I’ll be the first to admit that I love pumpkin spice season.
I know, I’m basic. It happens.
But the problem with the season is that a lot of the fun pumpkin spice food options are loaddded with sugar, including my former favorite pumpkin spice latte.
A small (tall) Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte clocks in at 310 calories and a whopping 38g of sugar, which is a roughly 9.5 teaspoons of sugar:
That’s more sugar than anyone should have in a day, let alone one drink.
As you can imagine, this won’t do anything for your blood sugar or your health.
But I’m not here to crush dreams and say you shouldn’t have fun.
I’m here to show you how to have fun without ruining your health or your blood sugar.
And that’s exactly what this homemade pumpkin spice latte does for you. It’s my new fave!
How I Make My Pumpkin Spice Latte Lower in Sugar and Calories
First, I personally start with pumpkin spice tea instead of coffee for the base.
I love coffee but I’m not a fan of how it makes me feel. You may not realize it but several hours after you get your energy from coffee, you’re likely to also experience jitters and anxiousness that may not seem related. Well, it is.
For me, a better option is to use tea with a little bit of caffeine in there.
Because the caffeine in tea is paired with an amino acid known as l-theanine, it has a calming and relaxing effect and it helps counteract the caffeine hit.
So, instead, you get a relaxing energy boost that helps you stay calm and alert throughout the day.
I found two pumpkin spice teas that I’m loving right now:
One has caffeine (the one on the right) and the other doesn’t (the one on the left). The one on the left is helpful for winding down later in the day and it’s perfect for having a late-afternoon pumpkin spice latte that relaxes me instead of keeping me wired and up all night.
If tea is not your thing, you can definitely start with a pumpkin spice coffee base.
I did try a pumpkin spice coffee early in the season — I personally didn’t care for it but there’s definitely that option.
Once you brew your coffee or tea, you’re then ready to make the latte part:
Here’s the Milk Frother I Use
I’ve tried handheld milk frothers and, I’m not sure if it was because I was using dairy-free milk or they just weren’t powerful enough to give me that coffee shop latte feel, but they were a dud.
This new one that I received for my birthday is a total game changer though.
I add the milk, press a button, and it heats the milk and froths it at the same time.
I will say that I did try it with coconut milk and it also didn’t work similar to the handheld one so I do think you need to use regular milk here.
I switched to Organic Half and Half milk from Sprouts and it works perfectly!
Here’s the frother brand I’m using and, no, I don’t receive any money to share this with you:
Putting It All Together
Once my base is brewed (coffee or tea), I simply pour the frothed milk over the top and the warm milk mixes in while the thick foam sits perfectly on top:
I then sprinkle on some cinnamon and this thing rivals any store-bought version.
You could add your sweetener of choice in the base, but I’ve found it really doesn’t need it.
I do find that the cinnamon helps bump up the flavor though so I don’t suggest omitting that.
I’m planning on doing a pumpkin spice or allspice sprinkle on top next, which I’m sure will be just as ah-mazing.
The cool thing about this frother too is you can use it on anything — hot chocolate, turmeric lattes, or any other fancy latte you like. I’ll probably try a peppermint one closer to Christmas.
So it’s super easy to use and delicious and worth buying in my opinion!
And, you’ll save money, sugar, and calories while enjoying the festive drinks of the season.
My version clocks in at just 123 calories (less if you use less milk) instead of 300+ and just 3g of sugar which is under one teaspoon instead of 10. You could also cut that number down by swapping out the half and half for full-fat milk:
I hope you enjoyed this low-calorie, low-sugar pumpkin spice latte. And, if you do, let me know in the comments below and I’ll make sure to share more of these style articles!
To enjoying pumpkin spice season and homemade lattes.
Devan