Oh how I love Autumn, it’s possibly my favourite time of year. There’s something about all the changes around this time of year that really warm my heart. The beautiful colours of orange and red shimmering in the golden sunshine against clear blue skies, the faint smell of burning wood in the air, putting on a warm cosy cardigan and of course, indulging in one of my favourite drinks of all time; the infamous pumpkin latte.
All year long I wait for our local stores to start selling pumpkins like a child waiting for Christmas. Then I use them in a ton of recipes; pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, stir-fried rice with pumpkin, quinoa with pumpkin, stuffed pumpkin, pumpkin hummus, pumpkin pancakes… I go a little pumpkin mad for a while at this time of year, admittedly.
But back to the latte; I make my own very nutritious and very delicious Pumpkin Latte with real, organic pureed pumpkin and fresh, warming spices. And I don’t add 15 teaspoons of sugar unlike some other well-known pumpkin lattes released in our favourite coffee shops around this time of year. As much as I may love them, no one needs that amount of sugar. Ever.
Firstly, I steam the pumpkin because it’s quicker and it retains moisture. I cut it into large pieces then scrape the pumpkin out of the skin and puree it with a hand blender.
I have an espresso machine with a steamer which is perfect for this, but you don’t need one; heating the ingredients in a pan and adding coffee at the end works just as well. I use coconut milk as it adds healthy fat but I’ve found almond milk works well too. If this needs extra sweetness, choose maple syrup or honey.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
- *1 heaped tablespoon pureed pumpkin
- *200ml coconut oat or rice milk
- *½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- *¼tsp Nutmeg
- *¼ tsp Allspice
- *Double shot espresso or strong coffee
Instructions
- Steam or heat the milk together with the pumpkin.
- Add coffee, vanilla, spices and honey or syrup. Stir well and enjoy.