Start your day with an iced pumpkin spice latte made with a homemade pumpkin spice syrup featuring real pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Make the syrup once and make this all week long.
Jump to:
- Homemade Iced Lattes Are Just Better
- The Low Down On What Coffee To Use
- Ingredients Notes
- How to Make an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Prefer to Watch Instead of Read?
- Our Favorite Iced Coffee Products
- Iced Coffee Pairings to Start the Day
- Pumpkin Spice Latte: Frequently Asked Questions
- Make-Ahead and Storage
- More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
- Recipe
Honestly, I love a good iced coffee in January (aka dead of winter), but it just hits different when it's a somewhat warm summer day, just on the brink of fall. This drink is just like the coffee shop version, but it's made with natural ingredients and REAL pumpkin flavor (just like our pumpkin cream cold brew).
Homemade Iced Lattes Are Just Better
- You know exactly what's in the recipe! Only the simple, whole ingredients YOU put in it. No extra additives or fillers.
- A dairy free option is possible! The pumpkin syrup at Starbucks contains dairy, which means you're pretty much limited in terms of pumpkin coffee if you're dairy free. You can still enjoy this delicious drink by using oat milk or other non-dairy milks.
- Save money and time! Make the pumpkin spice syrup once and you can blend up lattes quickly. No need for an espresso machine!
The Low Down On What Coffee To Use
You really have three options here. Choose your own adventure when it comes to these lattes. It's all about what you have on hand and what's easiest for you.
- Espresso: this is my first choice because we love a good shot of espresso. We have a $20 stovetop espresso maker that does the trick.
- Cold brew: this takes a little longer to make (like 18 hours longer), but it's super simple and worth it in the end. The slow brew pulls all the great coffee flavor from the beans. Here's a great how-to post with all the info you need.
- Strong brewed coffee: this works in a pinch, just brew a very strong pot of coffee and cool it down slightly.
Ingredients Notes
- Pumpkin: make sure you grab real pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). This is usually in the baking aisle. Or you could use homemade pumpkin puree if you have that on hand.
- Sweetener: you have a few options in terms of sweeteners for this recipe. We used maple syrup, but granulated sugar or monk fruit sweetener are great options too.
- Vanilla extract: this adds more sweet flavor.
- Pumpkin pie spice: you can purchase this pre-made in the spice section and it has so much fall flavor for this time of year. Check out the notes section in the recipe card below for a homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe.
- Coffee or espresso: we purchased a cheap stovetop espresso maker for $20 that works well. You could also use cold brew coffee or make really strong brewed coffee in a traditional coffee maker or a french press (more on this above).
- Milk: the milk options are endless for lattes. Use oat milk, coconut milk or another non-dairy milk to keep this iced pumpkin spice latte recipe dairy-free. Oat milk is our go-to here because it's endlessly creamy. Oatly is a staple, but bonus points for making your own oat milk. Also options, regular milk or skim milk.
- Whipped cream: the Starbucks version usually has a dollop of whip, but you can omit this if you aren't feeling it.
How to Make an Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Make the pumpkin spice sauce: this is essentially a simple syrup made with pumpkin and a pumpkin pie spice blend. Cook it all down over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes until it thickens into a sliky sauce. It may seem thick at first because we're using REAL pumpkin, but I promise it's the perfect consistency and has a really deep pumpkin spice flavor.
- Choose your milk: we love to use oat milk for a rich flavor, but any dairy-free or regular milk are great options. Add the syrup to the milk in a tall glass.
- Blend: Use a handheld frother to blend it up until it's nice and frothy. This isn't totally necessary, but highly recommended. I also highly recommend taking a sip of milk at this stage in the recipe, it's like PSL milk and it's GOOD.
- Prep the glass: grab a tall glass and add as much ice as you'd like. We used these nugget ice cube trays for tiny ice.
- Add the coffee: pour your desired coffee on top of the pumpkin spice milk. It will likely float on the top!
- Stir the iced pumpkin spice latte: pour the prepared milk in a glass over lots of ice then top it with a shot of espresso (or two). Stir it well and enjoy right away!
Prefer to Watch Instead of Read?
Our Favorite Iced Coffee Products
Make yourself a little at-home barista setup with some of our favorite tools and products. Here's a fun list to get you started so you can make more coffee shop favorites in your kitchen. (This section contains affiliate links).
- Espresso maker on the cheap. Or a full blown espresso machine and milk frother combo for a fancier set up.
- A large mason jar with a lid and some cheese cloth (if you're making cold brew).
- The cutest little nugget ice molds for next level iced coffee. Or you guessed it, a full blown nugget ice maker for a fancy set up (again).
- Iced coffee tumblers with glass straws.
- Handheld milk frother or a larger milk frother for hot or cold foam.
Iced Coffee Pairings to Start the Day
Never can have too many cups going at once, so might as well add a mango spinach smoothie, chocolate cherry smoothie or avocado smoothie to the other hand.
Serve up your PSLs to the fam with our overnight waffle casserole and thank me later.
You can never go wrong with almond flour banana bread, healthy banana muffins or banana baked oatmeal.
Would gluten free almond biscotti be too extra? I think not. You are at a coffee shop afterall.
Pumpkin Spice Latte: Frequently Asked Questions
Any latte can be made iced, just by adding your milk to a large glass with a lot of ice. The hot espresso will cool off when it's mixed in with the cold milk and the ice.
In my opinion, an iced PSL is like a taste of fall in a glass. It has all of the warm pumpkin pie spices and pumpkin flavor, but you can still enjoy it on a hot day when the weather is still turning. This homemade pumpkin latte is sweet, but not too sweet like a lot of the coffee shops tend to make them.
A tall iced pumpkin spice latte has 75mg of caffeine while a grande has about 150mg. There's about 64mg of caffeine in a shot of espresso, so you can customized this homemade version to include as much caffeine as you'd like. I recommend one or two shots for this recipe.
Don't let me stop you! Froth up some hot steaming milk with the pumpkin spice syrup and pour your espresso right in. It's dang good both ways.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-ahead: make a batch (or a double batch) of the pumpkin spice syrup and store it in the fridge for up to a week. All you have to do is blend the milk and make your espresso when you're ready to whip up a latte.
Storage: store any leftover latte in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend removing any icee from the latte before placing it in the fridge so it doesn't melt and water it down. You could also blend the pumpkin spice syrup and milk together and store that separately before mixing in with the coffee.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
Recipe
Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, maple syrup or monk fruit sweetener
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see nots for making your own
Iced Pumpkin Latte (16 ounces)
- 1 cup ice
- 1-2 shots of espresso (or 1/2 cup very strong brewed coffee)
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup (recipe above)
- 1 cup milk (oat milk, whole milk, 2%, coconut, almond milk etc.)
Recommended Equipment
- Coffee maker or espresso maker
- Handheld Frother optional
Instructions
Homemade pumpkin spice syrup
- Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes, stirring ever 2-3 minutes so it doesn’t burn.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and allow to cool slightly. You can store it in the fridge to speed up cooling and or seal the lid and save for up to 2 weeks.
Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Add the milk to a tall glass or measuring cup then pour in 3 tablespoons of the pumpkin spice syrup. Use a hand frother to blend it together until frothy (a spoon works too, it just won’t be frothy).
- Add ice cubes to a tall drinking glass then pour the pumpkin spice milk mixture on top. Finish by pouring the espresso (or coffee) on top then stir to combine. Top with whipped cream, if desired, and sprinkle with a little more pumpkin pie spice.
Ricki Miles says
This is one of the best drinks I’ve ever had!!!
Molly Thompson says
Soo glad you think so!! We are obsessed!