Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Pumpkin spice chai latte made with all natural ingredients: pumpkin puree, almond milk, maple syrup and spices. This creamy vegan drink is only 90 calories!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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You’ll love this homemade pumpkin chai latte if you enjoy pumpkin spice lattes. When you’re craving a warm pumpkin drink at home, this chai latte recipe will satisfy your cravings! It’s simply a better homemade option than coffee-based pumpkin spice lattes. Why? It’s easy to brew tea at home, but it’s difficult to make good espresso.
Plus, you can sip this pumpkin latte any time of day. Wake up with regular caffeinated chai tea bags in the morning or relax with decaffeinated rooibos chai in the evening.
The idea for this recipe came to me the other day while I daydreamed about pumpkin muffins and warm chai lattes. “Pumpkin chai lattes!” I exclaimed. “Why haven’t I had one of those?! Do those even exist?!”
Then, as food bloggers do in this scenario, I consulted Google. Nope, once again, I’m not the first person to come up with a brilliant concept. If you want a pumpkin chai latte right now, you can order one at the Starbucks nearest you.
Regardless, I set out to create my own ideal pumpkin chai latte, and I like this one better than Starbucks’ version. I wanted a creamy, maple-sweetened latte made with real pumpkin and plenty of warming spices. I wanted it without a bazillion calories—not because I am a calorie counter, but because I don’t like to drink my calories.
I kept tinkering with the proportions of the ingredients and finally nailed it on the fourth attempt. I brewed some strong chai tea and added extra pumpkin spice because the chai lattes at coffee shops are rarely spicy enough for me.
I used plain, unsweetened almond milk as the base, but you can use any unsweetened milk you like. Then, I added real maple syrup for its delicious caramel-like flavor. Pumpkin purée contributes some creaminess, but the blended latte still wasn’t as rich and creamy as I wanted it to be.
That’s when I thought of adding some arrowroot starch, which is similar to cornstarch (either works in this recipe). I’ve used arrowroot to improve the texture of coconut milk-based ice creams. Arrowroot powder was just the ticket—I enjoyed a super rich and creamy pumpkin chai latte without feeling like I’d consumed a milkshake afterward. The whole drink clocks in at only 90 calories, with nearly half the sugar content of a standard tall pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Success!
Pumpkin Chai Latte Notes & Tips
This recipe is designed for unsweetened milk, like almond milk or cashew milk. If you’re using cow’s milk or sweetened almond milk, you might prefer less maple syrup. If you’re using whole milk, your drink might be plenty creamy without starch.
It’s easy to add more sweetness if you’d like. Whisk in more maple syrup by the teaspoon until you’re satisfied.
Spices and tea bags vary in potency. It’s important to squeeze the water from your tea bag to extract all the flavor. If you taste your latte and it’s not spicy enough, whisk in another 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon.
Any quality chai tea bag will do. I like to use Numi or Yogi brand teas when I make this drink.
Toppings are optional. For a creamy, rich topping, add whipped cream. For more spice, add a cinnamon stick or star of anise.
Extra pumpkin puree?
Each drink requires just a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin, so you will have extra. For future use, you can freeze leftover puree in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out of it. Or, go ahead and make one of these yummy pumpkin treats with the leftovers:
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze
- Whole Grain Pumpkin Spice Waffles
Craving more warming drinks?
Try one of these:
Please let me know how your latte turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Pumpkin spice chai latte made with natural ingredients: pumpkin puree, almond milk, maple syrup and spices. This creamy yet skinny latte clocks in at only 90 calories without whipped cream. I think you could also make a big batch of this, store it in the refrigerator and rewarm individual drinks on the stove (whisk well to recombine). Amounts listed below yield one latte so multiply as necessary.
Ingredients
Latte
- 1 tea bag of spiced chai or decaf spiced rooibos chai
- ½ cup plain, unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice*
- 2 tablespoons real pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup or honey
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice blend (or ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, dash of nutmeg, dash of cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Tiny dash of salt
- ½ teaspoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch (optional, makes the latte super creamy)
- Optional garnishes: 1 cinnamon stick or star of anise, coconut whipped cream** or real whipped cream
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water to a gentle boil. Remove the water from heat, add the tea bag, and let it steep for 4 minutes. Before removing the tea bag, squeeze any water remaining out by pressing the tea bag against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon.
