Elsie and I have an inside joke about what we call the “pumpkin spice latte effect.” It’s our theory that right around the beginning of September, everybody gets a little bit nicer/more considerate/happy. Us included.
We are for SURE affected by the PSL effect. So, of course, making your own pumpkin spice syrup at home is a great way to take advantage of this good vibes effect.
Related: Check out our drinks archive for more recipes.
I love to try coffee from just about anywhere, but I’m not above getting excited about PSL day at Starbucks! And, I think on a “deeper” level, somehow PSL day reminds us all that fall is in full swing.
Here in southern Missouri, that means cooler weather, hay rides, hot chocolate, apple picking, pumpkin carving, hot cider, layered clothing, and (most importantly) the holidays are on their way.
I LOVE how this pumpkin spice syrup recipe turned out. I may have to make this a new tradition every year and create my own pumpkin spice latte effect. 🙂 Here’s my recipe, but feel free to adjust the spices to your own liking.
PSL Homemade PSL Syrup
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 4-5 cinnamon sticks (I used half cinnamon and half cinnamon sticks)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I go easy on the cloves, because I think they are such a strong flavor)
4 heaping tablespoons of pumpkin puree
In a pot, combine all the ingredients. Stir together over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking over low/medium heat for an additional 5-6 minutes (do not allow to boil).
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and store in an airtight container. You can keep the unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Be sure to give the syrup a good shake before reusing.
I have a little home espresso maker that I got for Christmas last year, so I use that to make homemade lattes or Americanos. As you can see by my (lack of) latte art, I am no barista. But, the syrup is really what makes this drink!
If you don’t have a home espresso maker, just brew some (really) strong coffee and heat some milk in a pot over medium/high heat. Once it’s hot, use a whisk to incorporate air, creating foam.
Combine the coffee, syrup and hot milk. It’s not exactly a latte, but it’s pretty good. 🙂 Enjoy! xo. Emma
P.S. Love this post? Learn How to Make Cold Brew Coffee and Boba Tea at home.
L
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Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed )
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or 4-5 cinnamon sticks (I used half cinnamon and half cinnamon sticks)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger (ground)
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves (I go easy on the cloves, because I think they are such a strong flavor)
- 4 heaping tablespoons pumpkin puree (be sure to use puree, not pumpkin pie filling)
Instructions
- In a pot, combine all the ingredients. Stir together over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking over low/medium heat for an additional 5-6 minutes (do not allow to boil).
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and store in an airtight container. You can keep unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Be sure to give the syrup a good shake before reusing.
Would be useful to indicate how much syrup per cup when making a latte 🤔?
LOVE this recipe! Just made it and it was so easy and made the house smell great too! Can’t recommend enough!
The doubling and tripling of the recipe buttons are genius. Thank you!
I just made it(I may or may not have added more pumpkin puree..Shh!) and was impatient to try it until tomorrow(it is way too late for coffee) and really wanted something cold, so I made myself a pumpkin spice “creme frappe” YUM!
2-3TB PSL syrup + 1C milk + ice + blender
can’t wait to add espresso to this for breakfast! Thank you<3
I love PSL!Absolutely going to try this.
Do you keep it refrigerated?
Im wondering how long it will last?
I want to make it for my friends for Christmas!
I do, but I’m not sure if it’s totally necessary. Since it has a fairly high sugar content it would probably be shelf stable (especially refrigerated) for a long time. I’m not a food scientist, but I would keep this just as long as I would any simple syrup.
Me too! It’s so pathetic but I even remember the first one I had … 10 years ago … I’m kinda embarrassed to even admit that actually. 😉
This is genius. I recently discovered I have non-Celiacs gluten intolerance and even though the PSL doesn’t inherently have gluten, Starbucks can’t guarantee there won’t be cross-contamination during prep. I’m super sensitive even to trace cross-contamination so I LOVE that I can now make a yummy PSL safely at home thanks to this recipe. 🙂
Hi Elsie,
How long do you think this would last in the fridge?
I made a batch of syrup last week and loved it! Ran out of it this morning, so had to buy the original PSL at Starbucks……and I like your version better! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Holy moly! You girls have just made my year!! We still don’t have PSLs in the UK until mid October so I’m super excited about this!! I recently got back from my honeymoon in San Diego & Palm Springs and just had to get a large PSL at the airport haha!
Thank you for sharing!! 😀
http://luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
Very excited to try this in my coffee. Just finished separating the solids from the syrup. I had a lot of solids left since I went overboard with the pumpkin so I think I’ll refrigerate it and try it on biscuits like pumpkin butter. A quick taste test tells me it is delicious.
We had a make your own ice cream sundae get-together at the end of the summer that was a lot of fun so, I wanted to come up with a “fall” ice cream sundae for the new season. With all the talk of PSL’s going around I thought a pumpkin spice latte ice cream sundae would be perfect. I used your syrup recipe to drizzle over the ice cream and it was delicious. I think it would be amazing on pancakes too! Thanks
http://diypaperjoy.com/food-drinks/pumpkin-spice-latte-ice-cream-sundae/
I made milkshakes with this last night at our church’s Snack Shack. This syrup mixed with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream makes an AMAZING milkshake!!!
This is so good!! I’m living in Japan right now and their pumpkins are a bit sweeter so I cut down the sugar. I love this! It is nice to have a taste of home.
I wanted to post this here because I had been curious about the ratios of this recipe as well! I finally just did some research, and found this; here is a very similar recipe, but the author discloses the amount used to make a latte [about 2 tablespoons of syrup & 5-6 oz of steamed milk] http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/10/03/diy-pumpkin-spice-syrup-for-pumpkin-spice-lattes/ ..
Another recipe I found suggests using PSL syrup with half&half to make your own pumpkin spice creamer for regular coffee [use one part syrup to one part half&half]. Hope this was helpful!
Haha you are so right. There is something about the start of Fall that makes people nicer. It’s the start of a new season and people haven’t started to holiday stress quite yet.
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
XO
-Samantha
TOTALLY TRYING THIS! You’re awesome, Emma.
YUM! I need to invest in an espresso machine. The Caribou Coffee near my office that recently closed told me their pumpkin chai was made with pumpkin puree… they must have stolen your idea!
I just made this and OH MY GOD. It’s amazing. So easy, so tasty. THANK YOU!