Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte from Scratch (+Video)
Easy recipe to make pumpkin spiced tea in minutes. No syrup making involved!
The combination of pumpkin spice with tea is so wonderfully cozy, I strongly encourage you to try it if you haven’t yet!
Combining the warm spices of pumpkin pie with black tea is the concept behind Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte, the tea version of the original Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL).
However, pumpkin lattes from cafes are often excessively sweet and can taste somewhat artificial.
Plus, these fancy drinks tend to be quite expensive!
But don’t worry, here you’ll discover a straightforward recipe to make a homemade pumpkin spice tea latte.
This pumpkin spice tea recipe only requires common and affordable ingredients that you probably already have.
And you won’t need time-consuming steps like making syrup!
Does this recipe taste like Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Chai?
I might be biased, but I think this pumpkin spice latte tastes much better than the ones you can find in any coffee shop.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Chai is a mixture of spiced black tea blend (aka. Masala chai), pumpkin spice syrup and milk, optionally topped with whipped cream and pumpkin spice.
So basically, it’s the tea version of the original Pumpkin Spice Latte, but using masala chai (spiced black tea) instead of coffee.
The recipe I’m sharing here is my homemade version of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Chai, but since I usually use plain black tea instead of chai tea bags, I call it Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte.
What you’ll need
Equipment
- Blender – only if you make your own pumpkin purée from fresh pumpkin
- A small pot or saucepan
Ingredients
Notes about the ingredients and swaps
Black Tea
Feel free to use tea bags or loose-leaf tea, whichever suits you best.
This pumpkin spice tea latte works better with a robust black tea, such as Assam or breakfast tea blends, to ensure the other flavors don’t overpower the tea.
Alternatives that work well instead of regular black tea are:
- A chai tea bag
- Decaffeinated tea: if you choose decaffeinated tea, consider using a slightly larger quantity of tea, as most decaf teas have a milder taste than regular tea.
- Rooibos tea (if you prefer to avoid caffeine entirely)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How to make your own chai tea blend
Pumpkin purée
Canned pumpkin purée (or homemade pumpkin purée) are very convenient to make this pumpkin tea drink.
But if you don’t have pumpkin purée and don’t want to make any, you can just blend steamed or baked pumpkin directly with the tea.
The result will be the same!
Sugar
Feel free to use your preferred sweetener: regular sugar, brown sugar, low-carb alternatives like erythritol, xylitol or swerve… all work great!
Natural syrups, like maple syrup or date syrup also add a delicious touch.
And another outstanding option to sweeten pumpkin lattes is this homemade vanilla infused honey; when using it, you can skip the vanilla extract altogether.
Vanilla extract
Adding a small amount of vanilla extract rounds up this recipe heavenly!
You may omit the vanilla if using home infused vanilla-infused honey.
Milk of choice
Use your preferred kind of milk (dairy or plant-based) as is or frothed.
I personally prefer frothing the milk when making pumpkin spice latte: the texture feels more decadent and more similar to real lattes.
How to make your own pumpkin spice tea latte at home
This homemade pumpkin chai latte is super easy to make and it tastes way better than Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Chai (not to mention, it’s much cheaper).
Also, as you can make it by simply assembling everything directly in a cup, you can get your tea latte literally in minutes!
Time needed: 5 minutes
How to make a pumpkin spiced tea latte
- Make tea
Steep black tea or a chai tea bag for 3-5 minutes.
- Assemble with the rest of the ingredients
Add the pumpkin purée*, pumpkin spice and sweetener.
Stir everything together with a spoon.
Top with frothed milk to taste.
*if you don’t have pumpkin purée, you may blend cooked, steamed or baked pumpkin with the tea
Are you a lover of everything Pumpkin Spiced?
Then, you should make try making this pumpkin spice syrup.
It will help you make ANY pumpkin spice drink in a breeze (including pumpkin spiced tea)!
You can make pumpkin spice latte with regular tea or with chai tea bags; it’s up on your preferences (I personally prefer using plain black tea).
Chai is the Hindi term for tea, but it’s often used to refer to masala chai, a mix of tea and spices.
The main difference between pumpkin pie spice and chai spice is that chai usually includes cardamom and black pepper.
So, if you love spicier tastes, you will probably enjoy this recipe more using a chai tea blend (you can easily make your own following this easy recipe).
Yes; black tea has caffeine, so unless you use decaf tea (which reduces the caffeine content to almost none), your pumpkin spice tea latte will have the caffeine contained in black tea.
If you are looking for a completely caffeine-free pumpkin, rooibos makes a wonderful tea substitute.
Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte has less caffeine than a classic PSL.
A pumpkin spice tea latte has between 30-50 mg. caffeine per cup; the coffee version (around 75 mg.)
Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tea bag Black Tea Or 1 tsp. loose tea
- 1/2 cup Fresh boiled water
- 1/2 cup Milk of choice frothed
- 1 Tbsp. Pumpkin purée Cooked pumpkin also works
- 1/4 tsp. Pumpkin spice
- 2 tsp. Sugar (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract*
Instructions
- Steep black tea for 3-4 minutes in fresh boiled water.
- After the steeping time is over, remove the teabag or strain the tea.Then add pumpkin purée, spice, vanilla extract and sugar and stir until well combined.If you don’t have pumpkin purée, blend in cooked pumpkin.
- Add frothed milk.If you want, sprinkle some pumpkin spice or grounded cinnamon as topping.
Video
Notes
- If you use decaf tea, use 1 1/2 or 2 tsp. of tea (2 teabags)
- Substitute the tea for rooibos if you want a caffeine-free version.
- For an even quicker recipe, you can use this homemade pumpkin spice syrup instead of pumpkin, spices, sweetener and vanilla extract.
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this pumpkin spice latte variation that is made with tea instead of coffee!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I was looking for a good pumpkin spice chai and then ran into yours. This looks easy enough that I could do it too WooHoo!!!