Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Pumpkin Spice Lattes
It’s been almost a month since pumpkin spice lattes made their seasonal debut. Like so many others, I get more than excited when they come out every year. However, getting them frequently can become an expensive and unhealthy habit. You can easily make them at home, though, which at least helps with the expensive part. While it may not be healthy, this version is made with all natural ingredients, which has to make it at least somewhat healthier than the Starbucks version.
As far as taste goes, this is unbelievable. It tastes like fall in a glass. I’ve made the syrup two times now, and I adapted it just a bit the second time by increasing the amount of pumpkin and nutmeg and reducing the amount of cinnamon. I prefer nutmeg over cinnamon, so I changed the recipe to suit my tastes. Feel free to adapt this how you like – with more or less spices. Either way you make it will be delicious, and you may even kick your Starbucks habit.
1½ cups water
1½ cups sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1
Combine water and sugar in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has completely dissolved. Add the cinnamon sticks, then whisk in remaining ingredients. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, but do not let the mixture come to a boil (reduce heat if necessary).
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Strain syrup through cheesecloth into an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.
- 2
To make a pumpkin spice latte, simply add about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of syrup for each shot of espresso. For an iced latte, stir together syrup and espresso before adding desired amount of cold milk. For a hot latte, add about 5 ounces of steamed milk and stir to combine. Taste and adjust syrup accordingly. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.
I’m ashamed to say that I have never had a pumpkin spice latte but this definitely makes me want to try and make one at home! Thank you for posting this 🙂
Fantastic! I have a Starbucks habit that needs curbing….this could help.
you are amazing! I was just thinking this morning that I needed to find a recipe for pumpkin syrup. I've already bought 2 this week…getting expensive
I'm so glad you tried the syrup and loved it! I haven't made any yet this season myself, and I really need to get on that. 😉
This is great! I learned 3 weeks ago that it is not vegan. It has dairy in it. DId you know that? Crazy. I will be making your recipe VERY soon! Thanks.
It’s a latte….lattes by definition have milk in them…
I think she means that the syrup itself has milk in it, so you can’t even substitute soy milk for a vegan drink.
Thanks SO much for sharing this! YUM!
Have always been jealous of the yummy offerings at Starbucks and since we don't have one here, this is the perfect recipe for me to try at home.
Genius!! I always add a little pumpkin pie spice to my coffee each morning, but this looks WAY better!! I love it!!!
You are an absolute genius! I live for pumpkins spice lattes!
This just made my night! Thanks, Grandbig!
This is great 🙂 I've never had a pumkin spiced latte, the next Starbucks is 400 km from my home… and Pumkin Syrup is something I've never heard of. But I'll give it a try, now!
It's been almost a month since pumpkin spice lattes made their seasonal debut.I'm so glad you tried the syrup and loved it
I've seen several recipes for the pumpkin spice syrup, but I never have the ingredients on hand! This sounds like a sensible recipe and looks amazing!!! Trying this asap 🙂 Thanks!
Love the idea and am already thinking of making it into Christmas gifts.
How long do you think it will keep in the fridge? I am guessing it needs refridgeration due to the pumpkin puree, right?
this turned out better than i expected and tastes phenomenal. Thanks! I am wondering tho, if it stores better in the fridge or the shelf. ?
Yum! I'd like to try this with Japanese Kabocha squash- very similar to pumpkin. Thanks for the inspiration!
That is a lot of cinnamon O_o
I would probably do 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, with a whole tablespoon there doesn't seem like much point to putting in any other flavors.
@Anonymous – In my post, I mentioned reducing the amount of cinnamon from the original recipe. You could certainly reduce it more if you like, but I find I can still taste the other spices and wouldn't reduce it to only 1/2 teaspoon. It's an easy recipe to tweak, so you can make it however you prefer. 🙂
@Tokyo – I've seen those on TV. I'd love to hear how it turns out using that in place of the pumpkin!
@Tara – I haven't tried storing it on the shelf, since the original recipe called for it to be stored in the refrigerator. It thickens slightly when chilled, but I find it still mixes in easily with the hot espresso.
@Sarah – I've kept mine up to 2 1/2 weeks. I'm sure it would keep longer, but I go through it so fast that I haven't been able to find out.
@Jeanne – No problem, Grandlittle! I hope you like it! 🙂
@Noelle – I had no idea! I hope this one works out for you if you try it!
