Learn how to make the best homemade pumpkin spice latte with my easy recipe. It uses real pumpkin puree, coffee, and fall spices. It’s delicious and so much better than store-bought!
When Fall hits, we rush to our local coffee shop and order a pumpkin spice latte. We love them so much that we decided to try making them at home, and I am so happy that we did!
This pumpkin spice latte recipe is easy, and I bet you have most, if not everything, of what you need to make at home right now. It also comes together in under 10 minutes! For more pumpkin recipes, see our pumpkin scones (also inspired by Starbucks) and these incredible pumpkin cupcakes!
Key Ingredients
- Coffee or Espresso: I love a stronger espresso in this latte, but you can substitute it with strong coffee. For a hot drink, use hot coffee and warmed milk, or use chilled espresso or cold brew coffee for an iced latte.
- Milk or Non-Dairy Milk: Use whatever you love! I’m a big fan of oat milk lattes, so I use homemade oat milk, but any milk (dairy or non-dairy) will work.
- Pumpkin: I use pumpkin puree for an authentic pumpkin flavor. You can use canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree (and if you make your own, you get to roast the pumpkin seeds, too!). If you’d like a stronger pumpkin flavor, try reducing the puree beforehand or substituting it with pumpkin butter. I’ve shared tips below the recipe!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I use my homemade pumpkin pie spice, but you can use store-bought if you already have one. If not, my homemade blend combines spices you probably already have in your spice cabinet. Plus, you’ll have it ready if you ever want to make homemade pumpkin pie!
- Vanilla: A splash of vanilla extract makes this latte so delicious. It works so well with the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin!
- Sweetener: Use your favorite sweetener! I’ve used plain sugar in the past, but now I love using maple syrup for extra flavor. Brown sugar is another delicious option.
- Whipped Cream (Optional): A spoonful of whipped cream is the perfect topping for this PSL. You can use my whipped cream recipe or try this coconut whipped cream if you’re dairy-free.
The Best Pumpkin Spice Latte
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Make the popular coffee house pumpkin spice latte at home. Canned or homemade pumpkin puree both work well in this recipe. Here’s our recipe for making pumpkin puree from scratch.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1/2 cup strong hot coffee or 2 shots espresso
2 cups milk of choice, dairy or non-dairy
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree, or more to taste
1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup, or more to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for serving
Whipped cream, optional for serving
Directions
1Add milk, pumpkin puree, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly heat the milk until hot, but do not boil.
2Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and the coffee or espresso. Taste and adjust with more sugar or spices.
3Divide the mixture between two mugs.
4Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Stronger pumpkin flavor: Over the years, some readers have noted that they would like the pumpkin to be more prominent in the latte. To do this, add 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the puree reduces by 1/3 to 1/2. Watch for burning. Use as much of the reduced puree as you need to achieve the pumpkin flavor you enjoy. Alternatively, use pumpkin butter, see below.
- Pumpkin butter: Use pumpkin butter for a more prominent pumpkin flavor and a bit more sweetness (here’s our maple pumpkin butter). Since pumpkin butter already has some sugar added, you may need to adjust the sugar/maple syrup in the latte.
- Whipped cream: Here’s my whipped cream recipe or my favorite dairy-free topping, vegan coconut whipped cream.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 2% milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
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Great recipe! No bitter taste like I’ve found in other recipes. Also glad real pumpkin is used.
So good I love it when I tasted it foot the first time my mouth watered 10/10
so good don’t know what to say
My absolute favorite 🙂 Been making this recipe for a couple of years now!!
Absolutely superb!
I followed the instructions but with a few additions. I added a beaten egg yolk with a little coconut sugar to the hot mixture (the way I do for my homemade French vanilla ice cream base) for added richness. I used half grass-fed whole milk, half Elmhurst cashew milk. Loved this recipe.
I really enjoyed this! Didn’t have whipped cream but it still hit the spot and I iced knowing exactly what was in it!! Made as directed!
I was craving something pumpkin as August comes to an end and this hit the spot! I made it iced, so I just made an extra strong brew of coffee so it wouldn’t be watered down in the end. If you want a more pumpkin flavor, I say half of completely omit the vanilla. I tried it both ways and I personally like it without the vanilla.
Easy, fast, tasty. Save your money and use this recipe! I used sugar substitute and soy milk. I have not been to Starbucks since!
I’m leaving review again to add my experience w getting stronger pumpkin taste. Today I added 3T pumpkin purer instead of 2 and it tasted too much like canned pumpkin. Author talled about cooking pumpkin down but I didn’t want to do all that. I found just adding more sugar did the trick w a little more spice. You can also add vanilla sugar. I use light to medium strength coffee so a dark roast may need more of everything in it. Bottom line, delicious recipe!! I used instant milk for the milk but have used almond milk too.
5 out 5
This is the first time making haomemade pumpkin spice latte. So easy and delicious. I will definitely try this again.
Hi there, we are so happy you gave our recipe a try. Thanks for coming back and letting us know.
This recipe is really good. To make it iced just use one cup of coffee chilled in the fridge and one cup of milk, and add ice of course. The only thing I did differently was add a tsp of molasses which I highly recommend. It intensified all of the flavors and gave it a delicious brown sugar flavor.
My sister from Calgary Alberta loves homemade pumpkin spice lattes that her daughter makes from scratch. I sent her off in fashion this morning with this yummy pumpkin spice latte recipe that did not fail even though I didn’t have pumpkin from scratch or Pumpkin Pie spice. I threw in some various spices like cloves, Vietnamese cinnamon, ginger and all spice to the mix and it came out delicious. I used my milk frother to make my foam of 1/2 and 1/2 with a few shakes of vanilla bean powder. So YUMMY 😋