Pumpkin Spice Syrup (healthy syrup for homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte)
This easy and healthy Pumpkin Spice Syrup will have you reaching for your homemade pumpkin spice latte all day long! No added sugar, made with real pumpkin, and all the deliciousness of the popular coffee drink without the sugar crash. There’s even room for some whipped cream!
Here’s the proof – a regular pumpkin spice latte at your favorite coffee shop will run you 390 calories and 14 grams of fat – most of which are saturated fat – plus 50 grams of sugar (mostly added sugar)! Yikes! My version is just 95 calories, 5 grams of fat – most of which are polyunsaturated fat – and only 6 grams of sugar (none are added sugar). Best of all, it’s delicious!
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How did you make a Pumpkin Spice Latte heart healthy?
I love making recipes like this, and I can’t believe I didn’t do this one sooner! I’m a big fan of using dates to sweeten my recipes without adding sugar. So that was the clear choice here. They are caramelly and the perfect flavor complement to pumpkin! Dates are also a great source of fiber, which is so important, because even naturally occurring sugar without the fiber is just sugar – which we know can damage the heart in too high amounts.
Once the sweet part of the syrup was decided, the rest of the ingredients were easy! Pumpkin of course. It’s high in vitamin A, and also contributes some fiber. Pumpkin spice – can’t have pumpkin spice syrup without pumpkin spice! Spices are high in antioxidants, which can help prevent free radical damage, and in turn helps prevent the type of inflammation that can cause heart disease.
The type of milk you use can have an impact on how healthy your latte is. I recommend using an unsweetened dairy substitute, like soymilk or almond milk, or fat free dairy milk. Choose something low in added sugar (ideally with none), low in fat, and with very little to no saturated fat or cholesterol for the heart healthiest option.
Lastly, the coffee. Coffee does sometimes get a bad rap, but it can actually contribute to heart health! Read more about coffee and heart health if you’re interested!
FAQs and Substitutions
Yes you can! I used canned pumpkin in my version, but if you’ve got an actual pumpkin sitting around, use that. Here’s a great post on how to make pumpkin puree if you need it!
Making your own pumpkin spice is easy! Simply combine 1/2 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves. If you don’t have one of those, just leave it out.
Definitely make sure to strain the syrup after you make it. There’s always a few pieces of date that don’t get totally pureed in the blender. Straining the syrup is vital for a smooth consistency.
Your syrup should be a thick almost applesauce (but not quite) consistency. If it seems too thin after you strain it, pour it in a small sauce pan, and simmer it until it is the consistency you want.
More pumpkin recipes:
More coffee recipes:
If you try Pumpkin Spice Syrup, let me know in the comments!
Pumpkin Spice Syrup (for making lattes)
This easy and healthy Pumpkin Spice Syrup will have you reaching for your homemade pumpkin spice latte all day long! No added sugar, made with real pumpkin, and all the deliciousness of the popular coffee drink without the sugar crash.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Hot Water
- ½ cup Dates
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 2 tsp Pumpkin Spice
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
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Combine dates and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and soak for about 30 minutes. (If you use a Vitamix or other high speed blender, you can skip the soaking step if you want.)
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Pour the dates and soaking water into a blender, and add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and vanilla.
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Blend on high for a minute or two, until the mixture is very smooth.
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Strain using a mesh strainer to remove any pieces of date or spices that haven’t been blended. You will probably need to use a spoon to lightly stir/scrape the strainer to get all the syrup to pass through.
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Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make a latte:
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Combine ¾ cup milk of choice (I like unsweetened soymilk) and ¼ cup Pumpkin Spice Syrup, and heat until just before boiling.
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Pour into a blender, and blend about 20 seconds, until frothy. You can also use a milk steamer for this if you have one.
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Pour 1 shot (or more if you prefer) of espresso, or very strong coffee, into a mug, and top with the milk/syrup mixture. For variation, try this with black tea, green tea, or chai tea, also!
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Garnish with whipped cream if desired, and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, or nutmeg.
Where did I go wrong? My mixture was thick before I put it on the stove. I boiled then reduced the heat for 10 minutes. It’s still VERY thick and I’ve strained about 1/2 cup of liquid into a jar. The rest looks very much like puree. Please help! I had very high hopes for this!
Hi Jannette,
I’m sorry to hear your pumpkin spice syrup didn’t come out right! While some of the pumpkin puree does also get strained out, you should definitely have more syrup than 1/2 cup when you’re done!
Just to confirm and try to troubleshoot: You followed the recipe as written? And made the date syrup with 1 cup dates and 2 cups of water? What kind of dates did you use (that shouldn’t make much difference, but to verify)? And did you use canned pumpkin puree? What did you use to strain the syrup when you were done?
Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this!
Thank you for replying! I followed the recipe as written. 1 cup of dates and 2 cups of water. I let them soak. I used pitted noor dates and canned puree. I used a fine strainer but it was so thick even after I boiled and then let simmer that not much syrup came out. What I did get out of it I used yesterday and it was SO good! I would love to try again with any tips you can offer.
Thanks for this information! I can’t say for sure what might have happened – but I’m wondering if it could have been a variation in the consistency of the pumpkin puree brand, or a difference in my use of a nut milk bag vs your use of a strainer. I tried it again with a strainer, and I got it to work well. Here’s what I did (and I will revise the above recipe to reflect the change in tools used): Soak 1/2 cup dates in 1 1/2 cup hot water for about 30 minutes. If you use a vitamix you can get away without soaking. Put the dates and soaking water, as well as the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and vanilla in a blender, and blend on high for a few minutes until very smooth. Strain with a mesh strainer. It turned out to be the consistency I wanted, so no further boiling was needed. But if yours seems thin, simmer until it’s right. Continue with the instructions to make a latte as written.
I hope this is helpful, and I really appreciate you trying the recipe and letting me know of the trouble you experienced. I’m happy to hear you liked the taste as well. It’s one of my favorite coffee recipes! If you try it again with these revised direction, I’d love for you to let me know how it turns out! 🙂 Cheers!
I am very excited to try this. I have a can of pumpkin sitting in my pantry just waiting for a recipe like this. heheh Does it matter what kind of dates I use? And what kind do you use?
Oh that does sound like it was meant to be, Christenna! I can’t wait to hear how you like it! It doesn’t matter what kind of dates you use, as long as they aren’t the little chopped up ones covered in oat flour. I use whole, pitted deglet nour dates that I get in a giant bag from Costco. 😉 I like them because they seem to be softer so they puree better, but any variety will work great, especially since you’re going to strain it to remove any pieces that remain. Hope this helps! Enjoy your latte!