I love these but am content to just have one, maybe two, a season. Because I get so few of them, I'd just as soon order it from them. But I always ask them to go light on the pumpkin syrup as the barista tends to use a heavy hand.

This sounds great, but I'm skeptical about the 2 Tablespoons (!?!) of vanilla extract--can you confirm that this is so? Maybe two teaspoons?

lotusmoss- I was skeptical too about the amount of vanilla but it is right on. So yummy.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm! And another thumbs-up on the two tablespoons of vanilla extract. :)

I used to work for the "Evil Green Empire", and we figured out that if you mix half white chocolate syrup and half chai syrup, you end up with a pretty reasonable facsimile of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. At home, I mix chai concentrate and sweetened condensed milk, and it's pretty damn close.

This is the way I am about the peppermint lattes. I go into coffee beans/starbucks maybe 3 times a year. Once in the summer for a javachip ice blended and twice in the fall/winter for a peppermint latte and a chocolate mint ice blended. I am glad that coffee is not one of my many addictions.

@bfisk: okay, i'll take your word for it!
it does sound like a nice finish to a fall dinner party with homemade spice cookies...

This sounds great, but the recipe looks like it's 3-4 servings, not 1-2.

one can also make a simple syrup with pumpkin pie spices (i prefer to mix my own--whole cloves and cinnamon sticks rather than the powdery mix) and vanilla. this can be refrigerated for a few weeks to be enjoyed again and again...happy autumn!

Charise -- if this was four servings, each drink would be about, oh, 5 ounces. I've never seen a latte that small, even when they are ordered short. Two cups of milk 2 shots of espresso = about 18 oz, plus the other ingredients would bump it up to around 20 ounces. I would say two servings is about right for this recipe -- that's two 10 oz drinks -- around the size of most coffee mugs. The standard smallest size at most coffee shops is 12 oz.

Actually, adding all the ingredients (using strong coffee since an espresso maker is rare in most homes) would make approx. 4-8 oz servings. Just saying.

I went to go find the syrup this evening and the store I went to was out. They actually told me that Torani had discontinued the regular and is now only making sugar-free pumpkin spice. I hope they are wrong. Monin makes a pumpkin spice syrup too, but it's hard to find.

charise, you might be able to find the Monin stuff online.

I'm not big on these, but oooooh the eggnog lattes!

While I'm sure this recipe is delicious and spot on, I get this particular drink from Starbucks because I can't have it all year around. It's something to look forward to.

And not having to make it myself is part of the reason I'll buy one. I only buy a few a season. It's a treat.

This is a recipe I want to try! It sounds like the perfect drink to enjoy while reading a good book in front of the fireplace.

However, I come from a country where you don't find any canned pumpkin or pumpkin spice syrup or pumpkin pie spice (I know, that's awful! But luckily we have fondue here).

Any idea how I can substitute this with "base" products? I can imagine substituting canned pumpkin with fresh pumpkin, but the spices? Could the traditional "pain d'épices" spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove) work as well?

I live in Spain, and I'm pretty sure we don't get Pumpkin Spice Lattes here. I'm soooo willing to try this, buuut... is there any substitute for the pumpkin pie spice?
I'll have to make my own "canned" pumpkin from scratch, but hey, if that's the price I have to pay to have one of these again... I'll do it!

swisschese: "pain d'épices" spices could work. As for the pumpkin, that's a lot of effort for a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin (maybe you could freeze the rest?). Do you have access to any other premade products containing pumpkin? For instance, substituting pumpkin butter for the pumpkin (and the sugar) could be an idea.

To my knowledge, "pumpkin pie spice" is just ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. I usually mix it from scratch.

That peppermint mocha is to die for. Can anyone say dessert? A meal worthy onto itself. I can't wait....so what's a good brand of peppermint syrup so I can make this at home?

catlike & deliriumsama : thanks for your replies!

you are absolutely right, it is a lot of effort for a small quantity, so I thought about either freezing the rest in ice-cube format, or simply saving some when I make pumpkin soup.

Other pumpkin products are not really an option, the offer of premade products is a lot more limited here than in the US and other EU countries. However, we have amazing quality fresh products (i.e. great veggies, and most swiss cows actually eat real grass during their lives!)

It always taste better when someone (Starbucks) else makes it ;)

Charise, I still don't see how you're getting 4 servings out of this. 2 cups of milk is 16 ounces. 1/2 cup of coffee is another 4, for a total of 20. The sugar and the vanilla bump it up to 22, and the pumpkin (if you use 2 tablespoons of puree instead of the teaspoon of syrup) brings it up to 23. To get four 8oz servings you would need 32 ounces. I think at most this is three servings, but more realistically it's two 10 or 12oz servings.

