Oat Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte

This oat milk pumpkin spice latte is the perfect way to usher in cozy fall vibes, no matter if you sip on it hot or cold.

Ingredients

Espresso

I like using a dark roast for this latte since it’s so sweet and creamy (balance is key!!). My current local favorite coffee blends are Queerwave’s dark roast and Red Bay’s East Fourteenth, but anything goes!

Spices

This recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger to give the drink a hint of spice.

Pumpkin

This is not the time to forage for a beautiful pumpkin, roast it lovingly, and mash the insides. It really doesn’t make enough of a difference when it’s so much easier and faster to use canned pumpkin instead.

Also, make sure that you’re using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, since the latter is already flavored and seasoned (although I suppose you could mix that with espresso and milk, and call it a day).

You’ll definitely have leftover pumpkin after making this recipe, you can freeze it and deal with it another day. Or if you’re trying to not give into your procrastination tendencies, you could use some of that leftover pumpkin in an apple, pumpkin and almond galette, or perhaps in some baked oatmeal with pumpkin and cranberry.

Oat Milk

Quick reminder that not all oat milks are made equally. Trader Joe’s version is super watery, and I had to mix it with some half and half to give it more body.

While I haven’t tried an exhaustive list of oat milks, so far the Califa Farms Barista Blend is my preferred option due to how creamy it is (eeeep we’re going to ignore the fact that its creaminess comes from the oil they blend in).

How to Make

First, pull a shot of espresso (or fake it with a moka pot; don’t worry, no one can call you out on your espresso making decisions in the comfort of your own home).

Mix the sugar and salt into the hot espresso, making sure it dissolves.

Then, stir in the pumpkin, as well as all of the spices.

It might seem really thick at this point from the pumpkin, but once you incorporate the milk, it’ll be okay.

Add ice to a serving glass, then pour in the latte, and serve!

Make Ahead

You can make this ahead of time by up to a week, and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve.

A few notes:

- Don’t add ice before you chill it; you should add the ice right before serving so the drink isn’t excessively watery later on.

- It may separate a bit, and that’s fine. Stir or shake, and the latte will come back together.

Variations

Milk

This recipe is obviously written to use oat milk. That being said, you can definitely substitute oat milk for another kind of milk (dairy or not) instead.

Soy milk or whole milk would be my personal picks, should you need a jumping off point.

Spices

The spices used here (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ground ginger) were picked based off of accessibility and personal preference, so you can definitely mix and match if you’d like!

I used ground spices here, though you can make do with whole spices instead. You can either let the whole spices steep in the milk (I’d crush them roughly with the side of a knife or with a rolling pin) until it’s spiced to your desired strength, or you can grind/grate them yourself.

Sweetener

This drink has very autumnal, cozy vibes, so the kind of sweetener you can use is a lot more flexible than something that’s supposed to be really refreshing.

Granulated white sugar is fine of course; this or agave are probably the mildest options, and the majority of the focus will be on the espresso, pumpkin and spices.

If you use something a little more commanding, like maple syrup or brown sugar, some of those flavors will infuse into the drink. Delicious of course, just something to note.

And if you want a bit more decadent creaminess, then a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk doesn’t hurt either.

Hot or Cold

This drink is equally delicious cold or hot.

I do think this latte is a bit strong as is, so I like icing it down to dilute and thin it a bit. If you’re planning on having it hot, then I recommend adding more milk or water than the recipe calls for.

Also make sure to heat up the milk before adding it to the espresso.

Frothing isn’t strictly necessary, but it does feel special (maybe that’s my childhood memories of getting steamed milk at coffee shops coming to the surface). And, it gives your beverage a nice little cloud for a dusting of cinnamon to rest on.