The Best Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

Where I live, autumn inevitably brings cooler temperatures, fuzzy sweaters, an abundance of root vegetables and a frenzy for pumpkin-spiced everything – especially the pumpkin spice latte.

Pumpkin spice, if you make it at home with actual spices, is an incredible mix of nutrient-dense aromatics like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Problem is, many of us aren’t actually using real spices for our pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pies or pumpkin baked goodies – or real pumpkin, either. Instead, we’re grabbing pumpkin-flavoured processed foods and cruising by coffee shops to grab a $7 pumpkin spice latte. (I also just learned the horrifying fact that pumpkin spice hair colouring is a thing. Make it stop!)

Let’s take a look at a couple of coffee shop pumpkin spice latte menu items and see what we find.

Exhibit A:

Milk, Pumpkin Spice Sauce (Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Pumpkin Puree, Contains 2% or Less of Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Color, Natural Flavors, Annatto, Salt, Potassium Sorbate), Brewed Espresso, Whipped Cream (Cream {Cream, Milk, Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan}, Vanilla Syrup (Sugar, Water, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid), Pumpkin Spice Topping (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove, Sulfiting Agents).

This is a concoction of sugar, preservatives, imitation flavours, and dairy – all of which we know are detrimental to our health. Processed white sugar is a highly addictive substance linked to weight gain, dental caries, blood sugar imbalance, diabetes, and cancer. Dairy, in all its conventional forms, can cause allergies, digestive issues, antibiotic resistance, and deplete our bone health. Carrageenan is inflammatory, particularly in the digestive tract, while those other ‘natural flavours’ and food additives are anything but natural.

Exhibit B:

Espresso, Pumpkin Spice Flavored Syrup (Fructose, Water, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Nonfat Milk, Annatto Extract {color}, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate {preservative}, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Sucralose), Whole Milk (Milk, Vitamin D Added).

With the first example, at least there was some pumpkin puree and spices in the topping. Here, there isn’t any pumpkin puree or pumpkin spice at all – just a pumpkin-flavoured syrup loaded with fructose, artificial flavours and colours, and artificial sweeteners that are way, way worse for us than white sugar (you can read this post about artificial sweeteners for more info).

We can definitely do better.

Ultimate Pumpkin Spice Latte: The Spices

Spices are an important part of any dairy-free pumpkin spice latte. I like to buy my spices in small amounts to ensure freshness, and purchase them whole and grind them myself wherever I can. Even though spices are dried, they will still contain volatile, potent compounds that can dissipate with age (or if you aren’t buying decent spices, they won’t be there in the first place).

Another thing to watch out for in your spices is irradiation. Food irradiation is a growing problem as it damages the nutrients found in our foods, destroys helpful bacteria, and hasn’t been proven safe for human consumption. Ask your local grocer or health food store for non-irradiated spices, or purchase them online.

If you love adding pumpkin spice to everything you make from October through December, try making your own batch of pumpkin spice mix and use it throughout the fall.

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Ultimate Pumpkin Spice Latte: The Pumpkin

A good pumpkin spice latte has to include actual pumpkin! So many pumpkin recipes call for pumpkin puree and most of us hop over to the store and buy a can of pumpkin. But pumpkin doesn’t grow in cans. It grows from the ground and grows a-plenty locally. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make your own pumpkin puree from scratch.

Fresh pumpkin has an abundance of outstanding nutritional benefits. Pumpkin is:

• Abundant in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that helps maintain our skin and vision and prevents oxidative damage.
• Rich in carotenoids that help regulate blood sugar.
• Rich in dietary fibre to keep us pooping regularly.
• High in lutein and zeaxanthin. These funny-sounding guys are potent antioxidants that prevent free radical damage in the lenses of our eyes.
• Rich in Vitamin C, which keeps our skin, hair, and nails glowing throughout the winter.
• High in potassium – this is helpful for those concerned about blood pressure.
• About 90% water, making pumpkin very hydrating.
• You can even eat the flowers. If you grow your own pumpkin, make squash blossoms!

Try roasting or cooking your own pumpkin – it doesn’t need to be a gigantic one, you can find smaller versions – and then save the puree in the fridge or freezer to use in pumpkin spice lattes, smoothies, soups, and even chili or hummus. One can of pumpkin is equivalent to about 2 cups of fresh pumpkin puree if you’re using a recipe that calls for the canned version.

Here is one of my favourite dairy-free pumpkin spice latte recipes. With fresh pumpkin and spices, Dandy blend (a herbal coffee alternative), and natural sweeteners, this is a wonderful elixir that will fuel your day, rather than detract from your health.

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And, if you’re looking for more pumpkin inspiration:

Images: iStock/nata_vkusidey , VeselovaElena

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