Regardless of how many servings the recipe makes, it sounds delicious and I can't wait to give it a try.

Monin usually has superior syrups, but their version of pumpkin spice doesn't taste good and isn't worth the extra dollar. Generally in terms of quality of coffee syrups, the best is Monin, runner up is DaVinci and last place goes to Torani. At the coffeeshop I worked at, when we had Monin's pumpkin spice every latte we made with it was returned and we had to remake the drink with DaVinci or Torani, whichever we had on hand. A lot of coffee shops sell bottles of syrup at 7 dollars for a tiny bottle. Here in Seattle you can go to Cash n Carry- they have a wall of syrup options that is simply huge. The store is meant for people running restaurants and such, but anyone can shop there. They don't carry Monin tho. It's like Sam's Club or Kostco. Good luck making lattes to those of you inspired to by the post!

I see, I miss read the recipe. This isn't a recipe for coffee! It's a recipe for a milk shake with a smidgen of coffee. I thought it was 1/2c of strong coffee per serving (so 1 cup per recipe!)

I intend on tweaking it when I try it. I prefer a 1:1 ratio in my lattes (milk:coffee.)

It does sound delish either way.

The beauty is that pumpkin is super healthy!

Thanks so much for this! I've made my own chai lattes but not this. I LOVE Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I'm going to try it out and I'm going to feature this recipe on my blog today as well - citing The Kitchn of course :)

Looks great...though I can only hope to make my own peppermint lattes this fall & winter! Pumpkin in a beverage always seemed a little off to me. :)

Yummmm....sounds wonderful, though I agree that getting this as an autumn treat makes it more special than making it all the time. Anyone have any ideas how to make their caramel apple cider???

Man- two whole tablespoons of pure vanilla extract? This may actually be just as expensive as the starbucks version.

I order pumpkin spice misto for a slightly cheaper version.

I'm going to make this as a treat with my daughter, minus the coffee for her version. Yummy!!

I *think* the caramel apple cider is apple juice steamed with caramel sauce stirred in then topped with whipped cream and drizzled with more caramel sauce. I suppose you could heat apple juice in a microwave or on a stove top, pour it into a mug, and add caramel sauce to taste and it would taste pretty darn similar. If you didn't have caramel sauce already handy, you could go to the ice cream isle at a grocery store and pick some up and it'd be similar to what an espresso stand uses.

I think that a pretty good fall drink is a chai cider, 3/4s chai to 1/4 apple juice or cider microwaved or steamed. Anyone else a fan of chai cider? It reminds me of wassail.

I made this this morning and wasn't that thrilled with the turnout. I wonder what I did "wrong" or if the store-bought, artificial flavored syrup version is just better?

@ 1eyedwilma: You're right about the caramel apple cider...I LOVED those and went through the drive-thru one day and saw the lady pour it into my cup from a Treetop apple cider bottle! I was crushed...mostly because I'd been paying for one cup what is equal to that stupid bottle at the grocery store...

I've tried to make it at home and I use apple cider microwaved, with a little bit of cinnamon syrup and then the caramel. Ice cream caramel works, but you may have to heat the jar to get it runny like the original's is. And Chow has a great sounding cinnamon syrup recipe; I've never tried it, but I plan to.
http://www.chow.com/recipes/11046

I tried this, and it was good, but a lot of work. I found an easier way--just stir pumpkin butter into your latte! The pumpkin-sugar-spice work is already done for you.

I'm linking to this, and discussing the pumpkin butter on my blog: http://make-happy.blogspot.com

We do pumpkins every year but usually just throw out all of the insides. There blog post on Scott Common Sense that has some great ideas for how to use all of the pumpkin so nothing has to go to waste. I love the lattes but doesn anyone have any recipes that use real pumpkin?

Hey, I work for starbucks. The caramel apple spice is the tree top apple juice steamed with cinnamon dulce syurp (which starbucks does sell in stores). Then the drink is topped off with whipped cream and caramel sauce. I hope this works.

i make the pumpkin spice lattes in a crock pot on thanksgiving morning with my family. it's a fun alternative to coffee, festive for the season, and worth the effort when there are several people enjoying it.

Carak, care to share your conversion to a big batch ala crock pot? I'd love to do that this thanksgiving!

