It’s that magical time of year once again, my Plante Lifers!

Yep, Pumpkin Spice Latte season at Starbucks.

The good ole’ PSL has a somewhat mystical quality surrounding it. Coffee lovers go nuts for it, but I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan. (like you’d expect anything else!)

Now, I love me some pumpkin + espresso combo, but this infamous concoction is way way too sugary (50 grams of sugar in one cup!!), syrupy, dairy-laden and artificially flavored for my taste. And for the less than 2% of real pumpkin in this drink, I know we can do better!

So, with that in mind, I want to share my version of this magical, seasonal beverage – My Perfectly Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s a lighter alternative that’s naturally sweetened, dairy-free, and less pricey than buying the coffee house version. Plus, it’s damn delicious!

 

My Perfectly Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte
(Makes 1 latte – double or triple recipe to make more!)

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup unsweetened almond, cashew or coconut milk (check out a homemade cashew mylk recipe HERE!)
1-2 shots of hot brewed espresso (or 3/4 cup of hot extra strong brewed coffee)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS organic pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 TBS organic maple syrup—do this to taste, you can always add more later (you can also try vanilla stevia, raw honey or molasses as well!)

DIRECTIONS

1) Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, creamy and frothy.

2) If the temperature is not warm enough, pour ingredients into small saucepan and heat until the desired temperature is reached.

3) Serve warm with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top—and in you want to get a ‘lil fancy, try some homemade whipped coconut cream! See recipe below.

NOTES:

Keep in mind that if you let your latte sit, you’ll have to stir again as the pumpkin puree will settle a bit at the bottom of your mug. It’s totally normal.

You can also use 1 teaspoon of pre-made no-sugar pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg mixture above.

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Whipped Coconut Cream

This is a super easy, dairy-free alternative to the artificially sweetened, chemical laden whipped cream cans in the grocery store. Enough said! 🙂

INGREDIENTS

1 can of organic full-fat coconut milk without guar gum in the ingredients
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS organic maple syrup, or a few drops of vanilla stevia
Hand or stand mixer, you can also put a lil muscle into it and whisk the hell out of it.

DIRECTIONS

1) Chill a can of full-fat organic coconut milk in the fridge overnight. I actually keep a few cans in the fridge at all times because I usually forget to do this the night before I want to make the yummy stuff. Make sure the coconut milk does not have guar gum listed in the ingredients!! This will keep the coconut milk from separating, and you actually want the coconut milk to separate, so say no-no to the guar gum.

2) Take the chilled can of coconut milk out of the fridge and turn the can upside down, then open the can. The cream and water will have separated, so pour the water into a mason jar to keep for smoothies in the morning.

3) Then, scoop out the coconut cream that has formed at the bottom of the can (which is actually the top ;)) into a mixing bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form.

4) Once the coconut cream has thickened, add vanilla extract and a bit of sweetener (I like maple syrup or vanilla stevia) and beat on high speed again.

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Let me know your thoughts when you’ve tried this! How does it compare to the Starbucks version? Let me know in the comments below.

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LOVE + perfect pumpkin spice,