If you enjoy drinking Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes every fall, you're going to love this copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Sauce recipe! Only three simple ingredients, no cooking required! Then you can make your own pumpkin spice flavored coffee or tea right at home!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's officially fall and that also means the return of pumpkin spice season! You really can't deny the unbelievable popularity of the official Starbucks drink of fall, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, affectionately dubbed the PSL.
But do you even have any idea how easy it is to make that magical pumpkin spice sauce right at home and not to mention, on the cheap? Use this sauce to make a DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte or Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte right at home!
Whether you want to make your own to save some cash or to avoid potential cross-contact from gluten at Starbucks, I've got you covered. Get ready to blow your mind with how easy it is to make your own homemade pumpkin spice sauce, with only a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time!
While you're here, be sure to check out these recipes: If you love spice, make this iced chai! Starbucks copycat brown sugar syrup recipe, Starbucks classic syrup recipe, and the Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso.
Ingredients
As someone with Celiac disease, I am no stranger to looking at the list of ingredients on literally everything I consume. Starbucks drinks are no exception.
Although I haven't been to a Starbucks in years, I was curious if I could make a copycat version of the PSL so I looked up the ingredients in their app. Here's what I found:
The Pumpkin Spice Sauce is basically just sugar, condensed milk, pumpkin puree, and natural flavors. This tells me we can absolutely make a homemade version of this and with only three ingredients!
Here's what you'll need:
- Real pumpkin puree: I prefer Libby's brand.
- Sweetened condensed milk: not evaporated milk.
- Pumpkin pie spice
I saw a few recipes floating around for this sauce but none of them were quite as simple as this one. Some started with simple syrup and others started with sweetened condensed milk but added even more sugar or maple syrup.
Honestly, none of that is necessary! Sweetened condensed milk is already sweet enough on it's own! Plus, by only using sweetened condensed milk, most of the work is already done for us!
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Sauce
This is where the literal magic happens. Once you see how easy this is, you'll probably be mad at yourself and Starbucks for taking all of your money every fall. But hey, you live and learn. Are you ready for this?
- Stir the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl.
- Whisk if needed to get out any lumps.
- Pour the sauce into a mason jar and refrigerate.
- Use about 1 tablespoon (you could add more if you like) in your morning coffee, iced lattes, or homemade Frappuccinos.
That's literally how easy it is and let me tell you, it's unbelievable how good it is! It's a taste of fall in every sip!
In this one recipe, you'll get about 36 tablespoons of sauce, with 4 "pumps" per latte, that's basically 9 Pumpkin Spice Lattes for the cost of one PSL at Starbucks! [Insert exploding head emoji.]
Top Recipe Tip
Let the sauce rest in the refrigerator for a while after you make it. I found that the pumpkin pie spice kind of gets caught in your throat if you use the sauce immediately.
Give the sauce time to rest and hydrate the spices and this is no longer an issue.
Dairy-Free Options
I think you could make a dairy-free version of this recipe, too! Just substitute a diary-free sweetened condensed milk!
- Check out this easy recipe for dairy-free sweetened condensed milk!
- Or buy Nestle lactose-free sweetened condensed milk (contains milk) or
- Nature's charm sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Storage
Store the sauce in a small jar with a lid in the refrigerator. I think the sauce could potentially last about two weeks in the fridge, maybe longer. If you see mold or anything funky, throw it out.
More Fall Pumpkin Recipes
This pumpkin bundt cake is easy and delicious!
Starbucks Recipes You'll Love This Fall
Recipe
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk.)
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Stir ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Rest the sauce for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and the spices to soften. Alternatively, you may heat it in a small saucepan over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool completely before storing.
- Use about 1-2 tablespoons of sauce in your preferred coffee or espresso drink.
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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Estimated Nutrition
* Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should be used as an estimate only. See the nutrition policy for more information.
Bo Freeman says
I ended up having to make the sweet condensed milk myself too, so I made that with the trader joes vanilla bean vanilla extract.
This tastes exactly like Starbucks pumpkin sauce.
So happy I have this to use this week!!!
KJ says
Doesn’t taste a thing like the Starbucks sauce.
Katie Olesen says
Sorry it wasn’t what you were hoping for. Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Caitlin Hughes says
This is so easy and delicious! Most of my pumpkin cookie recipes don’t call for a full can and I hate wasting it. This recipe is perfect for using that last 1/2 cup up and easy enough to whip up while the cookies bake 😄
Ali Blake says
yes, the components work really well together! However, the process needed to be tweaked for me. The raw sauce needs 10-15 mins low and slow, stirring constanltly/frequently on the stove top to mimick a pumpkin pie -- which is why Starbucks' "pumpkin spice latte" is so delicious :). Without cooking, the raw puree and raw tannic spices aren't very palatable. After I tasted it and realized this, I immersion blended and then stirred over low heat for about 15 minutes. Then.... delicious!! Thanks for your effort, recipes and website! I appreciate you.
Katie Olesen says
I’m glad you enjoyed how the flavors came together. The canned pumpkin is already cooked, so the sauce is safe to use without heating. I designed this as a quick, no-cook recipe, but gently simmering it can mellow the spices and deepen the flavor if you prefer.
Mario says
After I have made the Sauce if the flavor is not quite right can I take the sauce and put it over heat still or is it too late
Katie Olesen says
You can put it over heat, that's not a problem at all.
Leigh says
So simple, and SO delicious! I can't believe I didn't make this sooner.
Bridget Diaz says
I didn’t listen, I did a whole can obviously didn’t read the recipe but got too excited. Thankfully, I really like pumpkin and added a little bit more spice and holy cow!! You’ve saved me from thinking I had to cook pumpkin sauce, and I’ve never thought about just doing sweetened condensed milk. I feel like an idiot thank you for saving me!!!