Beverage
Wake up to a comforting vegan pumpkin spice latte without even getting out of your pjs – it’s dairy free, vegan, low sugar, and can be made hot or iced. Plus it’s made in your crockpot overnight so it’s entirely fuss-free – just like a perfect fall latte should be.
Jump to Recipe
Fall. It’s all everyone is talking about. The calendar has rolled over into a new month and Labor Day weekend is behind us. Apparently that is a more significant signal of a season change than say, the actual changing of the weather.
There are no crisp fall mornings cropping up. The leaves aren’t beginning to turn. My jeans and scarves simply make me sweat more instead of keeping me cozy and comfortable.
But as with most things, people seem to be in a rush to push time along. There’s been talk of Halloween, pumpkins, apples, and hot toasty drinks.
Do you know what I’m getting at? The ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte. It’s all up in my face. You can’t escape it. Only I wish I could because I think it’s revolting.
Yes, I, lover of lattes and all things pumpkin, hate the artificial combination of coffee and pumpkin.
But give me real pumpkin. Cinnamon sticks. Cloves. Freshly ground coffee beans. This vegan pumpkin spice latte has all of that – plus it’s dairy free!
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
This comforting vegan pumpkin spice latte is not only a dairy free version of the popular PSL, but it's made right in your crockpot overnight - wake up to the delicious comfort of a latte without getting out of your pjs.
-
4
cups
almond milk or coconut milk
{I used Silk PureAlmond Vanilla Unsweetened}
-
1/4
cup
pumpkin puree
heaping
-
2
Tbsp
vanilla
-
1
Tbsp
pumpkin pie spice
-
1
Tbsp
sweetener such as maple syrup or molasses, plus additional as desired
-
Strong brewed coffee or espresso
2 Tbsp coffee grounds per 6 oz water
-
Coconut whipped cream, optional
recipe below
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Combine milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, spices, and sweetener in slow cooker.
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Feel free to add cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, or a vanilla bean for added “oomph”.
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Cook on low 2-3 hours, or on “warm” setting overnight.
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Serve with hot or iced coffee. Try 1/2 cup brewed coffee with 3/4 cup pumpkin spiced milk or adjust as desired.
-
Top with maple coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
That I can get on board with.
I’m especially a fan of this at home version of the pumpkin spice latte for 2 reasons: 1. I can drink it! Alternative milks are increasingly popular, but until Starbucks moves beyond traditional cow’s milk and soy milk, I’m out. By making it at home I can use almond or coconut milk. 2. It makes itself overnight. Yeah, that’s right. Slow cooker to the rescue, yet again.
We’re a milk free household and have been since long before baby allergies were an issue. I tend towards the almonds and coconuts of milk, while the husband prefers soy. I don’t think cow’s milk is a necessary part of our diet and it’s easy to replace since there are so many available options. Silk has soy, almond, and coconut milks in a plethora of varieties. They also have a fruit version that I want to try as soon as I can have soy again.
I like to stick with the original unsweetened versions of these dairy alternatives, but for this recipe I decided to give the vanilla almond milk a try. {Side note: the dark chocolate almond milk is INSANE. This comes from a non-lover of chocolate.}
I mulled my almond milk with the traditional plethora of fall flavors: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, vanilla, and a hint of maple. I let it simmer on super-low overnight, awakening to the most amazing smells wafting up the stairs. It may be muggy and humid, but at least until I open the door, it’s fall for a few stolen moments. Infant in one arm, strongly brewed coffee in the other, I poured my steamed spiced milk into an oversized mug and applauded myself for playing the role of both sleep-deprived mom and barista all before 6am.
I even thought far enough ahead to freeze some coffee + almond milk ice cubes for a refreshing iced coffee version when the full force of it’s-still-summer-reality hits me later in the day.
- 1 can coconut milk, chilled
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Drain liquid from coconut and add solid portion to a chilled mixing bowl.
Whip on high until peaks start to form.
Add in maple syrup and vanilla. Adjust sweetener to liking.
Serve over pumpkin spice lattes with a sprinkle of cinnamon for the perfect fall treat.
Feel free to toss your brewed coffee into the Crock Pot with your milk and spices so you have even less to do in the morning. I prefer to keep the milk separate so I can decide on my own coffee-to-milk ratios depending on whether I’m serving it hot or cold, or so I can use the delicious milk concoction for other fabulous fall-inspired meals, like this breakfast quinoa I devoured this morning.
Not a coffee fan? {Gasp! The horror!} Try this latte with brewed chai tea or as a base for hot chocolate instead. Mmmm.
This pumpkin latte recipe would be delicious served along side of a Starbucks-inspired pumpkin scone!
Originally sponsored by Silk.
[Tweet “Easy overnight pumpkin spice latte #psl #vegan”]
Are you in the pumpkin spice latte fan club? When do you consider it actually fall?
Recipe
When you’re self-employed and most of your work is online, it’s not hard to go a little…insane.
