Return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte – and how you can make it 70% cheaper at home
It has been over a month since Starbucks launched their seasonal Autumn menu, which includes the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The drink has seen a 3% increase in cost from 2021. A tall size of the drink now costs £3.65 – 10p more than last year, however, this varies upon location. On food delivery services such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo, the drink has seen a 41% increase in price, costing £5.15 for a tall– this excludes the charges for delivery.
Following the drink launch in August, worldwide searches for ‘Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe’ increased by 570% from the beginning of the year to now (October 2022). This trend occurs annually, as searches for the term peak as the drink becomes available in cafés, and as the season changes from Summer to Autumn.
The homemade variant costs 66% less compared to Starbucks. The price comes up to £1.25 or £1.33 if using a plant-based milk alternative. The cost to make the drink varies between Tesco’s and Aldi due to some products not being available at Aldi.
Looking at supermarket brands, the average cost to make one Pumpkin Spice Latte is £1.08 which is 70% cheaper than store-bought.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Ingredient List:
– Whole Milk/Plant-based alternative – price per 236mls £0.36/£0.44
– Pumpkin – price per 1 tbsp £0.02
– Instant Coffee – price per 30mls £0.34
– Granulated Sugar – price per 1 tbsp £0.01
– Vanilla Extract – price per 7mls £0.29
– Ground Cinnamon – price per pinch £0.01
– Ground Ginger – price per pinch £0.01
– Ground Nutmeg – price per pinch £0.20
– Ground Clove – price per pinch £0.01
Pumpkin Spice Latte Method (for one serving)
– Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment.
– Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds – you can keep these to roast or discard.
– Brush the inside of the pumpkin with vegetable oil (optional) and place cut side down on the baking tray. Pierce the skin with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Place into the oven and roast for 40-50 minutes or until a fork can pierce the skin with ease. Allow to cool.
– Once the pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and place it into a food processor. Puree the pumpkin till smooth – you can add a few drops of water if the machine is having trouble pureeing.
– When ready to make the latte, add the milk, pumpkin puree and sugar to a saucepan and heat over medium. Do not boil this mixture, as the milk can curdle.
– Once the mixture has heated through, add in the spices, vanilla extract and freshly brewed 30mls of coffee.
Stir and then pour into a mug and enjoy!