- Add the almond milk, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, pumpkin spice blend, vanilla, and salt to the pan. Whisk in the optional arrowroot starch or cornstarch. Pour the mixture into a stand blender and blend for a minute or two, until the components are blended together and the drink is nice and creamy. (You can alternatively use an immersion blender, but I had much better results with my stand blender.)
- Pour the mixture back into your pan and gently rewarm on the stove, then pour it into a mug. Top with optional whipped coconut cream and/or garnish with a cinnamon stick or star of anise.
Notes
*Milk notes: I’ve made this drink with Califia Farms and Malk brands of almond milk. Feel free to substitute your milk of choice for the almond milk. Homemade cashew milk would be nice. Whole cow’s milk would yield creamy results, no starch necessary. If you are using sweetened almond milk or cow’s milk, which is naturally sweet, you might prefer less maple syrup. This drink’s nutrition information and allergen contents depend mostly on the milk you use—if you want a nut-free drink, choose a nut-free milk, etc.
**Coconut whipped cream: You’ll need 1 can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk (chilled a minimum of 10 hours and put a glass mixing bowl in the fridge while you’re at it), plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon. To make it, pull out the chilled can of coconut milk and mixing bowl. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop the solid coconut cream into the chilled bowl (you can use the remaining coconut water in smoothies). Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream until fluffy and smooth. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon and gently blend again to combine. Use the coconut cream immediately or cover it and store it in the fridge for later (it will be soft at room temperature and firmer when cold).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This latte is seriously stunning, can’t wait to make it! And I just read your “10 Things” post – love!! I’ve been debating back and forth about getting a dog, waiting for the “right” time. So good to know that it was a big decision for you, but also the best decision!
Thank you, Laura! I just knew when it was time to get a dog, so I started searching and finally found Cookie (on petfinder.com, no less). I’m so glad I got her! Good luck!
Yum! I’ve been looking for creative ways to use leftover pumpkin puree.
P.S. What camera do you use? Your photos are absolutely stunning.
Thanks, Sara! I actually use a pretty ancient Nikon D80 with a 35mm lens. I’m hoping to upgrade soon!
Looks really delicious!!! The perfect autumnal drink
Oh I love chai tea lattes! My sister taught me how to make a version of chai tea after a visit she took to India and I became obsessed. Pumpkin though? YES PLEASE! Love the thickening trick….. I too prefer not to drink my calories :)
Fava Tea has an extra spicy chai tea called “Yoga Tea”. I like to even double the amount of tea to water ratio sometimes. Yum!
This looks like a real fall treat. Love it!
This looks wonderful! I’m going to try it out this weekend, and scale the recipe way up to make about 3-1/2 quarts in my slow cooker for a pumpkin party I’m hosting this weekend. Question: is cornstarch one of those things that shouldn’t necessarily be scaled up at the same ratio as the other ingredients? I’m multiplying all the ingredients by 11, so that’d be about 5-1/2 tsp. cornstarch. Do you think that would be okay flavor-wise?
Hi Karissa! I think you’ll be fine with the scaled up corn starch. Just be sure to blend it in well with the liquid so you don’t get clumps (for best results, I’d recommend blending the cornstarch into some of the liquid using a blender).
Made my morning!!! You never let me down!
Hooray! Thank you, Steph. :)
Sigh. After seeing the pictures and falling in love with the recipe there is no other choice for me, than making the trip to the store to hunt down the ingredients. I have to have a cup of this yummy drink now or at least asap. Thus, the pumpkin chai quest in Hungary begins. :) Thank you for the recipe!
Good luck, Marta! :)
I just made this and it is so delicious! With fresh pumpkin too because that was originally what I was searching for tips on. Then I started looking at more of your blog and other recipes. I am hooked. Great job!
That’s so great to hear! Thank you, Margo! :)
THEY DON’T/ didn’t HAVE PUMPKIN CHAI LATTES IN UK STARBUCKS :O :O :O
But, to be honest, I bet a homemade one like this is so much nicer!
This looks super warm and lovely, and even though I know it’s almost summer, I might make it still.
Maybe you could try using cashew milk for the extra creaminess? Just a suggestion- I think it’s super thick and creamy.
That’s a great idea!
I asked Starbucks to make me a pumpkin chai last week, and they were happy to do that. Yours sounds fabulous, and home-made with love is always better! Hugs and Fall Blessings to Everyone!
This looks great! I don’t like coffee, but I love tea. Think I’ll try this today, since it’s Thanksgiving week-end. :)
Thanks, Sandy! Hope you loved it!
This was awesome! Now you just need a recipe for the Toasted Graham latte everyone is talking about (I have yet to try!).
