Learn how to make the best vegan pumpkin spice latte at home! Better (and cheaper) than Starbucks, my pumpkin spice latte recipe is delicious, completely vegan, and refined sugar-free.
Ahh, the pumpkin spice latte. It’s perhaps the most beloved beverage of the Fall season, and for good reason! It’s deliciously sweet and spicy, and cozying up with one on a cool Fall day just feels right. People seem to really love the Starbucks version, but it’s loaded with sugar, sodium, preservatives and other ingredients, which you can see here. It’s also super expensive (almost $6 for a venti), so making this healthier version at home just seems like the better option!
What You’ll Need to Make a Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Milk: Regular milk works fine, but I used almond milk. Check out the section below for alternative dairy options.
- Pumpkin Puree: Sweet and savory, pumpkin puree plays a starring role in Thanksgiving desserts and drinks, including this fall-favorite latte. Make sure you’re buying pure pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Maple Syrup: My pumpkin spice latte recipe only uses natural maple syrup to sweeten it, instead of refined sugars.
- Vanilla Extract: Many recipes do not call for vanilla, but to me, it’s a must for added depth of flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin pie spice is a delicious combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, an allspice that works really well with this recipe.
- Espresso or Strong Coffee: If you need a major boost to get you going in the morning, I definitely suggest making this with 2 shots of espresso, but brewed, strong coffee works fine too!
Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs
- Make it Dairy-Free: You can use regular milk if you’d like, but for this recipe I used almond milk. Others prefer coconut milk or oatmilk – the choice is yours!
- Make it Caffeine-Free: If you need caffeine-free, use your favorite strong decaf variety.
Tips on Making Pumpkin Spice Latte
- You can use granulated organic sugar instead of maple syrup if you don’t want to go the refined sugar-free route.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch each of nutmeg, ground ginger and ground cloves.