To keep my head on straight, I try to get out of the house to work as much as I can. Enter my best friend, Starbucks. Not because of their piping hot lattes and iced chai teas, but because of their free WiFi.
When I’m feeling a bit cooped up or unproductive I grab my mug, my laptop, and my power cord and head out the door. I’d feel bad for just using them for their internet, so of course I give my due patronage. {Like it takes a lot of convincing for me to buy something there.
}
My favorite work fuel? A soy cinnamon dolce latte and a famous Starbucks cinnamon chip scone.
Of course I can’t always work at Starbucks, so it’s nice to be able to whip up my own latte and a scone or two to go with it. I’ve been making cinnamon scones for awhile, but they’ve never been quite right.
Until my stepdad saved the day. He hunted the aisles of copious grocery stores until he came upon exactly what my scones needed: cinnamon chips!
Scone making no longer requiring me to first make a batch of cinnamon chips, I was now able to throw together a more authentic {though less sugar-laden} version of my favorite coffee shop delight.
Ingredients
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp flax seed meal
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 T sugar
- 1 T brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan butter {or regular}
- 1/4 cup cinnamon chips
Instructions
- Mix together milk & lemon juice. Set aside. Mix flax meal & water. Set aside.
- Stir together dry ingredients.
- Using pastry blender or a pair of knives, cut in cold butter. Pop mixture in the freezer if it gets too warm.
- Mix in liquid ingredients.
- Fold in cinnamon chips.
- Dough may be slightly dry- add more liquid if you need to, but not too much- use your hands to finish mixing the dough.
- Roll dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick.
- Slice dough into triangles {like a pie}.
- Place on greased or lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.
- Optional: sprinkle with sugar
3.1
https://www.sideofsneakers.com/cinnamon-scones/
What’s your favorite coffee shop indulgence?
Recipe
Since we’re already talking about Starbucks, pumpkin, and coffee, we might as well talk about Starbucks and pumpkin with coffee.
Starbucks pumpkin scones, to be precise.
I have a love-hate relationship with scones. As in, most of the time I hate them. But then one day I tried a Starbucks cinnamon chip scone, and the oddest thing happened- I didn’t hate it. A few more bites and I found myself actually liking it. And now I love them.
So imagine my dismay when I pull into Starbucks for a scone & iced coffee fix, and they’re all out of cinnamon chip scones. Instead, I saw a platter of pumpkin scones resting behind the glass, plastered in icing.
I figured I might as well give it a try. I do love pumpkin after all. I asked for one without the icing, but those apparently don’t exist.
Now, I’ll give Starbucks some credit. Their pumpkin scones are much better than their pumpkin lattes, but the thick crust of icing was a deal breaker. I’m in the scones-shouldn’t-be-overly-sweet party. That’s why they’re scones, not dry cookies.
So of course that meant only one thing. I had to make my own. Then I could have all the same tasty goodness, minus the sugar overload, plus a little whole grain.
If you’ve ever tried to come up with your own baking recipe, you know that the chances of things working out the first time are about the same chances of me running into Britney Spears at Target.
Case in point?
Pumpkin biscuits and pumpkin cinnamon biscuit bread thingamombob. Oh, you don’t recognize those? Yeah, they never made it to the blog. They turned out ok- but not perfect. And then I forgot the recipe I started with. Whomp whomp whooomp.
But this time…this time there was perfection from the beginning. It wasn’t exactly a first-try recipe since I started with my cinnamon chip scone recipe, but even the slightest change in a baked good recipe can spell disaster. Luckily this time it worked out. I scarfed at least three down before I even thought of moving on to the icing stage.
Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
Vegan-ized, whole wheat-ified, de-sugarized. Still delish-ified.
The key to scones is to a) keep the butter cold and b) not to overwork the dough.
Start off with your dry ingredients, included cinnamon, nutmeg, and the remaining holy trinity of pumpkin flavor: allspice, ginger, and cloves.
Cut in the cold butter. I used Earth Balance so it’d be vegan, but feel free to stick with regular butter. Mix in the wet ingredients and form a ball of dough. Chances are you’ll have to get your hands in their to make the dough come together.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle, then slice into squares, and then triangles. We’re making mini scones today. You can make big ones if you’d like, you might just need to up the cook time a minute or two.
Spread on a lined or greased baking sheet and pop them in the oven.
A few minutes later you’ll be pleasantly greeted with fluffy pumpkin scones.
Let cool completely before icing. I actually prefer them without the icing, still warm from the oven. But feel free to go the icing route too.
I made a cinnamon glaze and a pumpkin spice icing. You can use one or the other, or a combination of both. The combo ones were my favorite.
So now go grab your homemade iced coffee from yesterday, and sit down with a plateful of better-than-Starbucks pumpkin scones.
