The season of all things pumpkin is upon us! Recently I dropped by my favorite local coffee shop and on a whim decided to try their real pumpkin latte. I was surprised I actually liked it. This morning I decided to try my hand at making my own. Since I do not have all the fancy tools coffee shops had, I improvised and I think it turned out fantastic!
I really love canned pumpkin puree. First, make sure it’s pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. While absolutely delicious, your pants will be getting tight pretty quickly if you make that mistake. Pumpkin is a great way to give all kinds of foods a great nutrient boost. The health benefits are quite impressive. They include:
- Per cup it has only 49 calories
- 20% RDA vitamin C
- 564 milligrams of potassium
- rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant
- keeps your skin glowing and might even keep wrinkles at bay
- rich in beta-cryptoxanthin which reduces inflammation
Going pumpkin crazy is actually a pretty good thing!
To make the latte, I warmed my almond milk stove top while my coffee brewed. No one wants lukewarm coffee. My dates were pretty hard from being stored in the fridge so I put my pitted date in the milk to help it soften. To infuse the spices evenly, I added them to my coffee grounds. Once everything was warm and brewed, I threw it all in my blender and blended for about 30 seconds. The end result was a delicious and frothy cup of coffee I thoroughly enjoyed and can’t wait to make again.
Dairy Free Pumpkin Latte
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup strong coffee
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Mix spices into your coffee grounds and brew your coffee. I use a coffee press.
- While coffee is brewing, in a small pot heat your almond milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree until it's warm but not boiling.
- Pour spiced coffee and almond milk/pumpkin mixture into your blender and blend for 15-30 seconds. Or use an immersion blender.
- Pour into your coffee mug and enjoy.