This is the first I’ve heard of Starbucks’ graham latte! I’ll have to go try one, stat. :)
Just made this, it was delicious! We decided to make a bigger batch to warm up during the week since there was a great amount of coconut cream topping left! I definitely have this recipe bookmarked :)
Hooray, thanks Lindsey!
I love this pumpkin spice when I am in a hurry.
https://www.theteaobsession.com/collections/rooibos-tea/products/pumpkin-spice-rooibos-tea
Yours is wonderful too.
Thanks, Wendy!
This recipe is excellent and always my go-to choice for a warm fall drink! So easy and delicious!! Kate– What do you think about substituting espresso for the chai tea? Do you think it would translate well??
Terrible! I made this and was extremely disappointed!
Very sorry to hear that, Mark! If you’re willing to offer more specific details of how it turned out or what went wrong, I’d be glad to troubleshoot.
I made this for the first time today although I’ve been saving the recipe for a while now and I wish I had made it sooner! Yuuuummmmers! I will Indeed be making it again soon and it’s going into my hand written recipes box where all my favorites are kept. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing. If you would want to leave a star review, that would be great! :)
LoVE, LOvE, LOOOOOVE this recipe!!!
Well thank you, Linda! :)
I’ve been a fan of your blog (and cookbook!) for a while but this is by far my favorite recipe. Perfect on a cold autumn day!
I agree! It’s so warm on a cold day. Thanks for the review, Lisa.
Not even kidding you, this was one of the best lattes I’ve ever had. It was so so good. I plan on posting my finished product on my blog later this week and I’ll tag you so that you can see! Yum!
This was an amazing recipe! It was just the right amount of spice and sweet. It is perfect for a cool autumn night.
Would this stay a few days in the fridge? I would like to make a bigger batch and just heat it up during the week.
Yes, great for fall evenings! Thanks for sharing, Megan. I liked to serve mine right away, but I assume it would keep ok covered in an airtight container for a few days. Gently reheat over the stove. :)
Hi Kate. Chai tea by itself is a little strong for me, but this chai latte is delicious! I thought it was a little high maintenance the firt time I made it, but worth it! I just made it again, and blended everything in my Vitamix instead of heating in a pot and then blending. That worked great, but I’ll blend it a little longer the next time to make it warmer. Love the flavors!
btw, I made the liquid gold salad dressing in your book the other night and am loving it! I’ve started to make my way through the cookbook, albeit slowly.
I’m glad you loved this recipe and the cookbook! Thanks for your support and review, Connie!
I love chai latte! I’m definitely gonna try this! So love it!
Let me know what you think, Santini!
Why haven’t I thought of this! This looks so good consumed during cold seasons since it looks like it’s a warm mug of sunshine. My family would love it so much! Thank you for this recipe.
You’re welcome, Yang!
I just love your food and drink recipes! Healthy and yummy. Fun.
Many thanks.
You’re welcome Diana!
Katheryne taylor;
Hi,good morning.I just came across your homemade pumpkin chai latte and I am going to copy down your recipe and then I am going to make it for My mom and I after we go buy groceries.Your recipe is only for 1 person,so do I have to double your recipes to make a latte for my mom.
I am lactose intolerant and your latte is good for me to drink but I am a diabetic and I can’t have maple syrup or honey.Would it be ok if I use vanilla liquid stevia or agave in your recipe?
Kim
You could try it!
I just made this for the first time for a Sunday morning treat, and it is so lovely! Not too sweet, and very creamy! My new favorite weekend morning pick me up. Thank you!
I made the Pumpkin Chai latte and it is amazing! I used Stash chai spice tea which is delicious. Thank you for the recipe. I am making your pumpkin muffins tonight.
I made this without the tea bag and used a date instead of syrup and was still delicious!!
A great drink this time of year! Thanks for your review.
Enjoying my pumpkin chia latte!! A happy treat on a chilly day!
I cheated and topped with a dab of cool whip!
Sounds delicious, Robin!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I made this today with the Hong Chai from Light of day Organics. It was absolutely fantastic! I used regular milk but will try with almond next time. Any tips for making for a group? Could it be made ahead and warmed?
You’re welcome! Sounds delicious, Terri.
WOAH this is good… Made this with leftover coconut milk and without cornstarch. Seriously amazing!!! <3
I’m happy you loved it, Elise!
