Who doesn’t LOVE a Pumpkin Spice Latte (also known as a #PSL)?
I love them so much! But I don’t love the price tag or the amount of sugar that comes along them so I’ve found a way to reduce both without sacrificing any flavor.
I use my home made almond milk as the base and then flavor it up with some pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and just a kiss of maple syrup. Then once that’s all heated through, I toss it in the blender with some strong brewed coffee and make myself a light and frothy, clean, pumpkin spice latte.
In the video, I touch on the sugar thing for a minute.
I think it’s really important and you should definitely watch the video to hear my point of view. But in the meantime, I wanted to share my tips for curbing sugar cravings, because really if there was one small thing you can change in your diet that will yield big results, it’s to cut back on the sugar.
My Top 5 Tips for Curbing Sugar Cravings:
- Ditch the fake stuff. Artificial sweeteners can be 300x (if not more) sweetener than real sugar. And while they may be calorie free, they really can mess with your palette. They basically bombard our tastebuds with such an over the tops sweetness, it can be very difficult to then appreciate the subtle, real flavors and sweetness in whole food. In the long run they have you wanting more and more sugar, and that my friends is counter productive. (Notice I didn’t even begin to touch on the fact they are full of chemicals and correlated with all types of crazy diseases).
- Rest. Here’s the deal. Our bodies are crazy smart. Like crazy-crazy. When the body is tired it looks for energy (it is trying to do us a favor) and it knows the the quickest way for energy to get into the body is via sugar. Ever notice that when you are tired you crave processed carbs and/or sweets? This is why. The next time you feel like you need to rest, do yourself a favor and rest.
- Add more sweet food. This one is especially true for my dieters and low carb peeps. When we have a diet very low in carbohydrates and sugar we tend to want sweets. By simply adding some nutritious sweet foods to your day you can cut that craving way back. Some great examples are sweet potatoes, squash, brown rice, oats, and carrots.
- Protein. Ok. Are you ready for this one? Both eating too little and too much protein are linked with sugar cravings (how annoying is that?!). So the key is to really become your own detective. If you find yourself craving sugar, just take note of how much protein you have been eating. If it seems high, try cutting back. If it seems low, experiment with adding some more in. I’m telling you, being interested in ourselves is one of the best ways to figure out what our bodies need.
- Add non-food sweetness. Often times we reach for sweets because we are looking for a little sweetness in the day. C’mon, fess up! How many of my moms out there love a little chocolate after the kids go to sleep? It’s an easy way to add a sweet moment to the day. But if you are fining that the food-sugar in your life is just too high, ask yourself, “how else can I bring sweetness to my day/life?”. It can be a simple as a phone call with a dear friend, a walk, a girls night out, a great book, etc. The options are endless, but the key component is that you remember to keep yourself on the top of your own list.
All of that and a pumpkin spice latte!
So check out the video, try the latte, and then come back and let me know what you think! I love to hear your thoughts and comments, so I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree canned or fresh
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee or 2 shots of espresso
- Fresh grated nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Combine almond milk, pumpkin maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in a small saucepan over a medium low heat. Whisk everything together and as soon as the milk begins to simmer, shut off the heat and transfer the milk mixture to a blender.
- Add a cup of strong brewed coffee to the blender and blend for 10 seconds or until light and frothy.*
- Pour into your favorite mug. Top with fresh nutmeg and enjoy!
Jasmine
Can’t wait to do this in the morning!
Thanks, Dani!!
Dani
Enjoy!
Catherine
Can’t wait to try! Awesome timing – – – it’s very chilly in the mornings here in New England, so this recipe is a really nice surprise! Thanks Dani 🙂
Dani
I can’t wait for you to try it either! Enjoy.
Christine
Yum! I love making my own flavored lattes at home. I’ll have to give yours a try this weekend! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Dani
Yes you do! Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Cecilia
Perfect timing! I have some pumpkin puree I need to use up from making pumpkin spice granola. Can’t wait to try this!
Dani
🙂
Cecilia
I couldn’t wait!-just whipped up a cup and it’s delish!!! Thank you for this idea! I don’t have homemade almond milk at this time but I do agree it is WAY better than store bought.
Dani
Awesome! I love that you made it already!
Neroli
I love your suggestions about sugar cravings. So grounded and wise. I just wanted to add that besides naturally sweet foods, like squash, there are many naturally sweet flavors that can be added. Your latte is a great example. Cinnamon and vanilla just make things taste sweeter. If you make an apple dessert, for example, with a whole lot of cinnamon, you will find that you need less sugar for it to taste sweet enough. Other warming spices like coriander, and cardamon add a rich flavor that needs less sweetening.