@Tracy – Thanks for the fantastic recipe! I can't believe you haven't made any yet. This stuff is seriously addictive. 🙂
Thank you for posting this! I have been on the hunt for a good and easy pumpkin spice syrup recipe. Yay!
Thank you so much for this recipe…I really like Starbucks pumpkin syrup, but until coming across your site, I couldn't find a syrup recipe with pumpkin in it, which is the key. One question: does straining through cheesecloth just remove the gritty spices?
Derek – Yes, straining it helps remove some of the grit. It doesn't get all of it, but it gets enough. And I agree, pumpkin (not artificial pumpkin flavor) is the key!
Okay, I just tried this for the first time, and i've had quite a bit of trouble straining the syrup. I didn't have cheesecloth on hand, so I tried to strain it through a coffee filter. That didn't work, too thick. So then I tried a tea ball we have, and that didn't work. Is cheesecloth a lot "looser" mesh than either of these, or is my syrup too thick?
Derek, the cheesecloth is quite a bit looser. There is also the chance that the syrup may have been too thick. I made mine too thick the first time, and it took forever to strain through the cheesecloth. A gross as this sounds, it had a mucous-like consistency. The syrup will be thick, but it shouldn't be that thick. If you need anymore help, feel free to email me. I hope this helps!
I officially love you for posting this. Now I know what my first kitchen to-do is for today!
I've cooked up a similar recipe, and also got the mucous thickness. Not too pretty, or easy to strain. What did you do differently to not get it? I'm wondering if it's the cinnamon, and if using cinnamon sticks in place of ground cinnamon might eliminate that problem. Any thoughts?
Jeanine, using cinnamon sticks is a great idea, one which I hadn't considered. I noticed mine got too thick if I allowed it to boil. The next time I made it, I watched it very closely and reduced the heat while it was cooking. It was so much easier to strain then because it wasn't nearly as thick as the first time. I hope that helps some!
I made this syrup using cinnamon sticks(can break into pieces..which I didn't) and it worked great…followed directions and let the syrup cool to lukewarm. then strained through coffee filter which I changed a few times. All what was left behind was the pumpkin puree and the gritty spices. No thick syrup..
Susan, thank you so much for letting me know! I tried it last week, and the results were perfect. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect the changes.
I'm scheduling a feature at ucreatefoods.blogspot.com. Keep your eyes open for it! Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe!
OH.MY.GOSH.
I was skeptical. I admit it.
But this? This was amazing. AMAZING. I will now save about a bajillion dollars over the next few months thanks to you.
Mind if I repost and link to you? The world should know!
YUM!
I just made this with brown sugar, and am thoroughly enjoying an iced pumpkin latte! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
THANK YOU!!!!
Starbucks is FAR from our house, so I've been on a manhunt to find a good pumpkin-ish coffee! This is my first recipe of yours to try and I LUUUUUUUUUUUUV it! I'll be stalking your blog from now on. 🙂
Cheers!
Erin
Has anyone tried making a big batch of this? I’d like to make some to give at Thanksgiving to family members; do you think the recipe would need to be altered for a large batch to make, say 6 of these?
The recipe wouldn’t need to be changed any more than altering the ingredient amounts for the number of batches you want to make.
THANK YOU SO MUCH Courtney!
I have never been a huge fan of pumpkin spice lattes but found a small bottle on clearance at William-Sonoma and thought I would try it. What I loved about it was the real pumpkin puree it had in it. The bottle is almost gone and I have not been able to find it anywhere even online. While searching, I found this link through Google. Reading the recipe it sounds identical to the bottle I found at W-S. I can’t wait to try the recipe. Also I love your bottle, now I am searching for that too!
I’m so glad you found it! I too love the real pumpkin in it, and I hope you like the recipe whenever you try it. I found the bottle at World Market, and I’m almost positive they still have them.
YUM!! That sounds so good!
I’m having my first linky party on my blog and the theme is pumpkin. I’d like to invite you to come link up your favorite pumpkin recipe. The link is open until Wednesday at midnight, so please stop by and say hi.
http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.com/2011/07/pumpkin-blog-hop.html
~Cookin’ Cowgirl
I’m wondering if I could add some of this to regular brewed coffee instead of espresso??? I’m sure it’ll be just as delicious, right? 🙂
Betsy
Definitely. You may have to adjust how much you use, but it would be fantastic in coffee.
pretty sure you just made my day. actually, maybe even my month!! i am sipping on a pumpkin spice latte as i type. PURE BLISS!!! thank you!
Delish. I have had it with hot milk and with coffee. Yummy in both. Thanks for sharing.
