I'd love to say this is a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew imitation, but I'll be brutally honest - I'd rather my recipe not be compared to Starbucks. I feel like these days what you're paying for at Starbucks is an expensive cup of sugar, artificial flavors, and milk with a splash of mediocre quality coffee (or just an expensive prop for your Instagram feed). I don't know about you, but I want coffee, dang it! Coffee, coffee, coffee!
I sincerely hope I'm not offending anyone by making this "sacrilegious" statement. If you truly love Starbucks, all the power to you! Keep doin' you, boo! Most days I'd personally just rather make my own coffee. It saves loads of $$$, often tastes way better, and there's just something really comforting and cozy about the routine of brewing your own cup of joe in the morning. And if I go out to purchase coffee, I'd much rather support a local small business coffee shop. This usually means you're paying for actual high-quality coffee, plus they sometimes roast their own beans, make their own syrups from scratch, and have interesting house specialties and concoctions.
Anyway, I digress. Recipe time!
First, you'll want a pumpkin spice blend. You can go to the store and purchase a pre-made pumpkin spice blend, but I highly recommend making it yourself. This recipe is a little more sweet and has less bite because of the allspice and ground vanilla added in - perfect for a pumpkin spice cold brew!
Pumpkin Spice Blend Recipe
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground vanilla*
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
Combine all ingredients together in a small airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place.
*If you don't have access to ground vanilla, you can omit it from the spice blend and instead add 1/4-1/2 tsp of real vanilla extract to your pumpkin spice cold brew
Next, you'll need to prepare your cold brew coffee. You can use whatever cold coffee you prefer - it doesn't have to be cold brew. If you want to keep it super simple, just brew a cup of your fave regular coffee and add ice, or pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool. Otherwise you can look in the refrigerator section of your grocery store for bottles of cold brew coffee, or the dry coffee aisle for cold brew sachets. I personally love brewing my own cold brew for 24 hours at home. It's really super simple. You can grab my recipe for that here.
And finally, you'll need to prepare your Pumpkin Sauce.
Pumpkin Sauce Recipe
2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp 100% pure pumpkin puree
1 tbsp Pumpkin Spice Blend
Combine all ingredients together in a small airtight container. Makes approximately 1/4 cup. Keep refrigerated.
Okay, now that you have these 3 things ready, it's time to make your pumpkin spice cold brew!
Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Recipe
16 oz glass (I use a 16 oz mason jar)
8 oz prepared cold brew
1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Sauce (or to preferred taste)
1 tsp real maple syrup
pinch of sea salt
4-5 ice cubes
milk of your choice (I like Califia Oat Milk)
Add cold brew, pumpkin sauce, maple syrup and sea salt to your glass. Combine well (I like to use a small whisk). Add ice. Top with milk. Enjoy!
The pumpkin sauce isn't just for cold coffee! It tastes really delicious in hot coffee, too (I made sure to try it for you already)!
Let me know how you like this recipe! I hope it's one you'll use all year 'round - not just during pumpkin spice season!
