The Best Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee : Two Different Ways

When the leaves start to change color in the fall, the pumpkin spice comes out. Some people pay big bucks for pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin spice coffees but you don’t have to be one of them. You can get that same flavor at home for a lot less. In this article, I’ll show you how to make your own pumpkin spice coffee and pumpkin spice latte.

What is Pumpkin Spice?

The first thing to note is pumpkin spice often does not contain pumpkin. Sounds weird, right? Instead, pumpkin spice is a blend of spices commonly used in pumpkin pie. This blend includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. You can also leave out the allspice if you want. That’s because allspice tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, all of which are already present in the blend.

Making the Pumpkin Spice blend

Before we can talk methods of making pumpkin spice coffee, we need the pumpkin spice. There are lots of ways to get pumpkin spice. You can buy flavored syrups or creamers, but they will usually have loads of sugar in them as well. You can buy pumpkin spice in the spice aisle pre-made. Or you can just make your own. 

In a small, dry container, combine the following:

• 6 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/3 Tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/3 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp ground cloves

Mix well. Cover and store in your spice cabinet. This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of pumpkin spice blend.

Now that we have the spice blend, let’s look at how to add it to your coffee.

Method 1 – Flavor the Grounds before brewing

To make a whole pot of pumpkin spice coffee, sprinkle ½ to 1 tsp of the pumpkin spice blend over the coffee grounds before brewing. For a single cup of coffee, use ¼ tsp of spice blend. Adjust to taste.

Method 2 – Make a Latte 

If you want a homemade pumpkin spice latte, heat up one cup milk in the microwave or a saucepan. Add ¼ tsp pumpkin spice. You can also add 1 Tbsp sugar if you want to sweeten your latte. Whip the milk vigorously for 30 seconds to get it foamy. Add milk to ¼ cup of strong coffee or espresso. Garnish with foam or whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice. 

That’s all there is to it, folks. Curl up on the couch with a sweater and a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy the brisk fall weather.