The Best Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Plus 5 Bonus Fall Drink Recipes

Kick off autumn right by sipping on these fall-flavored lattes and other cozy fall drinks.

• The fall season is upon us, which means it’s time for fall decor, fall leaves, and fall flavors.
• Pumpkin spice lattes are beloved by many around this time of year, and you can make my perfected recipe right at home. 
• This recipe version uses only natural flavors to create the best-tasting pumpkin spice latte (and little to no guilt). 
• For 5 more cozy fall drink recipes, you can grab my free fall drink recipe booklet right here on this post. 

If you’re anything like me, all things fall make bring you so much joy. Whether it’s the cooler air or the warmer tones, all of it brings about such a wonderful familiarity that only comes around once a year. And one of the best parts of autumn is of course the fall flavors. 

From chai and ginger to pecan and pumpkin, these nutty, warm flavors are something to look forward to all year round. Below, you’ll find my step-by-step guide to make one of my favorite fall drinks — the very famous pumpkin spice latte. I’ve perfected this recipe finally, and you’ll find only natural flavors in this cozy beverage (so no guilt necessary!).

For even MORE amazing fall recipes, I am sharing my Fall Drink Recipe Booklet with you for free. You’ll find the FREE PDF right here on my blog. From chai and pumpkin lattes varieties to even one addicting boozy coffee drink, you’ll want to grab these 5 bonus recipes to enjoy all throughout the season! 

Using real pumpkin is always the best option. 

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In keeping with working with natural flavors, it’s ideal to use pumpkin puree that doesn’t come from a can. This recipe from Inspired Taste provides a step-by-step tutorial in how to go about making pumpkin puree from scratch.

While homemade is the always ideal method, you can also use canned pumpkin puree. My pick is Farmer’s Market Foods Organic Pumpkin, which you can grab by following this link. It’s nice and creamy, and tastes absolutely perfect in this PSL recipe. (Note: I used the pumpkin pie mix instead of the organic pumpkin linked to here, which still worked well for this recipe).

Half & half or whole milk helps to create the right consistency. 

To make this pumpkin spice latte, you’ll be making a creamy pumpkin mixture on the stovetop first. I suggest using organic half & half, but whole milk should also work fine. Half & half will have the right amount of fat to create a creamy texture, which is what you need for this latte. 

If you want to try a vanilla pumpkin spice latte, you can grab my fall drink recipe booklet for FREE along with 4 more BONUS fall drink recipes. You can sign up for this FREEBIE at the bottom of this post!

You will need a cheesecloth or paint strainer bags to properly strain the pumpkin — this step is required. 

The mixture that’ll you’ll make on the stove will need to be strained. This step is so essential, otherwise you’ll be left with a thick paste that will not dissolve in your latte — gross. 

The best way to go about straining the pumpkin/milk mixture is to use a fine mesh filter. A cheesecloth works well for this part, but an even cheaper option is a paint strainer bag which you can grab here. Once strained through, you’ll set aside the strained liquid portion for your latte. 

Store the extra pumpkin mixture liquid in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

You’ll definitely have leftovers of the pumpkin liquid mixture that you just strained. You can put it in a jar or tupperware container in the fridge for about 3 days. I wouldn’t suggest keeping it much longer than that due to the fact that it’s made of cream.

To foam the milk, you don’t need a frother — just use a mason jar to shake it up! 

The best part of this recipe is that you don’t even need a fancy milk frother to make this amazing pumpkin spice latte. While an electric frother or a steam wand on an espresso machine is ideal, you can get away with using a mason jar, a lid, and a microwave.

Simply pour about 1/2 3/4 cup of milk into the mason and screw on the lid and shake it vigorously for about 60 seconds. You’ll see that it starts to form tiny bubbles and the milk has pretty much doubled in volume. Next, remove the lid and place the milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Be sure to watch the jar in the microwave to see if it starts to rise too far and overflows. If after 30 seconds, the milk isn’t warm enough, go ahead and put it in for another 30 seconds. 

And voila — it’s read to be poured into your choice coffee cup to be made into a lovely fall latte. 

Make it an iced pumpkin spice latte by skipping the frothing step and adding ice.

If you’re more of an iced coffee person, go ahead and skip foaming the milk and just pour in cold milk over the espresso and pumpkin mixture. My only advice here would be to add the milk only AFTER you’ve already mixed the pumpkin mixture with the espresso, as you want that to dissolve well.

Add a few cold brew coffee ice cubes (or normal ice cubes work too), and there you have it — an iced pumpkin spice latte. 

For more cozy, fall drink recipes, be sure to sign up below to grab my 5 FREE BONUS RECIPES!

The Perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe