Fall has finally arrived and those pricey, yet delectable Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back! How I love the smell of that delicious mug of pure joy- until I dig my wallet out! Here are our top two favorite copycat pumpkin spice latte recipes- our all-time favorite and then a low-calorie vegan choice as well.
Pumpkin Spice Latte (Original Starbuck’s Copycat)
You’ll Need:
2 cups half and half, whole milk reduced-fat or skim milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
1 – 2 tablespoons sugar, stevia or Splenda (to your taste preference)
2 Tablespoons quality vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-4 shots espresso or very strong coffee
First, Brew your espresso or very strong coffee. Generally speaking, we just double the amount of grounds of our favorite brand of coffee because we don’t have an espresso machine. While the coffee is brewing, in a small saucepan combine half&half, pumpkin, sugar and pie spice, whisking gently over medium heat until well blended and very hot, but NOT boiling.
Remove the mixture from the heat and add 2 TABLESPOONS of high-quality vanilla extract. (This is not a typo, I really mean Tablespoons!)
Carefully pour the hot mix into a blender or use a milk frother or immersion stick and blend until frothy. Pour about a cup of the frothy pumpkin milk mixture into your favorite latte mug and add coffee to the top. Dust with a touch of pumpkin pie spice for a little kick.
Tips-n-Tricks
A note about Milk Frothers: If you really like the taste and texture of lattes, I recommend a milk frother to reproduce the right texture. They run about $10 (with free shipping if you have amazon prime). That’s the price of 2 large lattes at Starbucks. Not bad if you want to make your own over and over again!
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (Vegan, Low-Calorie Version!)
You’ll Need:
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
pinch of nutmeg
1 packet of stevia (or other sweetener to taste)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. hot extremely strong brewed coffee (again, just double the amount of coffee grounds)
First, Brew your espresso or very strong coffee. Generally speaking, we just double the amount of grounds of our favorite brand of coffee because we don’t have an espresso machine.
While it’s brewing, in a small saucepan combine almond milk, pumpkin, stevia, and pie spice, whisking gently over medium heat until well blended and very hot, but NOT boiling.
Remove from heat and add 2 tsp vanilla extract, whip with a milk frother.
Pour into a large latte mug, add hot strong brewed coffee or espresso shots, top with cream if desired and sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or more pie spice.
Now top with some of your favorite whipped topping, dairy or not, and bid Starbucks goodbye.
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / rusak