Dani
Yes! Thats a great point… thanks for sharing:)
Jamie
I made a very similar drink this morning with homemade almond milk. I add 2 farm fresh egg yolks and call it breakfast.
Dani
sounds delicious – almost like eggnog…
Maia
Looks amazing!!! Still hot here in AZ, but I am ready for fall yummies!!! Thank you Dani for this awesome recipe.
Dani
You are very welcome! Can’t wait to hear what you think:)
Jenna
Wow!! This latte is SO good. I used coconut milk instead of almond milk & it still turned out great. I was afraid the coconut would overpower the pumpkin, but it didn’t at all. Thank you!!! I just love your recipes!
Dani
Ooh… I love coconut milk too…. I’ll have to try that!
Paola Bonilla
I tried this with fat free milk because thats all i had. It was really good!!! I live in Korea and Starbucks here doesn’t have a pumpkin spice latte for the holidays. =( SO sad. They do have a Marron latte which i think is a sweet potato latte (those are super popular here). I will give it a try next time and see.
The only thing i might have messed up on was the maple syrup. I thought 2 was too much so i did 1. still good but should of done the 2 instead. lol heh but less sugar is good and your tips are great!
I figured the artificial sugar thing myself. I hate anything diet it always tastes super sweet and disgusting to me. Thats when i thought well lets do less processed sugar (raw sugar) and less of it. Thats helped me a lot in losing weight. So girls really do cut sugar it helps.
Melissa
Paola, I used to use an artificial sweetener in my lattes and iced tea that I got when out. I have really cut this to a minimum and find that my taste buds have adjusted and really don’t like them anymore. Natural or raw sugars and sweeteners in smaller quantities are much better tasting and better for you. I agree, cutting sugar makes a big difference, not just in weight, but for me in lowering triglycerides in my cholesterol profile. This tastes better too!
Nancy
Hi Dani, It’s 17:19 here in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and I’m having a lovely cup of pumpkin spice latte. Thanks for the recipe, I used your recipe for the pumpkin purree as well! Kind regards, Nancy de Jong
Rebecca
Thanks for this Dani! Will be trying tomorrow and can’t wait 🙂 Have a lovely weekend!
suhani
Hey Dani.
Could you substitute the almond milk for another kind of milk?
Renee White
Dani,
This sounds delish and I can’t wait to try it. What are your thoughts on Agave nectar? I can’t seem to make myself like the taste of maple syrup.
Melissa
Renee, although I like maple syrup, you can’t really taste maple in this recipe. It just sweetens it slightly. I bet agave would work too.
Joan
Just tried this latte as I have fresh pumpkin puree from a Halloween pumpkin. I have a latte every evening to help me sleep. This will be my new latte flavour for a while. Loved it!! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Renata
I am sipping on this lovely latte at this moment…..delicious
Dani
Love that!
Melissa
I just made this and I love it. The blender trick for the foam topping is great and it held up the whole time I was drinking the latte. I have a pumpkin syrup recipe that I make and add to coffee but I liked this because it uses less coffee (I used 2/3 instead of 1/3 c.) and less sugar than using my syrup. I also used organic unsweetened soymilk instead of almond milk. I like almond milk but prefer soy in hot beverages. Thanks for the recipe!!
Dani
Melissa – You are very welcome! Loved hearing all of your feedback.
AD Lister
I am allergic to nuts could regular milk be used in place of the almond milk & still get a good result?
Dani
Absolutely!
Tom
instead of the maple syrup, could a person use stevia, or maybe agave syrup?
Stacy G
This is delicious! Made some this (rainy) afternoon! I even made your homemade almond milk. Thanks for these recipes!!!
Dani
Anytime!! So glad you enjoyed it.
Jenna
Dani,
I’ve been coming back to this pumpkin spice latte recipe EVERY fall for years. I’ve tried many other homemade pumpkin lattes, but they don’t seem to compare to your recipe. Thank you for creating such yummy fall goodness!
Terri Willoughby
OH. MY. GOSH! This Pumpkin Spice Latte blows Starbucks away…I’ve always “loved” their drink, but HATE the ingredients and 5 pounds of sugar! I am so excited to have found a delicious, clean version that I don’t feel guilty about drinking! YAY for FALL & PUMPKIN!!!!