Healthier & Wealthier with a Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte!
You don't have to spend a fortune at a coffee house to get a delicious PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte). And you don't have to spend your calorie salary there either!
Healthier & Wealthier with a Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte!
by Katie Cullum
It's the season for pumpkin spice everything! You can go crazy buying everything in the fall flavors. You can also pack on some pounds by indulging in too many PSL. No worries - you can have your PSL and drink it too without breaking the bank.
This recipe is very flexible. The video below has the basics, but check out the recipe below also. You can definitely make it healthier than the coffee house versions by using sweeteners, skim milk, and real pumpkin. The coffee house versions have over 300 calories in just ONE coffee cup!
The other issue is the cost. A grande PSL at the local Starbucks would cost me $5.81 with tax. I could buy a lunch for that! A homemade PSL would cost me less than $1 (I could use the leftover pumpkin puree in my muffins). The recipe I made at home also made enough for 2 servings for me! What a deal! (the pumpkin mixture keeps well in the fridge - just warm it up before mixing with brewed coffee).
1 cup milk of your choice (low-fat/fat-free milk, unsweetened almond milk, etc.)
3 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
Sweetener – sugar, or sweetener like sucralose or aspartame to taste
Maple – 1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup (more sugar, calories) or ½ teaspoon maple flavoring/extract with sweetener to taste
Spices – ¾-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or your own options – cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (optional)
1-2 cups Brewed coffee
Whipped topping (optional)
- Wash hands with soap and water. Brew coffee.
- Measure milk, pumpkin, sweetener, flavorings into microwaveable cup. Whisk together.
- Warm in microwave.
- Add to brewed coffee. Mix. Top with whipped cream or topping, if desired. Finish off with a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Makes enough for 1-2 people. Leftover pumpkin mix can be refrigerated and used the next day. Very flexible – you decide! You can tweak it to your liking!
Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix: make your own batch to keep on hand with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.