Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte
How to make delicious pumpkin spiced tea in minutes
Have you ever wondered if pumpkin spice goes well with tea?
Well, it turns out that this is a WONDERFUL combination.
This is the concept behind Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte, the tea version of the original Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL).
In this post I’ll share with you a simple recipe to make a homemade pumpkin spice tea latte with ingredients you probably already have.
What’s in Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Chai?
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Chai is a mixture of spiced black tea blend, 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.
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.
Related: How to make pumpkin spice with 4 ingredients
Ingredients to make tea pumpkin spice latte
Tea
Since this recipe has several other ingredients, you “don’t need” the best quality tea; tea bags work good enough.
No matter if you use loose tea leaves or teabags, I recommend choosing a strong-tasting tea like Assam or a chai tea bag so the other tastes don’t overpower the tea.
Pumpkin purée
Canned pumpkin purée or homemade pumpkin purée (which is surprisingly easy to make!) come in very handy to make pumpkin spice latte.
But if you don’t have pumpkin purée (and don’t want to make any), you can just blend steamed or baked pumpkin with the tea.
Sweetener
Feel free to use your preferred sweetener.
I love using erythritol or xylitol to sweeten this drink because they are tooth-friendly and low-carb.
Natural syrups, like maple syrup or date syrup also work great.
And another outstanding option to sweeten pumpkin lattes is this homemade vanilla infused honey; when using it, you can skip the vanilla extract.
Vanilla extract
Adding a small amount of vanilla extract rounds up this recipe heavenly! (you may omit this ingredient if using vanilla-infused honey).
Milk of choice
Use your preferred kind of milk as is or frothed.
For this recipe, I prefer frothing the milk because then the texture feels more similar to real lattes.
Variations and swaps
Caffeine-free pumpkin spice tea latte
Rooibos tea is a caffeine-free alternative for regular tea and it makes this drink kids-friendly.
You may also use decaf tea, but, most brands taste a little too mild for this recipe, so you may need to use more tea.
Keto pumpkin spice tea latte
To make a keto version, choose a low-carb sugar alternative (such as xylitol or erythritol) and keto-friendly milk alternative (like almond milk).
Vegan pumpkin spice tea latte
This recipe goes well with any type of milk you like, so it’s easy to make a plant-based version of it.
1-minute pumpkin spice tea
For a easier version, substitute the pumpkin purée, sweetener and spices for (homemade) pumpkin spice syrup.
How to make 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 latte 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, sweetener** and milk (I like frothing it before adding it, but it’s optional).
*if you don’t have pumpkin purée, you may blend cooked, steamed or baked pumpkin with the milk
**you may substitute pumpkin puree, spice and sweetener for pumpkin syrup
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.
If you are trying to reduce your caffeine intake, you might go for a Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte, since it has less caffeine than a classic PSL.
With roughly something between 30-50 mg. caffeine per cup, pumpkin spice latte made with tea instead of coffee has less caffeine than the coffee version.
Pumpkin spice tea latte recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tea bag chai or black tea (use 2 if you want a more intense taste)
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup milk of choice frothed
- 1 Tbsp. pumpkin purée*
- 1/4 tsp. pumpkin spice*
- 2 tsp. sugar* (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract*
Instructions
- Steep tea for 3-4 minutes in fresh boiled water.
- After removing the tea bag, add pumpkin, spice, vanilla extract and sugar. Top with steamed milk.If you want, sprinkle some pumpkin spice or grounded cinnamon or nutmeg on the top.
Video
Notes
For this measurements I use 2 or 3 Tbsp.
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!!!