce the calories without changing the drink dramatically. Unsweetened almond milk can make it lighter again, although it won’t have the same creamy texture.
Then there is the syrup.
This is probably where homemade drinks really come into their own because you aren’t automatically getting several pumps of sweet syrup. Start with a small amount, stir it, taste it and see what you think.
You might find one teaspoon is plenty.
You could use a low-calorie sweetener instead if that is what you normally use, or just leave it unsweetened if you prefer your coffee that way.
And yes, you can still put cream on top.
There is no law saying that because you used skimmed milk you are now forbidden from having a squirt of whipped cream!
Iced pumpkin spice latte
This is perfect for those September days when Instagram says chunky jumper and autumn leaves but the weather says otherwise.
Make a strong coffee and let it cool.
Mix around 150–200ml cold milk with a spoonful of pumpkin purée, a little vanilla, pumpkin spice and whatever you want to use for sweetness.
Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in your coffee and then add the pumpkin milk.
I like plenty of cinnamon over the top too.
One little trick if you make iced coffee quite often is to freeze leftover coffee in an ice cube tray. Use those instead of normal ice cubes and your coffee doesn’t gradually turn into brown water as they melt.
Healthier pumpkin spice frappuccino
Now we are moving away from sensible morning coffee and towards coffee pretending to be pudding, which I fully support.
For one big frappuccino, blend:
- 100ml strong cold coffee
- 150ml milk
- A large handful of ice
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée
- ¼–½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Maple syrup, honey or sweetener to taste
Blend everything until it is thick and icy.
If it isn’t thick enough, chuck in some more ice and blend it again.
You could also add a spoonful of Greek yoghurt or Skyr if you want something thicker and creamier. It isn’t exactly how a coffee shop would make one, but it works.
Then comes the important decision.
Whipped cream or no whipped cream?
Personally, if I really fancy cream, I would rather add a little than sit drinking my healthier frappuccino wishing it had cream on it.
A sprinkle of cinnamon over the top makes it look much fancier than the amount of effort involved deserves.
Pumpkin spice macchiato
If you normally choose a caramel macchiato rather than a latte, try adding pumpkin spice to that instead.
Warm around 200ml milk with ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice and a little vanilla.
Pour the milk into your glass or mug and then slowly add an espresso.
Finish it with a little drizzle of caramel sauce.
You don’t need half a bottle of caramel running down the inside of the glass. A small amount still gives you that caramel flavour and makes it feel like a proper treat.
You can make exactly the same thing iced. Add ice and cold milk first, then pour the espresso over the top.
Pumpkin spice mocha
Chocolate and pumpkin spice together sounded slightly odd to me at first, but it works.
Add around a teaspoon of cocoa powder to the milk when you make your normal pumpkin spice latte.
Cocoa is quite bitter, so you will probably want a little sweetness with this one.
Alternatively, add a small amount of chocolate syrup.
Coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg together make a really lovely autumn drink, especially when it is absolutely chucking it down outside.
Make your own pumpkin spice syrup
If you know you are going to be making these regularly, you can make a little jar of pumpkin spice syrup and keep it in the fridge.
You need:
- 100ml water
- 50g brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Put everything into a small saucepan and heat it gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Leave it to cool, then transfer it into a clean jar or bottle and keep it refrigerated.
When you want a pumpkin spice coffee, just stir a teaspoon or two into it.
Obviously, this still contains sugar. Homemade doesn’t magically make sugar disappear. What I like about doing it this way is that you decide how much goes into your drink.
Which milk should you use?
Whichever one you like. Seriously. If you prefer a milk alternative that is ok too. I am lactose intolerant, so I have to have lactose-free milk or oat milk.
I could tell you that unsweetened almond milk is often one of the lowest-calorie options, but if you think almond milk tastes awful in coffee, then that information isn’t especially useful.
Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk work well and still give you protein and calcium. Soy milk is another good option if you prefer plant-based milk and want something with a reasonable amount of protein.
Oat milk is lovely and creamy in coffee, although some varieties are higher in calories than almond milk.
If you regularly use a plant-based milk, have a quick look at the label and ideally choose one fortified with things such as calcium, vitamin D and B12.
I would choose based on what you enjoy and what fits with the rest of your diet rather than obsessing over saving another 15 calories from your coffee.
What about a sugar-free pumpkin spice latte?
You can easily make one without added sugar. Use your usual sweetener instead of maple syrup, honey or sugar, or simply don’t sweeten it.
If you normally have very sweet coffee, try gradually reducing how much you add rather than going straight from several pumps of syrup to nothing.
With plenty of cinnamon and vanilla, you might be surprised by how little sweetness you actually miss.
Can you make pumpkin spice drinks without coffee?
Yes, and this can be really nice in the evening if you don’t want caffeine. Warm milk with pumpkin spice, vanilla and a spoonful of pumpkin purée, then sweeten it to taste. It is basically a cosy spiced milk.
You could also use decaf coffee in any of the recipes above. Nobody needs to be lying wide awake at 1 am questioning their life choices because they fancied a pumpkin spice latte after dinner.
Is a homemade pumpkin spice latte healthier than a coffee-shop one?
It depends entirely on what you put in it. You could make one at home with whole milk, several spoonfuls of sugar, whipped cream and enough caramel sauce to decorate a birthday cake. Equally, you could make one with skimmed milk, coffee, cinnamon and a tiny amount of sweetener.
For me, making it at home isn’t really about creating the lowest-calorie drink humanly possible. It is about being able to make the version I actually want.
Sometimes that might be a simple pumpkin spice latte with semi-skimmed milk and a little sweetener. Another day I might want an enormous frappuccino with cream. Both are fine.
If you are trying to lose weight or simply eat a little more healthily, you don’t have to stop having the seasonal things you enjoy. Sometimes making them yourself and tweaking them slightly is enough.
Plus, once you have worked out your favourite combination of coffee, vanilla and pumpkin spice, you can make one whenever you fancy it.
Why not make a drink like this to enjoy with your autumn overnight oats?
More autumn ideas you might enjoy
I love autumn, so I have a few other autumn ideas I think you will like.