Here in the Sacramento region we have a chain of gourmet grocery stores called the Nugget, and their coffee counter's fall special is the amazing pumpkin chai. I was so, so happy when I figured out that Oregeon chai + milk + a scoop or two of canned pumpkin pretty much replicates it exactly, and now I know what to do with the second can of pumpkin I always end up with due to fall sales. Also, it tastes way better than sbux pumpkin lattes, seriously.

I made this today, and have the following comments:
1. This definitely makes 2 servings. I halved it, and still filled an XL mug to the top.
2. The taste as made was weak, but improved immensely when I added a packet of Truvia sweetner (this was after I made it with 1 T sugar).
3. Blender didn't seem necessary in any way. 4. I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, but sprinkled with nutmeg, cinnamon & allspice.

It's worth trying & perfecting to your liking, especially as a grande is now $4+.

Pumpkin Pie Spice, 1 teaspoon. Multiple to make larger quantities.
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp ginger, ground
* 1/8 tsp allspice
* 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground

The pumpkin syrup is just simple sugar with spices, so add the above spice mix to the following recipe. This recipe is variable, so you can tinker with it as you wish, as long as the sugar:water ratio remains about the same.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup water
* 1 vanilla bean, split

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Cool the mixture completely and pour into a glass container with a screw-top. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 months. Remove the vanilla bean before serving.

To make a flavored liqueur syrup, add 1/4 cup liqueur of your choice to the syrup after it has cooled for about 10 minutes. This recipe can be multiplied.

I actually made the recipe - my coffee didn't turn out that strong (dangit) and I cut the recipe in half since it was just me enjoying it. I used cooked and mashed pumpkin that I had leftover from making pie. I thought the tbsp of vanilla was a little heavy (personal opinion) but everything else seemed good. My halving of the recipe filled up my largest mug to the brim, so make sure you have BIG MUGS. It was easy to make and took maybe a minute. (a lot cheaper than Starbucks lattes, too!) The whisking of the steamed milk, to me, replicated the Starbucks creation pretty well! I even piled on the foam in my already filled mug and it looked beautiful with the specks of spice!
The first taste was strange, as was the second, but after that the taste took on that very familiar flavor of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. I was so happy! I told my husband I wouldn't buy any more lattes (we're trying to budget and getting one once a week leads to more than once a week, for me) so this will probably ween me off of them altogether. It will also be a perfect remedy to the decreasing temperature of the impending fall.
I will definitely make this again - with less vanilla and, hopefully, stronger coffee! I think a tiny tiny pinch of salt might make a world of difference, too. Oo, or a drizzle of salted caramel syrup. I can't wait to make it again! I just need to buy more vanilla, lol.

I moved to Holland three years ago, and the last thing I had at Starbucks before I left the States was a pumpkin spice latte. I miss them like crazy! At the time I moved here, we only had three SB in the whole country, and now that we have more, they don't do the pumpkin ones.

My recommendation is definitely to make the spices and vanilla into a syrup; not having canned pumpkin here, I steamed some fresh pumpkin, and then pureed it to a textureless goo with the syrup. It sounds a bit unappetizing, but it really works well. I keep a container of it in the fridge and it's so easy then to spoon out a few tablespoons into a mug.

This is super budget-friendly, but one other thing I like about this recipe that no one else seems to have pointed out yet - you can so easily tailor it to whatever special dietary needs you have (i.e. gluten-free) without worrying about cross-contamination at your local shop, or even make it organic or decaf or sugar-free with little to no hassle.

made these today and they are absolutely fabulous... better than the real thing ! :)

It's that time again - the appearance of the pumpkin spice latte`! I remembered this post and how I wanted to give it a try. Any chance of getting a version lower in fat and calories?

Oh. My. God. completely dangerous as I have 3 (yes 3!) cans of pumpkin in my pantry and I love this drink. Guess I'll be makin' a vat o' pumpkin syrup very soon! thank you for the post.

I love the gingerbread latte - can we have a recipe for that?!

For those of you looking for a substitute for canned pumpkin... most canned pumpkin is actually in fact, sweet potato. If you can't get your hands on a sweet potato, than any small winter squash would probably do (although cooking and peeling and pureeing a squash just for a latte seems like a lot of work)!

I made this and 2T of vanilla was WAY too much. I felt like I had a shot in my drink! Also, not digging the texture of the actual pumpkin. I love pumpkin, but settling in the bottom of my drink? Any other suggestions beside just buying the syrup?

I left out the coffee since I was doing this at night and needed to sleep, but I had no trouble with the pumpkin settling. Canned pumpkin is as good as home-cooked pumpkin, according to Cooks Illustrated magazine (their tasters couldn't tell the difference between pie made with canned pumpkin and pie made with roasted and pureed whole pumpkin).

