RECIPE: Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
Spice up the fall season with this healthy homemade PSL!
Fall is upon us—the leaves are changing color, the air is crisp…and pumpkin spice-flavored food is everywhere: breakfast cereals, beer, cookies, and—the queen of pumpkin spice, herself—the PSL, of course.
If you enjoy all the warm flavors of the season, we have a simple and quick recipe for you to make your own easy pumpkin spice latte at home…and we think it’s even better than Starbucks (and easy on your wallet, too)!
Read on for our easy DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte, which you can also enjoy with these delicious homemade pumpkin spice cookies.
The best part about this recipe (other than it’s flavor) is that it’s versatile—it can be made to suit nearly any diet: dairy-free, gluten-free, caffeine-free, vegan, and organic. There are many options to control exactly what type of ingredients you use, so it can be customized for nearly everyone.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
For Each Serving, You'll Need:
- 2 Tbsp. 100% pure pumpkin purée
You get extra bragging rights if you grew the pumpkin in your garden (learn how with our Growing Guides)! You don’t want to use pumpkin pie filling, which is already processed with sweetener and spices.
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
You can add more or less depending on your sweetness preferences; and you can use you own choice of sugar—refined white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, or even maple syrup.
- ¼ tsp. Pumpkin pie spice blend
If you don’t have this specific blend, you can simply make your own in one-teaspoon increments by combining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves, and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg.
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
We recommend 100% pure vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla.
- 1 C. Milk
Again, you can choose what kind of milk to use in this recipe—dairy milk (whole, 2%, skim), coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, or soy milk.
- ¼ C. freshly brewed coffee or 1 shot espresso
If caffeine gives you the jitters, don’t worry—you can substitute it for strongly brewed decaffeinated coffee. On the other hand, if you are a regular coffee drinker, you could always make it a double with an extra shot of espresso. If you don’t have an espresso machine, prepare instant espresso powder according to the package directions, or just brew your regular coffee extra strong.
Tip: Make this pumpkin spice latte kid-friendly by swapping the coffee or espresso for hot chocolate.
- Whipped topping (optional)
For extra decadence, add your choice of whipped topping to your latte such as frothed milk, whipped cream, or whipped coconut cream; and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice blend or cinnamon sugar.
Let's Get Cooking:
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, stir pumpkin purée with pumpkin pie spice blend until warm and fragrant, about 45 seconds.
- Add your choice of sugar and stir until dissolved and the mixture just starts to bubble.
- Add vanilla, then carefully whisk in the milk and stir constantly for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in your coffee or espresso.
- Over a mug, carefully pass your latte through a fine mesh strainer to catch any pumpkin fibers, coffee grounds, or spices.
- Top with frothed milk or whipped cream, and a dash of pumpkin pie spice blend or cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy!
OPTIONAL: If you enjoy drinking a pumpkin spice latte every morning during the fall, make a large batch at once and refrigerate in a sealed pitcher or container. Reheat one serving each morning on the stove or in the microwave, or enjoy it cold served over ice, or blended into a smoothie with a ripe banana and vanilla yogurt.
You can grow pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash with the EarthBox® gardening system!
Tell us in the comments: What's your favorite pumpkin spice treat to indulge in during the fall?
If I plant a blueberry bush in the Root and Veg Earthbox, what is the method and schedule to replenish fertilizer? What about replacing the plastic cap as it inevitably wears out? How would one do this without disturbing the plant too much or making a huge hole in the next plastic cap to fit down over the bush?
I’d love to also know the same for planting blackberry bushes in the EarthBox Original?
You'd follow our instructions for the initial set up, except do not add dolomite to the blueberry bush. When you have to replace the cover, the only way for these plants is to create a big hole in the cover and then tape it back up after you have it in place. We'd recommend adding another pound of our 7-7-7 fertilizer (or another equivalent, slow-release fertilizer) every 3-4 months. That generally lasts 1 growing season, which for the majority of crops grown in the EarthBox is no more than 120 days. Blueberries and blackberries are one of the few perennials that can be successfully grown in the EarthBox.
Which size is best for blueberries the orginal size? Or the deep root n veggie size?
Can nursery recommended acidic soil/ Azelia soil be used in earthboxes for blueberries?
You can grow blueberries in either of those EarthBox sizes, though we recommend the Root & Veg since its depth is more conducive to the plant. You can forgo using dolomite with blueberries, but ensure the pH is somewhere between 4.5-5.5. We still recommend following our growing media recommendations listed here: https://earthbox.com/learning-center/recommended-growing-media
I have my SEASCAPE Day-neutral strawberry seeds in hand. These will be planted indoors, in a grow tent, under LED quantum panels in the EarthBox. I have never planted strawberries of any kind, so Im eager to get this party started. Will provide updates. Too bad we can't attach pics.
~Kbore
NEWS FLASH from Kbore about Seascape seeds: Hybrid strawberry seeds are NOT true to the variety, if they sprout at all. I may have seascape seeds in hand (rip-off) but they will not produce the same plant as the seed donor. To grow the true variety, you must have live/ dormant plant starts from that variety.
On the subject of plant starts, it's too hot to ship live plants in the middle of July (in Zone 6A where I live), so don't expect to buy strawberry seedlings mail-order: It's not going to happen.
Looks like mid-September-ish for me. As the late Tom Petty wrote: " Waiting is the hardest part".
~Kbore