The recipe to prepare a delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte like the Starbucks’ one: a hot and aromatic drink, perfect for autumn days.
Pumpkin Spice Latte is a warm, invigorating drink, ideal for autumn days.
At first I was quite hesitant about this drink: the combination of coffee and pumpkin didn’t seem so attractive.
Actually, I had to change my mind. Pumpkin Spice Latte is such a delicious drink, with a unique taste.
From a winning Starbucks idea
If we can enjoy this delicious drink today, we have to thank Starbucks. In fact, it was the American coffee chain, founded in Seattle in 1971, that developed this recipe for the first time.
The history of this particular drink began in 2003, when the American giant decided to test some recipes based on coffee and particular ingredients, creating new combinations.
Subjected to a group of consumers, the combination that contains pumpkin and coffee receives several praise.
For this reason, Starbucks decides to continue with the development of the recipe, but it actually choosed to eliminate the pumpkin and it replaced this vegetable with aromas that recall its flavor.
As soon as it is distributed in Starbucks cafés, Pumpkin Spice Latte immediately becomes a hit.
Sold only during the autumn period (from September to November), this beverage becomes one of the flagship products of the American chain, and every year it is a sales record in the fall period.
Finally, in 2015 Starbucks decided to modify the original recipe, replacing the artificial flavours and colourings with the actual pumpkin, making the drink much healthier.
Pumpkin Spice Latte is also available in Starbucks cafés in Italy, usually from the end of September and throughout the autumn.

The ingredients to prepare Pumpkin Spice Latte
- 250 ml cold water
- 150 g brown sugar
- 50 g steamed and smoothied pumpkin
- half a cup of milk
- a cup of espresso coffee
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch ginger powder
- 1 pinch of nutmeg powder
- whipped cream (optional😋)
How to make a delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte at home
First of all, let’s prepare the spicy syrup, which will give our Pumpkin Spice Latte an unmistakable taste.
So we put the 250 ml of water in a saucepan and add the cane sugar. We keep the medium heat down and keep stirring, so that the sugar melts.
When we reach the boil point, we add the steamed pumpkin and the spices (cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg). Them we lower the heat to a minimum and let the aromatic syrup thicken: it will take about 10 minutes. After that, the syrup will have a dense and homogeneous consistency. Let’s put it out the flame and save it.
Now let’s make the espresso.
The ideal thing now would be to have an electric milk mount to heat the milk and form the froth 😍 I use the Aeroccino by Nespresso and I really like it! In two minutes a foam of milk is formed, wonderfully dense!
If we don’t have an electric milk mount, we can use a manual milk mount or simply heat the milk and … shake it😉.
At this point, we take a cup and put two tablespoons of spicy syrup, add the espresso coffee and finally the whipped milk. If we want a super pampering, we also add some whipped cream. Finally, garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
And here, our Pumpkin Spice Latte is ready to be enjoyed!
It is an ideal drink for autumn snacks, or to sip while watching a good movie, on the sofa under a cozy blanket 🥰.
Some more tips
According to my personal taste, this is the ideal combination of spices, but of course you can correct the doses of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg to adapt the taste of the drink to your preferences.
If you want, you can also add a pinch of clove powder.
The drink does not need to be sweetened, as it already contains the spicy syrup.
This spicy syrup can be stored in a jar tightly closed and kept in the refrigerator.
As for the type of milk, the ideal is to use fresh whole milk. If we want to prepare a vegan Pumpkin Spice Milk, we can replace it with a vegetable milk.
This simple recipe allows us to prepare at home a Pumpkin Spice Latte like the Starbucks’ one, perfect to be enjoyed throughout the autumn.
By the way, while preparing this recipe, the house is filled with a unique, aromatic and enveloping scent!
See you soon,
Carol.