Here's how to make a pumpkin spice latte at home so you can avoid waiting at Starbucks
Pumpkin spice season is back, just in time for fall.
Starbucks brought back its Pumpkin Spice Latte earlier than ever on Aug. 22. But long lines and wait times can make it harder to snag the popular seasonal drink or sample the coffee chain's newest fall menu. Luckily, there are a few ways to make the fall treat at home so you can skip the Starbucks line.
Here's how to make both the warm and iced versions of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (as well as the original Starbucks version) at home.
How to make a copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte at home (warm version)
Here's how to create a warm homemade Starbucks PSL, according to Reviewed.
Ingredients:
1-2 shots espresso or 1/4 cup of strong coffee
3/4 cup milk
1-3 Tbsp pumpkin spice syrup (you can make homemade syrup too).
Directions:
Place hot espresso in a mug. Stir in your desired amount of syrup.
Steam and froth the milk using a milk frother. If you don't have one, place warmed milk into a French press and pump the plunger up and down until the milk is thick and frothy.
Pour frothed milk into the mug. Top with whipped cream and garnish with a little extra pumpkin pie spice if desired. Drink immediately!
How to make your own iced pumpkin spice latte at home
Ingredients:
1-2 shots espresso or 1/4 cup of strong coffee
1-3 Tbsp pumpkin spice syrup
Water and ice, as needed
Milk, as needed
Directions:
Place coffee or espresso in a mug and stir in desired amount of syrup. Fill with ice and top off with a little water a few inches below the rim of the glass.
Top off with the desired amount of milk. (Optional: You can make cold foam and garnish with a little pumpkin pie spice).
How to make pumpkin spice latte syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp pumpkin spice
Optional: 1 Tbsp corn syrup
Optional: 2 Tbsp pumpkin purée
Directions:
Boil all the ingredients in a small pot. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
Transfer cooled syrup to a squirt bottle or mason jar and store in the fridge. It should last you a couple of weeks in the fridge, according to Reviewed.
Want to make the official Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks? Here's how.
Not feeling the copycat recipes? Starbucks released its own three-minute recipe for fans to create a Pumpkin Spice Latte at home, which requires using some of the company's brewed coffee that's available for purchase in-store and online.
Ingredients:
1 capsule of Starbucks Espresso Roast or 1 capsule of Starbucks by Nespresso Espresso Roast
1 cup whole milk
3 Tbsp homemade pumpkin spice syrup
1/2 cup whipped cream
1 pinch pumpkin pie spice (garnish)
Tools needed: Frother
Directions:
Heat and froth milk in a Nespresso Aeroccino frother. (Starbucks has a frothing guide).
Brew Starbucks Espresso Roast in an espresso machine or stovetop moka pot, or brew a Starbucks by Nespresso Espresso Roast capsule in a Nespresso machine.
Place homemade pumpkin spice syrup into a mug, followed by hot espresso. Stir together.
Fill mug with heated frothed milk until ¾ full, then top with whipped cream.
Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.
How to make Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup from Starbucks
No pumpkin spice latte is complete without the pumpkin spice syrup. Starbucks also has a five-minute recipe for how to make the syrup at home, which makes enough syrup for 8 beverages.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 Tbsp pumpkin purée
Tools: Cheesecloth and saucepan
Directions:
Place sugar and water into a saucepan, combining the ingredients. Bring to a simmer.
Once sugar is dissolved, add cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin purée, then let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and immediately strain through cheesecloth.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Want to skip the Starbucks line? How to make a pumpkin spice latte at home