If the cost / alcohol content of the vanilla is an issue, use imitation vanilla flavoring. It tastes great with all the spices and doesn't cost much or have any alcohol in it.

SO YUMMY!! Excellent recipe! I even added an extra tbsp of pumpkin (just because I like pumpkin). Wonderful drink to enjoy on a cool night!

I made this twice with modifications, with the second time being the charm! I am vegan and I gave up coffee a couple of months ago:
So for a non-caffeinated vegan version of this drink which came out delicious....
Modifications that I made: I used unsweetened coconut milk, fresh pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoons of agave and 1.5 scoops of herbal coffee in my French Press(for the half of a cup of strongly brewed coffee the recipe calls for). I didn't modify the vanilla but I did use a heaping teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. To top it off, I put a heaping teaspoon of coconut vanilla ice cream in it and sprinkled it with just a bit of cinnamon. What a treat, especially with pumpkin spice muffins!

I love this! So excited to try it.

I use imitation vanilla flavoring in this (no alcohol and available in a fairly large container at my local dollar store) to cut down on expense and because hubby can't have anything with real alcohol in it. Still works great.

MUST MAKE!!! SO EXCITED!!! AHHHH!!!

I've been making this for awhile, just like this (but not with so much vanilla). I make this with soymilk. Blending doesnt make it as frothy as I like, sometimes I'll take half of it and put it in a french press and pump it a few times (this is the BEST way to froth milk).

Pro-tip: If you're cracking open a can of pumpkin to make this - alot can go to waste. I take all the leftover pumpkin and put it in an icecube tray and freeze it. It lasts for months. 1 tablespoon fits nicely and so now its dosed perfectly. You can take a cube still frozen and throw it into your milk on the stovetop and it will melt pretty quickly.

Eggnog lattes can be made with 2/3 eggnog mixed with 1/3 2% milk and espresso or strong coffee. Topped with nutmeg of course :)

My personal favorite is chai concentrate with a bit of hazelnut syrup and some steamed soy milk. It tastes just like an oatmeal cookie!

This recipe got me out of bed & into the kitchen first thing this morning! I used unsweetened original almond milk, and it was.... okay. If some whipped cream, or something with some more fat for a smoother mouth feel was added (though this would negate the dairy-free'edness of my drink) it would have been much better.

We doubled the recipe & had way more than the two of us could drink, thus I would say 2-3 servings per recipe is more accurate than 1-2.

I really appreciate this recipe! First of all, it's all natural, which Starbucks' is not. Seond, I just treated myself to a wonderful italian espresso machine. I mean it's really from Italy and makes the best espresso I've ever had! Third, I too have cans of pureed pumpkin languishing in my pantry. And last, my teenager loves pumpkin spice lattes, and this is something I can surprise her with tomorrow morning which she will love--a sweet start to a Sunday morning. Thanks!

Just made it-- I used brown sugar, which I love in coffee. I used about 1.5 Tbs of vanilla--there is a point for me where vanilla becomes too dominant (in Starbucks drinks) so I knew I needed to tone it down a little. Next time, I will make the milk mixture on Saturday night, refrigerate it, and then steam it on my espresso machine when I make the coffee in the morning. That will ensure the spice flavor mellows out a bit in a more 'supporting' role. I bought fresh bulk spice for this so those flavors were really bright.

Wow! This was absolutely fantastic! The flavors blended beautifully. My husband's face lit right up as soon as he tasted it. Definitely a keeper. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to share this recipe.

For Swisscheese, Starbucks is going to introduce Pumpkin Spice Latte next week in Switzerland ! Unofficially, you can already buy them in store. I had my first one this morning and it tasted so good. It reminded me of my last Pumpkin Spice Latte at The Golden Nugget in Vegas in last October during my vacation. Mmmmmm, so good...!

I made the pumpkin syrup for this last night and just made myself a latte this morning. Verdict: This was a complete waste of time. I trusted previous commenters and made the recipe as listed. WAY too much vanilla. Completely over-powers any other flavor, and makes the drink taste grossly alcoholic. Also, little-to-no pumpkin flavor-- though, who knows, it could be buried under the vanilla somewhere. I'll be searching elsewhere for a pumpkin spice latte recipe.

Hello Francois, May I ask what kind of Italian Espresso machine you purchased. I keep dreaming about getting one:) Shelly

Just made it, but with just a touch of vanilla, not 2 tablespoon. Super delicious. Definitely makes at least 2 mugs or 3-4 smaller tea cups.