I made this last night, it is WONDERFUL! I didn’t want to wait until my morning coffee so I drizzled some over vanilla fro yo. Delish. I mixed some in with my coffee and a splash of plain creamer this morning- so good!
This is perfect w/ my tassimo espresso shot and frothed milk…..yummm!!
HOOOOOOOOLY moses this is delish! My wallet and I thank you for experimenting and posting!
Saw this on Pinterest…can’t wait to try it!!
i’d like to know if i can use your site as a link in my blog. i’m putting together a list of the best starbucks ‘fakes’ that you can do yourself. please let me know
Sure, that’s fine. Thanks for asking!
I added 1/4 cup molasses and reduced the nutmeg to 1/2 tsp as I used a tsp of it in another recipe and I found the taste too strong. The syrup is wonderful. I’ve been trying to replicate Coffee Bean’s pumpkin syrup and it’s been a fun journey, although I don’t think I’ve successfully copied it. It’s still tasty! I’m thinking of adding maple syrup next time.
THANK YOU!!!! Made 3 batches Saturday evening and it tastes EXACTLY like Starbucks’! Amazing!
any chance this could be made with Splenda or Truvia?
I love your blog and have posted it on my community food blog on Facebook. Hopefully you’ll come check it out.
C
Thank you so much for posting this! I couldn’t wait and just added it to vanilla soy milk – tastes just like chai – YUM!!
Thanks so much for sharing. I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season, from Starbucks, last week. It was good, but almost vegetal in flavour. I get that it’s “pumpkin spice” but I could clearly taste the pumpkin over the spice. Then there’s the price. Ouch! I’m looking forward to trying this. Has anyone figured out how long it keeps in the fridge?
I found you via pinterest and I am so happy with the syrup! I can resist Starbucks for the rest of the year but the PSL gets me every time. Now I’m going to have pumpkin spice coffee *every* day this fall!
I’m so glad you like it! It’s so hard to resist those PSLs, but this definitely makes it a little easier.
I obsess over Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte. Unfortunatly, I was just diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and a tall PSL has 45 grams of carbs in it. So I would love to make this in a sugar free version too. What do you think? Can it be done without destroying the lovely taste?
I’m going to give this a try with Splenda baking blend tomorrow, which is half sugar, then maybe splenda brown or a liquid substitute and keep tinkering till I find a low-sugar recipe that works.. I’ve tried splenda in jelly before and had trouble with foaming, but i think there’s a tasteless added ingredient out there to stop that. I’ll keep you all posted!
I’m not positive, but it wouldn’t hurt to try it with Splenda. I know it measures the same as sugar, and I’ve heard of people making simple syrup using it. I know there’s another commenter who is going to try it with Splenda baking blend.
I tried this with 1 cup brown sugar splenda and it was super yummy! I also added a tablespoon of honey, as well as 1/8 tsp of cinnamon extract. De.Lish. 🙂
I used half sugar and half NuStevia. But I think that you could use just NuStevia. It would be a substitution of 6 tablespoons for the 1 1/2 cups sugar. Hope this helps. 🙂
Thanks so much for this! How perfect! Save me some money and make my OWN pumpkin spice latte’s! I love it! I linked this up on my blog too.
This is truly a brilliant idea! Can’t wait to try it.
where did u get the jar from? so cute! cant wait to try it as a gift for my aunt, she LOVES these!
I got it at World Market last year, and I think they still carry them.
Thanks so much! I had fun this morning while us Moms tried out our PS syrup at our playdate! Thanks! I am giving you a shout out on our blog. Happy Fall!
One of my readers added a link to this recipe on my site as the possible BEST pumpkin spice latte recipe! It does look delicious! Can’t wait to try.
Well I hope it lives up to your expectations! 🙂 Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Thanks for the Pumpkin spice syrup recipe
I can’t wait to try it as I have a PSL addition.
I’m going to check my cupboards for pumpkin
purée right now and unearth my espresso machine
so I will be ready for tomorrow morning.
this recipe looks delicious! i can’t wait to make it, i just need to buy the ginger. can the recipe be cut in half and still follow the same directions? about how many ounces does the recipe make?
I used a 25 oz bottle and it filled it approximately 1/2 way, so I’m guessing 12 ounces. I found it a tad nutmeg heavy, so i might reduce a bit next time around.. just a personal taste thing.
See, I love nutmeg and actually increased the amount from the original recipe. I’m so glad yours turned out well with the brown sugar Splenda!
