Latte recipe: a double shot of 18 g of coffee to about 36 g of espresso, plus roughly 8 oz of steamed milk for a 12 oz cup. Add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup to the espresso before the milk.
Why make it at home
Starbucks first tested its pumpkin spice latte in 2003, and the drink has been the unofficial start of fall ever since. Making it yourself has two real advantages. You control the sweetness, and you can use actual pumpkin instead of a flavored sauce. In New Jersey, October is pumpkin season anyway, and a can of plain pumpkin puree from the grocery store works perfectly here.
The whole drink is three parts: a spiced pumpkin syrup, strong coffee, and hot frothed milk. The syrup does most of the work, so that is where to start.
Homemade pumpkin spice syrup
This makes about 1 and 1/2 cups, enough for 10 to 12 lattes.
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 1 cup (240 g) | Filtered if your tap water tastes of chlorine |
| Sugar | 1 cup (200 g) | Try 3/4 cup white plus 1/4 cup packed brown for a deeper, caramel note |
| Pumpkin puree | 1/2 cup (120 g) | Plain puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 teaspoon | The backbone of the flavor |
| Ground ginger | 1/2 teaspoon | Adds warmth |
| Ground nutmeg | 1/4 teaspoon | Freshly grated is noticeably better |
| Ground cloves | 1/8 teaspoon | Strong, so do not round up |
| Salt | 1 small pinch | Makes the spice taste brighter |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | Stir in off the heat |
If you only have pumpkin pie spice, use 2 teaspoons of it in place of the four separate spices.
- Dissolve the sugar. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until clear.
- Add the pumpkin, spices and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep it at a lazy bubble, stirring now and then, until it coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil hard or the pumpkin will scorch on the bottom.
- Take it off the heat and add the vanilla.
- Strain. Pour it through a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth. This step takes a few minutes but it matters: unstrained pumpkin fibers feel gritty in a latte and settle in the bottom of the cup.
- Cool and refrigerate in a clean, sealed jar.
How long does it keep? Because it contains real pumpkin, treat this syrup like a fresh food, not a shelf syrup. Keep it in the fridge and use it within about a week. Shake the jar before each use, since a little settling is normal.
The latte, with an espresso machine
For a 12 oz cup:
- Add 2 tablespoons (1 oz) of syrup to your mug. Start with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons if you like a less sweet drink. You can always add more.
- Pull a double shot straight onto the syrup: about 18 g of finely ground coffee to 36 g of espresso, in 25 to 32 seconds. Stir so the syrup dissolves into the hot espresso.
- Steam about 8 oz of milk to around 140 to 150°F, where the pitcher is hot but you can still hold it. Hotter than that and the milk starts to taste flat and cooked.
- Pour the milk in, holding back the foam with a spoon, then spoon a thin cap of foam on top.
- Finish with a light dusting of cinnamon. Whipped cream is optional and entirely your call.
Whole milk gives the creamiest result. Oat milk made for baristas steams well and its natural sweetness suits the spice. Almond milk works but is thinner, so you may want an extra half tablespoon of syrup.
No espresso machine? Here is how
You need about 4 oz of coffee that is roughly twice as strong as your usual cup. Any of these will get you there:
- Moka pot. The closest home stand-in for espresso. Brew as usual and use 2 to 3 oz.
- AeroPress. Use 18 g of fine ground coffee and about 100 g of water just off the boil, steep 1 minute, then press.
- French press or drip machine, brewed strong. Use a 1:8 ratio, which is double the usual strength: for 4 oz of coffee, about 15 g of coffee to 120 g of water. A medium roast holds up best when you brew it this concentrated.
Then froth the milk without a steam wand:
- Jar method. Fill a microwave safe jar no more than a third full with milk, screw on the lid and shake hard for 30 to 60 seconds until it doubles in volume. Take the lid off and microwave for about 30 seconds. The foam rises and sets.
- French press method. Warm the milk on the stove or in the microwave, pour it into a clean French press, and pump the plunger quickly 15 to 20 times.
- Handheld frother. Inexpensive, and works well on warmed milk in a tall mug.
Stir the syrup into the hot coffee first, then add the milk. The method is the same; only the coffee source changes.
Variations worth trying
- Iced pumpkin spice latte. Stir the syrup into hot espresso first so it blends, then pour over a full glass of ice and add 6 oz of cold milk. Cold milk alone will not mix with thick syrup.
- Pumpkin cold foam. Froth 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of syrup with a handheld frother until thick, then spoon it over iced coffee.
- Less sweet. Cut the sugar in the syrup to 3/4 cup. It will be a little thinner and keep a little less well, so make a smaller batch.
- Spicier. Double the ginger and add a few grinds of black pepper to the simmer.
Made this? Tag @monmouthcoffeeroasters with #MonmouthMade to get featured.