Fall is here which mean it’s time for pumpkin spice everything. You can call me basic but I also like to enjoy all things pumpkin spice. What I don’t like is the fake pumpkin spice BS flavors popping up everywhere. I would like to personally put an end to all things fakely flavored with pumpkin and doused in grams and grams of sugar. If only I had that kind of power.

Here’s the thing, pumpkin tastes DELICIOUS if given the opportunity to shine on its own. Just search “pumpkin” in my blog’s sidebar and see for yourself. However, most people don’t actually want the taste of pumpkin, they want the taste of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and, of course, sugar. I’m all about calling a spade a spade, so that’s why everyone loves their PSL (aka pumpkin spice latte) it’s because they love their sugar with a side of coffee & basic-ness.

Pumpkin Spice Everything

While I love that you all love pumpkin so much (so do I) many people actually love pumpkin-flavored items. Some of these items have pumpkin in them but many have other flavors to make them taste like pumpkin pie.

What makes pumpkin pie taste delicious?! Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and of course, sugar. When looking at a pumpkin spice in the spice aisle, you’ll find that these are the main ingredients in such a blend. You can certainly make the pumpkin spice yourself, or you can be like me and get caught up in the season and buy a bottle for yourself.

My favorite pumpkin spice is from Trader Joe’s and has the following ingredients: Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemon Peel, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom. I’ve also heard Primal Palate makes a good one too.

Sugar with a Side of Coffee

If you know me, you know I like to call you out for drinking sugar with a side of coffee. If you can’t drink coffee without sugar then chances are you just don’t like coffee and/or you haven’t found the right coffee. Let’s take a look at this Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks for one moment.

A whopping 48g of sugar in a 16 oz. “grande” portion. Now, of course, people have found hacks where you can order less pumps so that’s a good step but holy crap, let’s maybe make this a once in a while treat!

Now that I’ve pulled my jaw off the floor, here are the ingredients that go along with the above facts so we can see the whole picture.

The good news is that there is actual pumpkin in there and they have significantly decreased the number of ingredients over the past 3 years. The bad news? Sugar is the main ingredient in the pumpkin spice part of this drink, womp, womp, womp.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

If we’re being honest, this recipe has zero actual pumpkins in it. However, it tastes like pumpkin pie AND  there is no added sugar in this recipe, so don’t go anywhere. What this recipe does have is that it’s easy (and cheap) to make, it tastes delicious, AND it’s not loaded with sugar and/or artificial colors/flavors.

You can use any coffee you have on hand, frankly, I use whatever coffee is leftover from my first cup of the day. For whatever reason, my first cup of coffee needs to be hot and black, even in the middle of summer. So I use the leftover (or use Chameleon Cold Brew’s cold brew concentrate) and then use whatever type of milk I have on hand. Lately, I’ve been loving Oatly’s oat milk but I’ve used regular whole milk as well as Ripple’s Pea Milk.

You can make multiple lattes for the price of one at your local s-bucks AND you end up getting far less sugar and far more nutrients. Win-win-win. Heck, if you like your friends (or spouse) make them one as well!

Pro Tip: Don’t have pumpkin pie spice? That’s ok! Use a sprinkle of cinnamon & nutmeg and call it a day.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

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Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup strong coffee/espresso
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, optional

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Instructions

1. Heat coffee as directed by your choice of coffee (or espresso).
2. In a small sauce pan add milk, pumpkin pie spice & vanilla.
3. Heat over medium heat (Watch carefully) until warm to touch.
4. Whisk either with a whisk or with a frother and pour over coffee. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice.
5. Enjoy!

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Have you ever had a Pumpkin Spice Latte?! If so, try this recipe and let me know what you think 🙂 Just don’t be expecting a sugar rush (or crash!)

xoxo,

Sassy

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