I won’t ever forget my very first pumpkin spice latte and the perfect fall weather mood it certainly brings you with just one sip. To properly remake the Starbucks favorite, I’ve created a pumpkin spice sauce that gives you a latte made with real pumpkin puree!
Background
Let’s be real, pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks has an insane following and it’s well-known during the autumn season. So much so that people have countdown clocks or Instagram accounts dedicated to the addictive drink. While Starbucks officially came out with the drink around 2003, it didn’t receive it’s cult following until the recent decade. The famous Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte is a mix of a pumpkin spice sauce base, vanilla syrup, milk, and espresso. It wasn’t until 2015 though that Starbucks finally added real pumpkin puree to it’s sauce ingredients. After buying way too many pumpkin spice lattes throughout the years, I made my own sauce based on information I could find about Starbucks pumpkin spice sauce. To do this, I started by looking at the ingredients on Starbucks website and narrowed down the ratios for the recipe and of course tasted a fresh psl from Starbucks while taste testing the new recipe.
Pumpkin puree
For this recipe, I went with the trusty old Libby’s pumpkin puree that I found at my local grocery store. I found when I used another organic brand, the puree tasted too raw and watery even when cooked a bit. After making simple syrup in a pan, add the pumpkin puree and cook the puree for about one to two minutes to remove the raw flavor of pumpkin.
Evaporated skim milk
While looking over the ingredients list on the website, I zoomed in on something they listed as “condensed skim milk.” After a quick search online, I found that it was evaporated skim milk and not sweetened condensed milk–not the stuff you add to Vietnamese coffee or Vietnamese coconut coffee. It’s important to take note of this difference because it could drastically change the consistency and the sweetness of your sauce.
Pumpkin spice & nutmeg
For flavoring, I used the Trader Joe’s blend of pumpkin spice with a little pinch of extra nutmeg–this is a flavor I picked up on the original pumpkin spice latte. Note that many different brands have various ratios of pumpkin spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, allspice, etc.) so using a different brand may affect your pumpkin sauce flavor. What’s great about this recipe is that you can adjust the pumpkin spice or make your own based on your preferences.
The espresso – Starbucks Pike’s Place
One the website, it specifically states that this latte is made with pulled espresso shots–like all lattes. After trying many different types of beans ranging from dark roast, to espresso, to medium beans, I finally consulted a friend who worked for Starbucks. One change I also made was using only one shot of espresso vs. two shots that a regular grande cup called for. I found one shot didn’t overpower the pumpkin spice sauce. Thanks to my friend who works at Starbucks, I learned that Starbucks typically uses medium blends, most likely Pike’s Place for their beans. The darker beans I tested were too strong for the drink, whereas the Pike’s Place beans were the appropriate flavor along with the specified 2% milk they use. If you don’t have Pike’s Place beans, you can also pick a similar medium blend bean.
Cooking tips
Serving & storing
After the pumpkin spice sauce has cooled down, place it in an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. I would recommend heating up the sauce in the microwave for about 10-20 seconds to warm it up before adding in the espresso and steamed milk. Serve the pumpkin spice latte as soon as possible and enjoy with some tasty desserts like guava and cheese pastries, ube crinkle cookies, or mini fruit tarts. You can also store pumpkin spice sauce to use later on too.
