Recreate Your Favorite Starbucks Pumpkin Drinks at Home

Starbucks officially dropped their fall menu on August 26, bringing back all the hits: the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL, if you will), Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cream cheese muffin. The lineup also includes a new addition—the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado—that’s already making waves.

But here’s the good news: this year, you can skip the drive-through line (seriously, ever gotten stuck in one of those?) and make your favorites at home. Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie has created lighter, easy-to-replicate versions of Starbucks classics. She’s built a following with her low-ingredient, approachable recipes that taste as good as they make you feel. When she visited our Test Kitchen in May, she showed us how to make a gorgeous Orange–Pistachio French Toast Casserole (perfect for a make-ahead brunch). Now, she’s back with two pumpkin drinks that are tailor-made for fall.

Her Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte tastes just like your Starbucks order but with half the calories, fat, and sugar. Even better—it comes together in just 5 minutes. Make a batch and store it in the fridge for a week’s worth of cozy mornings. Her Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is another winner, especially if you’re clinging to iced coffee season or just an iced-drinks-all-year kind of person.

What is pumpkin spice, anyway?

You can, of course, grab a jar of pumpkin spice blend from the store—McCormick’s is the classic, plus it's affordable and lasts a long time. But if you’ve got a stocked spice drawer, it’s easy to DIY your own. Food52 editor Emma Laperruque recommends a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves as your base. Want to get fancy? Add cardamom, allspice, fennel, or any other warming spices you like. Read the full guide here.

How to make cold brew from scratch

Cold brew isn’t just iced coffee—it’s stronger, smoother, and uses a higher ratio of grounds to water (which is why it usually costs more). You can buy it pre-made, or brew it yourself with just two things: coarsely ground coffee and a container (a French press, large jar, or pitcher all work). Steep for at least 12 hours—overnight is best—then strain and chill. Get the full guide here.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Arguably the most famous fall drink, ever. Every year I think I can skip it, and every year I forget how much I actually love it.

What you’ll need:

Takes about 5 minutes start to finish (10 if you’re slowly warming the milk). Get the full recipe here.

Homemade Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

This one came after the PSL, but at this point feels just as iconic. Personally, it’s fueled me through many classes and papers. It’s also the perfect upgrade to plain cold brew.

What you’ll need:

Get the full recipe here.

More Fall Coffee Inspiration