It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Pumpkin Spice Latte time!
Except… do you know what’s in those?
Neither do I. Let’s make our own!
It’s so simple. Just simmer 2 cups of your favorite non-dairy milk (I like almond) with 2 tbs pumpkin, 2 tbs maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and vanilla beans.
This is probably best with freshly roasted pumpkin but I’ve had success with canned. Since we’re only using 2 tbs you can just roll the remainder in saran wrap and store in the freezer for future pumpkin bread or pies.
If you don’t have vanilla beans lying around (why do I have so many vanilla beans lying around?) there’s no downside to substituting a tsp or so of vanilla extract when you’re done simmering. You can also swap ground spices for the whole but it’s not quite as good as the spices will form a film on the top. Mix up the spices to your taste – cardamom and star anise would also be delicious. The one substitution I wouldn’t recommend is to use cow’s milk. It’s too likely to scorch and won’t last as long.
Add a big glug of this to your coffee and you have a pumpkin spice cocktail as tasty as that from any coffee shop but so much healthier. Just a word of warning that if you drink super acidic coffee this may curdle. We drink fairly acidic coffee and it hasn’t happened to me but I know it’s possible.
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and paleo so enjoy it all season long.
Ingredients
- 2 c almond milk or your favorite non-dairy milk
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 2 tbs pumpkin puree
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 clove
- 1 nutmeg
- 2 allspice
- 2 vanilla beans, sliced lengthwise
Instructions
Bring milk to a simmer over low heat and whisk in maple syrup and pumpkin puree. Add spices and simmer until flavorful and slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Strain into an airtight container and store, refrigerated, up to 1 week.
Nutritional Information
Calories 11
Total Fat 0.3g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 23mg
Potassium 30mg
Total Carbohydrates 2.0g
Sugars 1.6g
Protein 0.1g
Weight Watchers Points: 0
PointsPlus: 0
Maggie, where did you get your milk bottle? It looks so perfect for this recipe! I can’t wait to try this. I just found my love for pumpkin spice lattes this year but we’re living primal lifestyle so I had to give it up 🙁 I’ll whip some up in my marathon cooking tomorrow! Thank you for sharing
Hi Deuce!
I found the cute little bottle at Michael’s for $2 (http://www.michaels.com/ashland-glass-milk-bottle/10307334.html).
I so admire you for sticking to the primal lifestyle. I hope this recipe satisfies the pumpkin spice latte itch! 🙂
Homemade pumpkin spice creamer? Now it is OFFICIALLY the most incredible time of the year! I am oh so excited to make this, as I am all too-weary of store-bought or Starbucks-crafted pumpkin concoctions. So thank you for bringing the REAL pumpkin spice latte back. 🙂 Also, I want to jump into your photos – they are so beautiful!
Thank you so much, Anne Marie! And speaking of gorgeous photos I’m so excited to discover your site. Everything at http://www.ciao-mama.com/ is gorgeous!
Aw thank you so much Maggie! My photos are a long way from yours, but I’m trying! I actually just switched to the Foodie theme about a month ago and like you, am in love with it. So much better representation of recipes as well as crafts and other lifestyle posts.
And speaking of posts, I was actually just about to email you! I’m putting together a roundup of pumpkin recipes and would absolutely loveeeee to include your homemade pumpkin spice creamer! I would just use one photo from your post and link right to your site. Would that be okay? Let me know what you think!
Of course! I’d be honored. Thank you so much!
Absolutely love this recipe but having some difficulty evolving it to either gingerbread or peppermint mocha for Christmas. Any ideas?
Ohhh… good idea! For Gingerbread I’d swap out the pumpkin puree with a peeled nub of fresh garlic. For peppermint mocha maybe try just almond milk, vanilla beans, a square or two of high quality dark chocolate, and some peppermint extract. I’ll have to play around – let me know if you nail a recipe.