I am so excited that I found this recipe and that so many people seem to like it! I do not drink coffee or lattes, but I love ordering a Hot Chocolate with Pumpkin Pie Spice in it from Starbucks. Now, I can have this at home! Thanks so much!
I am so glad I found this site. My hubby’s favorite is starbucks pumpkin spiced latte. I dont drink coffee, but I drink chai tea, so im gonna try and put some in tea to make my own chai. Im gonna make this with agave nectar instead of sugar. I will let you know how it turns out. Agave is low glycemic and since I gave up sugar and use agave to sweeten my iced and hot tea I have lost 7 pounds. I even use it to sweeten my sangria and cocktails. I cant wait to make this..Thanks
Please let me know how the agave turned out, I’d like to make this using the agave nectar. Thanks!!
I made this today and it was really good. But it wasn’t thick at all. What did I do wrong?
It actually shouldn’t be too thick. It should only br a little thicker than a standard simple syrup, so it sounds like you made it just right!
LOVE THIS!!! Super easy to make and SO YUMMY!
A little “after tip” for all of you… dump the big stuff from the cheese cloth back into a pot. Add a few all spice berries and cloves and simmer on low for a super yummy fresh potpourri. Just keep filling the water and you can use for about 3 days!
Made this morning! It’s yummy! Thank you for sharing!
I don’t do well with a lot of sugar, so I think next time I am going to lengthen the time the syrup sits before using. That way I get the same flavor in a lesser amount of syrup. I’m afraid to cook too long for fear of it getting too thick. I used the coffee filter (that came with the coffee pot) to strain and I just wisked the liquid to assist it through. Worked well.
I’m going to try this today. I’ve been drinking way too many soy pumpkin spice lattes as I work at the Bucks. I’m going to try this today. How long do you leave the cinnamon sticks in?
If you don’t have cheesecloth or even just to save extra steps, you can put all the powdered spices in a loose leaf teabag (I get mine at the local Asian grocery store) and it keeps everything tidy, you get all the infusion of the spices, and no straining through a filter or cheesecloth! And very tasty! This will be part of my homemade Christmas gift-giving this year!
I made this today! SOOO good!! everyone in my house loved it! thanks for the recipe 🙂
I’m basically doing this because I’m gluten free. Starbucks won’t confirm anything is gluten free due to cross contamination issues. While I see what they’re worried about, I’d really like to know if the sauce itself is gluten free before it’s opened. Or at least if it’s made with any gluten ingredients.
But I’m going to give this a whirl. Hopefully you made my life a lot easier. 🙂
Found your recipe on Pinterest and made it today. We have recently moved to Italy, and nary a Starbucks in sight. I love their PSL, and this is the closest I’ve had! It’s delicious! Thank you so much!
Just want to add that I also wanted to try this sugar free. I used the recipe as stated and added 2 packets (I think 1 tsp. each) of stevia. It thickened up nicely but was too thick to strain. Maybe I cooked too long. Anyway, I added some to my Tassimo Latte this morning and it was wonderful! Not as sweet as Starbucks, but then I think theirs can be too sweet sometimes. I find that a little Stevia goes a long way and you could always add more. Just saved myself $4+ dollars! Thanks for this recipe. Also, I didn’t find the amount of cinnamon to be too much at all.
I found you through Pinterest, and I can not WAIT to try this! I love pumpkin ANYTHING (muffins, coffee, cookies, toast, mac & cheese). I hate spending so much money on pumpkin stuff though! I can’t wait to try this! I also love the bottle you store it in. Where did you get it?
I don’t like a lot of sugar in my coffee, do you think I could leave the sugar out, or do you think the sugar has to be in it to make it an actual syrup?
I have found you on pinterest…I have made this twice for myself (in 2 weeks) and now am making for gifts. This is sooo good and EASY. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I like your recipe, however I was looking for one to use as a topping on vanilla ice cream using pumpkin. Have any ideas of how to create that? Thanks!
Deb, I’ve swirled pumpkin butter into vanilla ice cream before. I’m not really sure how you would make a pumpkin syrup topping, though. Sorry!
This recipe sounds delicious. How long Many days does the syrup last for in the refrigerator? In other words the shelf life or best before days? Or is it so delicious that it’s consumed so fast that you don’t know? Can maple syrup be substituted for sugar?
Joe, I’ve kept it in the refrigerator for two weeks. I’ve usually used all of it by then, though, so I’m not sure how much longer it would last. I’ve never tried it with maple syrup, but I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it that way!
