Pumpkin Spice Latte. Minus $4.

The holidays are right around the corner! You know what that means… turkey, gravy, cookies, pumpkin pie… you get the picture. Why not give your holiday menu a makeover. Join me and 100 of your closest girlfriends for the 12 Days of Healthy Holiday Recipes. Oh yeah, it’s totally free. My holiday gift to you. Click here and sign up!)

This time of year leads so many of  us to the local coffee shop for our pumpkin spice latte fix. We drop our $4 and savor every sip of that sugary concoction. Partially because each sip costs about $.25.

I agree, pumpkin spice lattes are just lovely. Their warmth. Their sweetness. That perk of energy they give us.

But you can totally make them at home. 

And save some major cash.

And determine what goes into them.

If you so choose, you can make them with non-dairy milk. I actually think they are better that way and I am yet to find a coffee shop that makes lattes with almond or rice milk. I have only seen soy milk and I am not a fan.

Those $4 lattes are made with fake, sugary, pumpkin-flavored syrups, not real pumpkin puree. Fine every once in awhile but not cool if you are hitting them up daily.

I bet the cost per cup of a homemade latte is less than a quarter. Probably even less.

And I actually prefer the taste of my version.

And oh yes, it’s so easy. 

Get ready to blow your mind.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte 

You can use coffee or espresso. If you have an espresso machine, you can get an awesome foam like your local coffee shop. 

~ coffee directions ~

1. Make coffee

2. Make pumpkin milk

- 1 c milk (I use almond milk but use any kind you want)

- 1/4 cup pumpkin pie puree (more if you really love pumpkin) *

3. Mix together the milk and pumpkin pie puree in a saucepan on the stove. You want to mix it together as well as warm it up so it doesn't cool down the coffee too much.

3. Pour 1 c of brewed coffee into a mug and some of the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee

4. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and enjoy.

~ espresso machine directions ~

1. In a mug, put desired amount of pumpkin puree.

2. Make the espresso as directed by your machine.

3. Dump the espresso on top of the pumpkin puree in the mug and stir together.

4. With your espresso machine, froth the milk and pour on top of the espresso and pumpkin mixture.

5. Top with a little cinnamon and enjoy.

* You can totally use plain pumpkin puree. Just add some sweetener and seasonings like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, ginger, etc.

Note: You will have leftover pumpkin and milk. Store in the fridge for a couple of days and use for more lattes. As long as you’re dirtying dishes, I always make a little extra for refills or for later.

Have a fabulous Halloween!