Make your own pumpkin spice latte at home with this easy homemade pumpkin spice sauce that’s ready in 7 minutes!
Recipe Highlights
- Pumpkin spice sauce is the star ingredient in a Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s what flavors and sweetens the drink.
- This sauce is super easy to make in less than 10 minutes by just combining and heating pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, traditional pumpkin pie spices, water, and vanilla extract.
- Pumpkin spice sauce is different from pumpkin spice syrup in that it’s thicker and contains dairy.
- This recipe makes a cup of homemade pumpkin spice sauce. Make a batch and use it all week to make pumpkin spice drinks.
RELATED: Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Copycat
Ingredient Notes
- Sweetened condensed milk
This is the base of the sauce which will make it rich, creamy, and sweet. - Pumpkin puree
Pumpkin puree is thickens the sauce and flavors it. - Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg
Pumpkin spice is made from combining these spices. You can also get pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie spice that’s sold blended. - Vanilla extract
Go for a more expensive brand if you can since a lower-priced options can have a chemical taste. - Water
Use filtered water if possible, to make a better tasting sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Put pumpkin purée, water, and spices in a saucepan and simmer. Stir in sweetened condensed milk.
- Turn off the heat and add vanilla extract.
Let sauce cool. - Pour sauce into an airtight container.
Pumpkin Spice Sauce Uses
Use pumpkin spice sauce to make the following drinks and toppings:
- Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Copycat
The famous drink that kicks off fall at Starbucks. - Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte Copycat
The same PSL flavors, but iced. - Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Copycat
Made using Frappuccino base syrup, use the pumpkin spice sauce to give it the flavors of fall. - Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Copycat
This drink has the pumpkin spice flavor in the cold foam. - Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam
It’s easy to make cafe-quality cold foam at home with a French press. - Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte
There’s no coffee in this latte, just tea! - Pumpkin Spice Steamer
Add pumpkin spice sauce to steamed milk for a caffeine-free drink.
Expert Tips
- Always add vanilla extract to your saucepan after you’ve taken it off the heat. Vanilla extract loses a lot of its flavor when cooked.
- This recipe makes 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of pumpkin spice sauce. It can flavor and sweeten 8 grande-sized beverages if you use 2 tablespoons of sauce per drink, like Starbucks does.
- Since the sauce is thicker than a syrup, store it in a wide-mouth jar that can comfortably hold 1 cup.
- This sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Questions You May Have
How many pumps of sauce does Starbucks use in a grande drink?
In a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte, Starbucks adds 4 pumps of pumpkin spice sauce, which is 2 tablespoons.
Does this sauce have pumpkin in it?
Yes, just like Starbucks’ own pumpkin spice sauce, this recipe uses pumpkin puree for a natural pumpkin flavor.
Can I make pumpkin spice sauce without sweetened condensed milk?
Once you take the sweetened condensed milk out of the recipe, it’s just a syrup, no longer a sauce.
Related
- Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Starbucks Classic Syrup Copycat
- 15 Simple Syrups Recipes
- Simple Homemade Brown Sugar Syrup
- 13 Starbucks Pumpkin Drinks (Including Secret Menu)
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Pumpkin Spice Sauce
Make your own Pumpkin Spice Lattes at home with this easy pumpkin spice sauce.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup water
- ⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put pumpkin puree, water, and spices into a saucepan and simmer.Heat it on low-medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Do not boil.
- Stir in sweetened condensed milk and continue simmering.Once the puree mixture simmers, add the condensed milk to the saucepan and stir well. Simmer for another minute until condensed milk fully blends into mixture.
- Turn off the heat and add vanilla extract. Make sure to add vanilla after heat is off. Let sauce cool.
- Pour sauce into an airtight container.Store sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- Always add vanilla extract to your saucepan after you’ve taken it off the heat. Vanilla extract loses a lot of its flavor when cooked.
- This recipe makes 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of pumpkin spice sauce. It can flavor and sweeten 8 grande-sized beverages if you use 2 tablespoons of sauce per drink, like Starbucks does.
- Since the sauce is thicker than a syrup, store it in a wide-mouth jar that can comfortably hold 1 cup.
- Pumpkin spice is made from a blend of spices. You can also get pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie spice that’s sold pre-blended instead of getting individual spices.
- Go for a more expensive vanilla extract if you can since a lower-priced options can have a chemical taste.
- This sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
NUTRITION
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 88 | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg
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