I have been make something similar for several years sans pumpkin. I put whole spices in a spice bag and boil it with just the water. I use a mulling spice mix. This will give you a spiced “tea.” I then remove the spice bag and add brown sugar until it is all dissolved. I would imagine that you could do something similar for this recipe and avoid straining all together. You would just have a small amount of pumpkin pulp.
Looks great! I have a pumpkin spice latte addiction that usually only quelled when they bring out the gingerbread lattes.
Oops! I missed the part about straining… it was still delicious in my coffee this morning so I’m not sure that part matters… it didn’t seem too chunky, or I guess I didn’t mind! 🙂
Saw this on Pinterest…can’t wait to try it! Brilliant!
YUM!! I am a hero in my house tonight 🙂
Brilliant!
How long does this last in the fridge?
I’ve kept it four weeks with no problems. It may actually keep longer, but I use it so often that it never lasts long enough to find out.
Just delicious, and definitely saves alot of $. For those who want to make this shelf stable you need to grab two
winemaking supplies: potassium metabisulfite and sorbate. Just follow dosing amount on each additive. They will prevent fermentation and preserve it also.
I just made this and couldnt even wait for it to
Cool before I had to have it in my coffee and it was amazing!
Save the muck thats leftover after straining the syrup and spread on toast. Tastes just like pumpkin apple butter! What a terrific and easy recipe!
Hi, how about substitute stevia for regular sugar? Any thoughts?
How much does this yield? I want to go buy a proper container tonight and try it out. TYIA!
Susan, I filled a pint jar plus a small bottle when I made it recently. I didn’t think to measure, but I definitely will next time.
I just made this with generic Splenda and it turned out great!
Yum, making this and it smells so good! I put the spices in a filter bag so I wouldn’t have to strain it and it is very smooth looking. This would be good on a lot of things, not just in lattes!
[…] cake, it was pumpkin spice syrup. I tried the recipe specifically (with a few minor tweaks) from Cook Like a Champion, which is an awesome site. I’ve seen some people post it as a latte syrup, or for pancake, or […]
I followed this recipe exactly and it came out as a slightly thicker than normal simple syrup, I was able to strain about half of it in a cone-style coffee filter before all the granules and spices got too thick. I strained the rest in a super fine Asian-style mesh strainer and it did the trick. I like that some of the spices went through the mesh to give the syrup a pretty speckled look. It smells amazing and a sneak w/ my pinky in the syrup is sooo sweet and delicious. I can’t wait for my coffee tomorrow!
WOW – THANK YOU!!! I love the smell & taste of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, but something in the syrup makes me literally ill. I have been hoping for years to find some natural substitute. I can’t wait to try it!!!
Awwwwwwesommmmmeeee! I just discovered pumpkin spice lattes, but oi, the price is so steep at Starbucks! So I decided to check pinterest, and I found your recipe! Made it a few minutes ago and having a cuppa – it is soooo good! Thanks for sharing!
I made this tonight — but instead of sugar I used 3-4c raw honey and added an extra tablespoon of pumpkin to help keep it semi-paleo. Delicious! Definitely passing it along!
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your adaptation! 🙂
Can this be canned (and kept un-refridgerated until opened) to give as gifts?
I haven’t tried it myself, but that sounds like a good idea. I have no idea it would need to be processed for, but if you’re up for trying it out I say go for it!
Hello! I’m making every pumpkin recipe I can think of right now and just made a batch of Spiced Pumpkin Spread. I looked into canning it and found out that canning pumpkin is not safe and thought you might find this link helpful. 🙂
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/pumpkin_butter.html
That does help. Thanks so much! 🙂
This is an annual thing for me to make now this time of year! I have two modifications- I use cinnamon extract now (just cheaper and easy!), and also put all my spices into a tea filter so I don’t have near as many issues with straining it now. 🙂 Thanks so much for this fabulous recipe!
Love those ideas! Thanks so much for sharing!
I tie everything into a coffee filter…no mess no strain.
Love anything pumpkin…
That is so clever! Thanks for sharing!
I was wondering if this would be good in hot cocoa? I’m not a coffee drinker, but I LOVE pumpkin!!!
I think so. I love pumpkin and chocolate together, so that sounds like a fabulous combination to me!
This has been living in my fridge (fresh batches prepared when necessary) since September 🙂 Love it!
Awesome! I get addicted to it every year and wonder why I reserve it for fall when I could have it year round. Though I guess it wouldn’t feel as seasonal drinking it in July. 😉