I can’t believe this has happened…I used to make fun of people who ordered a #PSL from Starbucks and here I am…writing a post about how to create your very own Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte at home…ugh.
Who am I?!?
You can’t deny the perfect medley of flavors that is a PSL, though. It’s a super luxurious, indulgent beverage full of delicious fall goodness: warm milk, earthy cinnamon, and velvety soft whipped cream. It’s a warm blanket, fireplace, and scented candle wrapped into one perfect beverage.
While I could go on and on about the seemingly endless list of things that I love about the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, there are also quite a few things that I don’t like about it, specifically the ingredients. And yes, that’s a very good reason to not like the PSL.
What’s in a Name? Or, rather, what’s in a PSL?
Source: https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/psl-and-all-your-fall-favorites-are-back-at-starbucks/.
In 2014, a blogger by the name of “Food Babe” (no, that’s not her birth name) wrote a blog post about the ingredients in Starbucks’ quintessential Fall beverage. Ms. Babe criticized Starbucks’ use of a potentially carcinogenic ingredient in their PSLs.
She also brought the world’s attention to the fact that the Pumpkin Spice Latte actually had NO pumpkin in it!
WTF?! My whole life is a lie!
Even though I know better than to consider anything from Starbucks as healthy, I thought that I was at least getting *some* sort of nutritional advantage, but I’ve been wrong before!
Because of this, I decided to create my own PSL.
The Recipe
This recipe is extremely simple, delicious, and nutritious…everything I look for in a man– err, I mean a latte….
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Every holiday season, my mom would buy this amazing pumpkin butter from Williams Sonoma to make the most perfect pumpkin pie known to humankind.
Sometimes, though, we would eat it straight from the jar before we could even make a pumpkin pie, so we would then have to travel back to Williams Sonoma and buy a few more jars…some were for pie makin’ and the others were for eatin’.
I absolutely loved that pumpkin butter and completely forgot about it until I was developing this recipe. I recreated the deliciousness that is the Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Butter for this super easy PPSL recipe. We’re all busy folks, so I figured that a pre-made syrup would be so much easier to have on hand.
In addition to the PPSL being super simple to create, he Pumpkin Spice Syrup is also incredibly easy to make! It takes roughly 5-10 minutes to create a batch and then that lasts you roughly 16 lattes…how awesome is that?! Plus, this is also the base for my Pumpkin Pie Martini, so you can get a some mileage out of your Pumpkin Spice Syrup.
All Non-Dairy, All the Time
Since I can’t indulge in milky, dairy goodness (unless I want to ruin a pair of pants), my Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte is made with all non-dairy ingredients!
If you’re going to purchase a non-dairy milk, I STRONGLY, STRONGLY, STRONGLY (did I mention strongly?) suggest Califia Farms Better Half. I use it in any recipe that calls for milk and it is hands down my favorite non-dairy milk.
It is impossibly creamy and I actually interrogated the barista the first time I tried it because I thought I was about to have a very shitty experience (I’m sorry…I had to).
Also, for a non-dairy whipped topping, I use the Cocowhip by SoDelicious. Have you ever tried this stuff?! It’s like eating a delicious cloud. Non-dairy products have come SUCH a long way and I honestly think they’re better than their dairy-laden counterparts…not to mention they don’t make me shit my pants…If I could just eat Cocowhip and drink Better Half for the rest of my life, I would be so incredibly happy!
Anywho, I hope you enjoy your festive fall Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte! 🙂
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You already know what a Pumpkin Spice Latte is! Why are you even reading the description?! You’ve got a PPSL to drink!
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Spice Syrup (Makes about 16 servings):
- 1 cup organic coconut or demerara sugar
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ⅓ cup organic pumpkin purée
- 1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. organic ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. organic ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. organic ground ginger
For the PPSL (makes 1 latte):
- 2 tbsp. Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- 1 cup non-dairy milk*
- 2–4 oz. hot coffee (optional)**
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen (optional, not vegan)
- Organic ground cinnamon (optional, for garnish)
- Organic non-dairy whipped cream (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Spice Syrup:
- Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn your heat down to medium.
- Cook your syrup until it’s thick enough to coat a spoon (about 10-15 minutes). Stir occasionally to keep your mixture from burning.
- Remove your syrup from the heat and pour into a heat-proof container. Refrigerate it until needed or use it right away!
For the PPSL:
- Heat your syrup, milk, and optional collagen in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Whisk your mixture until it’s frothy (about 10 seconds) with a hand-held mixer or fork.
- Let it heat up until your perfect temperature of hot (around 1-5 minutes).
- Pour your mixture into a large mug.
- Top it with coffee or go commando if you aren’t doing caffeine. (You can also substitute your coffee with Teecino! Read the notes for more info.)
- Add some dairy-free whipped cream and then sprinkle dinkle with some ground cinnamon.
- Enjoy! 🙂
Notes
* You can also use any unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice. I just love Califia Farms Better Half because it’s impossibly creamy for a non-dairy milk. It’s like melted ice cream!
** If you’re going completely non-caff, you can substitute the coffee for a strong 15-minute brew of Teecino dandelion tea!
Keywords: pumpkin, pumpkin spice, pumpkin spice latte, paleo, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, non-dairy milk, gluten-free, vegan, vegan latte, dairy-free latte, collagen.
Show Me Your #PPSL!
So, do you love your Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte or do you love your Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Let me know in the comments below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @amara_andrew! I look forward to seeing your delicious #PPSL! 🙂
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