Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte from Scratch
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Hello Pumpkin Spice Season! In this tutorial we are going to make a vegan version of an absolute favourite: Pumpkin Spice Latte.
My goal is to make you all save money this Autumn, as life costs rise leaving us to face one of the most expensive winters in history.
Did I get your attention??
Great. Let’s now break some costs out.
How much is a pumpkin spice latte from cafes?? Around 4£ in the UK and 5$ in the US… and that is per latte!
And if you want to make it at home?
How much is pumpkin spice syrup? Around 15£ for 1 L (12$ for 24.5 Fl Oz – 750 ml).
How much is homemade pumpkin spice syrup? Depending on the ingredients used, cost varies from 50p to 2£ a Litre.
Considering that we can use from 2 to 4 tablespoons of syrup in one latte, one litre of pumpkin syrup yields between 17 to 33 lattes. That’s between 45 to 88p for each latte if using store bought syrup and 3 to 7p if using the homemade version.
Do you see where I am getting with this?
And when you add up the costs of all the other ingredients such as coffee (around 35p per best quality espresso capsule) and plant milk (45p for 1 cup of best Barista Oat milk), this adds up to less than 1£ per latte for the 100% homemade version and slightly over 1.50£ for the version with store bought syrup.
Now I’ll let you do your math and enjoy the video, while I put down all the instructions to make this gorgeous beverage completely from scratch, in a 100% vegan version.
How to make Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home
First things first: the spiced pumpkin syrup.
Sugar & Water. The humble base of every syrup. 50:50. You can use white or brown sugar, or even a mix of the two, as well as coconut sugar or sweeteners such as erythritol.
Pumpkin Puree. Shop bought or homemade. For homemade version follow the tips of this recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Mix:
Cinnamon (sticks or ground)
Cloves (whole or ground)
Ginger (fresh or powdered)
Nutmeg (powder)
To make the syrup all we need to do is to add water and sugar to a pan on medium intensity and heat until the sugar dissolves.
Combine the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Please note, if you are using powders I suggest you to place them into a cheese cloth secured with food grade string, similarly to what we have done with seaweeds in my Vegan Smoked Salmon.
Filter syrup through a sieve and allow to cool down completely before transferring it to a bottle.
Now that we have our homemade syrup ready we can proceed with the latte.
All we are going to need is:
Espresso. I use 100% compostable capsules for my Nespresso Machine. If you don’t have a coffee machine you can use 30ml of any coffee of your choice.
Plant Milk. There is a large variety of choice when it comes to vegan milks so you can really choose whichever you prefer but my favourite and my recommendation would be oat milk, I personally use barista style oat milk, which is slightly thicker and foams better than the standard oat milk. My second favourite is unsweetened soy milk. Both oat and soy seem to produce the best foam for coffees in my humble opinion. Obviously feel free to use any plant milk of your choice according to your own preferences and needs.
Lastly the (optional) toppings:
Vegan Whipped Cream. What is a Pumpkin Spice Latte without whipped cream?? A sad latte, that’s what it is!
Both hand whipped or squirty cream are fine for the purpose. Just pick the one you like the most.
Pumpkin Spice Mix. For an extra kick of warmth. You can easily make your own mix or purchase it ready made.
Cinnamon Sticks. For a lush finishing touch.
Recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte from Scratch
Ingredients:
…for the homemade syrup…
900 g Sugar (see notes)
900 g Water (filtered)
3 tbsp Cinnamon (ground or 10 sticks)
3 tsp Cloves (ground or 1.5 tbsp whole)
3 tsp Ginger (powder or 1 inch whole)
3 tsp Nutmeg (or 1 whole)
250 g Pumpkin Puree (store bought or homemade)
…for the vegan pumpkin spice latte…
2-4 tbsp Homemade Pumpkin Syrup
250 g Plant Milk (Oat Barista)
1 Espresso
…to garnish (optional)…
Vegan Whipped Cream
Pumpkin Spice
Cinnamon Stick
Method:
1. Make the syrup by adding water and sugar to a pan on medium intensity and heat until the sugar dissolves. Combine the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Please note if you’re using powdered spices wrap them in a tea filter or a square of cheesecloth secured with food grade string. Filter through a sieve and allow to cool down completely. Transfer the syrup to a bottle and keep in the fridge. If you’re using store bought syrup skip this step.
2. Pour 2 to 4 tbsp of homemade pumpkin spice syrup into a mug, depending on how sweet you like your latte. (I make mine with 2.5 tbsp).
3. Add freshly brewed espresso coffee and stir well.
4. Heat the milk in a pan or in the microwave for 90 seconds, then use a small electric whisk (milk frother) to froth the warm milk into a foam.
5. Pour frothed milk over the coffee & syrup.
6. Garnish with vegan whipped cream, a pinch of pumpkin spice, a cinnamon stick and enjoy!
For other Autumnal recipes with Squashes or Pumpkins please check:
– Vegan Pumpkin & Cheesecake Pound Cake
– Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Mushroom “Bacon”
– Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash
– Vegan Butternut Squash Wellington
– Vegan Christmas-y Lasagna
– Lentil & Squash Savoy Cabbage Rolls
– Roasted Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup
– Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
– Oven Baked Pumpkin Risotto
– Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli
– Giant Couscous Stuffed Butternut Squash
– Lentil & Squash Pie
– Vegan British Dumpling Stew
