More spiced than sweet, the addition of chai spices gives this homemade pumpkin latte extra flavor. The recipe makes one modest sized latte and uses actual pumpkin puree. You can make optional spiced whipped cream, with leftovers that keep for other mornings!
Make optional whipped cream: 5 mins
prep: 10 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
total: 12 mins
What you’ll love about this recipe!
☕️ Easy: no frothing, steaming or blending here, unless you choose to make the whipped cream. The drink comes together in less than 10 minutes. Or, slow it down, take another 5 minutes and whip up some decadent spiced whipped cream that you can store for more lattes throughout the week. If not, the drink is absolutely delicious without the whipped cream.
☕️ Flavor: with fresh (well, you know, canned) pumpkin puree, chai spices, and maple syrup, this pumpkin spice latte is full of more flavor than your garden variety pumpkin spice latte from you-know-where, that mostly tastes sweet.
☕️ Size: this makes one 6-8 ounce drink. Nothing crazy.
☕️ Sweetness: this latte is not very sweet, and is more spiced than sweet, thanks to the all natural maple syrup and chai spices.
☕️ Calories/nutrition: I shy away from mentioning this very much, but compared to cafe bought pumpkin spice lattes, this homemade version stacks up so much better, with less sugar (nutrition facts here show natural sugars too), added nutrients such as potassium and fiber, and vitamins as well, from the pumpkin, 1% milk, and varied spices.
Ingredient notes
- Espresso: if you don’t have an espresso maker, you can use 4 oz of regular coffee, however you are able to brew it. I recommend making it stronger, since you don’t want a watery flavored mild coffee that you can’t taste through the pumpkin enriched milk.
- Pumpkin puree: canned pumpkin puree can be kept in the fridge for a week, so you can dip into it for pumpkin lattes on a moment’s notice.
- 1% milk: you can use any type of milk, dairy or non-dairy, that you prefer. I like how 1%, with the lower fat content, allows the other flavors to come through, and I save the flavor of fat for the dollop of spiced whipped cream!
- Chai spices: rather than stick with pumpkin (pie) spices for this latte, chai spices are used for a little more oomph from the cardamom, anise and black pepper.
- Maple syrup: using a natural sweetener makes the drink less sweet, and the flavor of maple (only real maple syrup!) goes really well with pumpkin. You can sub honey if you don’t like the flavor or don’t have maple syrup on hand, but go lightly, maybe use even less than specified in recipe card.
- Optional heavy whipping cream: this makes a delectable spiced whipped cream, that you can store covered for a few days to use on top of multiple pumpkin spice lattes, but the drink is just as delicious without it.
What is chai spice
Chai is made from a blend of powdered or whole spices steeped with black tea. A blend of chai spices (without the tea) can be purchased at the store and usually includes cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, anise and black pepper, though the exact blend can vary, and is often similar to pumpkin spice blend.
Above: at left are the milk and chai spices, ready to be heated and whisked. At right are the pumpkin puree that I’ll bring over to the milk for heating, and the other coffee items for getting started with the espresso.
Step-by-step instructions
Make optional spice whipped cream: if you want the whipped cream, gather a medium mixing bowl with high sides (ideally chilled in freezer but not required), pour 1 cup of the cream into the bowl. Add maple syrup and spices and whip into stiff peaks. This should take 3-5 minutes. The colder everything is, the faster it should whip. Place in covered container in fridge until ready to use. Will last a few days.
Make the pumpkin and spice infused heated milk: use a whisk to mix the milk, spices, pumpkin and maple syrup over medium heat until it almost boils (taste to make sure it is hot enough). You don’t want the mixture to boil, but you will see some bubbles around the edges just as it is about to boil, and this is likely when it will taste hot enough for you.
Brew espresso or coffee: brew a double shot of espresso or 4 oz of strong coffee.
Create the pumpkin spice latte: pour the heated milk into the mug over the hot espresso/coffee and voila, your latte is ready. Garnish with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of the chai spices and/or the spiced whipped cream. Enjoy!
Above: the finished pumpkin spice latte with chai spices can be enjoyed as is, no foam or whipped cream. So delicious and flavorful.
Tips for making this recipe:
- With or without whipped cream: this drink is absolutely full of flavor and delicious without foam or whipped cream! If you use 1% milk or non-dairy milk, it is really coffee, chai spice and pumpkin forward tasting, not overly sweet or rich. I’ve been drinking it daily for a bit now, and it’s very satisfying without any topping.
- Heating the milk: take care not to boil or overheat the milk. It just needs to have the pumpkin, spices and maple syrup whisked thoroughly and then taste it. Once it tastes as you like your hot coffee to taste, it’s ready.
- If you do make the whipped cream: what is nice about making this whipped cream is that you can spend 5 minutes making it now and store it in the fridge for several days to use on multiple pumpkin lattes.
- Chai spices: many typical chai spices overlap with typical pumpkin pie spices. If you cannot find a blend and/or already have a lot of spices on hand, you can create your own blend. Chai, like pumpkin spice usually contains cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves and/or nutmeg. In addition, chai spice gets its more complex flavor often from the inclusion of cardamom (floral notes), anise (licorice notes), and black pepper (a bit of spice!).
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Easy Pumpkin and Chai Spiced Latte
Ingredients
- 1 double shot of espresso (2 oz, see notes)
- 6 oz 1% milk (sub any kind of milk – low or high fat)
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree (canned)
- 1 tsp powdered chai spices (+ 1 tsp for optional whipped cream, see notes)
- 2 tsp maple syrup (+ 2 tsp for optional whipped cream )
- 1 cup optional heavy whipping cream (for multiple lattes, see notes)
Method:
- Pour 6 oz 1% milk, 2 tbsp pumpkin puree, 1 tsp powdered chai spices and 2 tsp maple syrup into small saucepan and whisk over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until you see bubbles start to rise along the edge. Stop whisking and heating just shy of a boil – taste for flavor and heat. Turn off heat.
- "Pull a double shot" of espresso (i.e. 1 double shot of espresso) directly into smaller mug of choice (this does not make a giant latte).
- Pour heated milk mixture over the espresso in mug and voila, there you have it. Top with optional spiced whipped cream.
Make optional spiced whipped cream
- Put medium mixing bowl (higher the sides the better) and the two beaters (if using hand mixer) in freezer for at least 10 minutes if you can (I've made whipped cream w/out doing this but the chilling helps if you can do it).
- Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream into chilled bowl, sprinkle in 1 tsp chai spices and 2 tsps maple syrup.
- Beat on high speed for about 5 minutes, until stiff peaks are achieved.
- Store leftovers in covered container in fridge for several days.