[Tweet “Craving pumpkin? Try these better-than-Starbucks pumpkin scones. #vegan”]
Pumpkin Scones
For the Scones
-
1
cup
spelt flour
-
1
cup
all purpose flour
-
1/2
Tbsp
baking powder
-
1/2
tsp
ground cinnamon
-
1/4
tsp
ground nutmeg
-
1/4
tsp
ground allspice
-
1/4
tsp
ground ginger
-
1/8
tsp
ground cloves
-
1
Tbsp
granulated sugar
-
1
Tbsp
brown sugar
-
1/4
cup
vegan butter
-
1/3
cup
pumpkin puree
-
1/3
cup
almond milk
For the Cinnamon Icing
-
1/4
cup
powdered sugar
-
1/2
Tbsp
almond milk
-
Cinnamon & nutmeg to taste
For the Pumpkin Spice Icing
-
1/4
cup
powdered sugar
-
1
tsp
almond milk
-
1
tsp
pumpkin puree
-
Cinnamon & ground cloves to taste
For the Scones
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Mix together dry ingredients.
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Cut in cold butter. If your dough gets too warm at any point, stick it in the fridge.
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Stir in milk and pumpkin puree.
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Mix until ball of dough forms. You'll likely need to use your hands as it will be dry at first.
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Roll dough into rectangle. Slice into triangles.
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Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.
For the Icings
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Mix all ingredients together. Adjust amount of milk to achieve desired thickness. If only using one icing, double the recipe.
Restaurants
{Told you I had a thing for all things pumpkin and fall.}
Rise and shine! Breakfast of champions: Starbucks oatmeal with dried fruit and mixed nuts, and soy chai latte.
And bloggers hard at work, borrowing wifi from the hotel Starbucks.
After fueling up with our fill of both coffee and internet, we hit the streets of Philly.
I had no idea Philadelphia was full of such beautiful architecture, but I shouldn’t have been surprised, it is the Old City after all.
Our walk coincided with the arrival of several flights, and soon there was a HUGE group of us trekking down the street. We soon realized our original destination of Govinda’s vegetarian restaurant wasn’t going to be able to serve or hold us all. A bunch of us split off and kept walking a few blocks until we stumbled upon the Pumpkin Market. It ended up being a great choice.
Local coffee and seasonal produce, sandwiches, ice cream and fresh squeezed juice? What more could you want?
It was still pretty crowded, but they did a great job handling the sudden influx of hungry foodies.
We grabbed our salads and sandwiches to go, and parked ourselves outside on the sidewalk, enjoying the great Philly weather.
With only one cook on site, it took a little while to whip up all those sandwiches, but there was plenty of seating outside while we waited.
Everybody:
{Photo courtesy of Kath}
My buddies Sarah & Allie. <3 them.
Brittany & Lauren.
Would you believe this is the first time I’ve had seltzer water? I think it was the lime flavor that made it. 😉 Cold, fizzy, and refreshing.
And then lunch arrived: a housemade bean burger with avocado, chickpea salad, and a fresh pickle.
The burger was great- a mix of different beans, some smashed, some not. It went great with the sliced avocado. It was a little squishy, making it hard to eat as a sandwich, but with a little help from a fork and all was good. Perhaps I should have gone with the burger-over-salad option.
The chickpea salad was my surprise favorite: tangy balsamic vinegar {I’m guessing?}, and red bell pepper and onion slices made it the perfect complement to the mild bean burger.
I’d say it was a pretty good meal for a spur of the moment choice!
Are you a sandwich or a salad person?
Uncategorized
Something catastrophic happened yesterday.
I bit my lip eating a scone.
No, that’s not the catastrophic part.
The catastrophic part? I liked it. The scone, not the lip biting.
Yes me, who hates scones and doesn’t appreciate their dominance in the pastry world. I’ve been quoted on more than one occasion as saying they taste like stale dry cookies.
But this one was good. Not cookie good, but, part of breakfast good.
So obviously that means I needed to figure out how to make them.
(Why was I eating a scone if I hate them you ask? Well, apparently “pumpkin bread” sounds a lot like “cinnamon scone” to the Starbucks barista. Luckily she didn’t destroy my soy cinnamon dolce latte so I let her live.)
Anyway. It was just slightly crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside. Some kind of merger between a cookie and muffin. But in a good way. Not a what the heck am I eating and why did I pay 2 dollars for it way.
So, you know what’s gonna happen? While I work like a mad scientist determining the absolute best scone recipe of all times -that doesn’t taste like stale dry cookie- I’m kicking off the new SoS series that’s the result of the brilliant master mind Sarah: The Best _____ Ever.
Yup, that’s right. The first “Best ___ Ever” is going to be scones.
What do you need to do? Tell me why you make or where to find the Best Scones Ever.
You can:
a) Leave a comment
b) Link to a recipe in the comments and tell me why it’s the best
c) Send me an email with a mini “guest post” about your Best Ever Scones
When I reveal my secret recipe, I’ll feature some of your Best Evers.
Ready….go!