This tea is AMAZING. I am drinking it as I type. I made my own chai, and made it nice and strong. The combination of chai spices and pumpkin spice blend has so much heat – both fresh and powdered ginger, and crushed peppercorns. All these spices carry so much healthful energy. It is an incredibly warming and delicious fall drink
Thank you for sharing, Anne!
Thank you so much for this recipe! This will help me so much to have a low calorie hot drink that I love! I used a tablespoon of a monkfruit/erythritol sweetener blend and a 1/4 tsp maple extract instead of the syrup so it’s super low calorie. I also used collagen instead of cornstarch as I’m not vegan. Made it all in the mug I drank it from with the immersion blender. It was so perfect, and I must have tried a dozen homemade chai recipes and never been pleased. Thanks so much!!
You’re welcome, Emily!
Found this recipe yesterday, made it today. Up early with the whole “Fall Back” time change (eye roll), so I thought I would treat myself. It’s spicy, pumpkiny, creamy and yummy. Made to your specs, but with oat milk. Blended in nutribullet. Topped with coconut whipped cream (like rediwhip, but vegan and healthier).
Thank goodness I made a double batch!
This wonderful drink is autumn in a cup!! My husband and I both love it. I just make it on the stove and the pumpkin totally dissolves (no blender necessary)! I’ve also made it with rooibos chai, which is somehow even more delicious!
I agree! Autumn in a cup, I like it. Thanks for sharing, Brooke.
This was really great, it was nice to make a “coffee shop” kind of drink at home when coffee shops aren’t an option. I’m planning to do half the maple syrup and sub some of the oat milk for more water next time, I found it quite rich and agree that coconut whip would feel a bit too extra for me most of the time. Thank you for the recipe!
How long does the recipe keep refridgerated after it’s made?
Hi! This is best served right away. You can store it for a few days, but it will likely settle out.
This was delicious – just the right amount of sweetness compared to coffee shop pumpkin drinks. I did make some changes to the method bases on my preferences:
1) Used half unsweetened almond milk and half cream for the milk
2) Brewed 3/4 cup of tea for 5 minutes
3) Whisked and heated the pumpkin, milk, and flavorings in a saucepan while the water boiled in my kettle. I really dislike the taste of raw pumpkin and wanted to cook it for a bit. I then whisked in the brewed tea.
4) I strained the drink through a fine mesh sieve instead of using a blender – my kiddo was napping and I didn’t want to risk waking her up! Worked like a charm.
My boyfriend brews a very good masala chai that we generally always have in stock in the house, so I tried this recipe with his chai and I LOVED it. The cornstarch is such a neat trick to thicken it up! And when blended (as is recommended), it gets that perfect little foam on top. It’s not sickly sweet like a latte or chai you might get from a certain chain coffee place. This is SO much better. Big fan of this recipe!
Tried this yesterday and it was really good! Thanks for the recipe :)
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Hi Kate! I’m looking forward to making this — I’d love to make it as a cold drink. Do you recommend chilling it in the fridge, or adding ice cubes to it while it’s warm? Or, do you recommend it remain a hot drink for optimal flavor? Thanks!
Hi! I like this one hot. But, cold may work too. Just be sure to mix as it could settle some.
This was absolutely delicious. I did double it for two big mugs.
So much better than Starbucks!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Linda!
This was so good — I will be making this every fall!
I used my favorite chai brand, Blue Lotus Star Anise Masala. This is superb!!
This is the best homemade “pumpkin latte” I have ever had! I’ve tried several over the years and am always left disappointed. Absolutely delicious!!!
That’s great! Thank you for your feedback, Jessica.
I love chai lattes and the pumpkin chai latte brings it to a whole other level. Loved this recipe!!! I did not even puree it as a time saver and it was still awesome. I plan to make a larger batch and give some to my Mom so she can heat it up in her microwave. Do you think if I 10x the recipe would I only 5x the spice and tea? I appreciate any input you might have.
Hi! I’m glad you love it. If you increase the recipe, you will want to increase it by equal amounts.
I made one batch this morning and liked it very much, will use this recipe again. I made it in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave which was easier for me and I did use stevia sweetener and maple flavoring because of my own diet issues, and it was still very, very good.
I made the cashew chai latte from your cookbook which is amazing!! The cashews make it a little pricey to have on a regular basis, but I might swap out for almond milk and definitely plan to try this pumpkin version! Everyone should buy your cookbook it is my favorite!!
Thank you for sharing! That one is delicious.
OMG!!! So good! Perfect drink for our first cool night in California! Feels like Fall!
I’m glad you loved it! Yes, perfect for this time of year.