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.
Kate, I’m curious what is your go to brand for canned full fat coconut milk in your recipes?
Trying this recipe today!
Hi Rachel! I use Whole Foods 365 organic and it works well.
This was quite a nice recipe, although I did not particularly favor the drink! Family loved it though
Thank you for your review, Cat!
This was quite a nice recipe, although I did not particularly favor the drink! Family loved it though :)
Thank you so much for this! I’ve just made this, and I’m really enjoying my chai latte. Absolutely lush. The cornstarch is a great idea, it’s made it so thick and creamy – almost custardy rich. I didn’t make the coconut cream, but honestly it’s great even without any additional topping.
I’m glad you loved it, Saffie! I appreciate your review.
I have a friend that has a long standing tradition and makes a fresh pumpkin recipe daily during the month of October. I’ll share this post with her and give her some new choices! I’m going to start with the wedding cookies and the chai. What a great idea to add pumpkin into the chai…. I make my own so I’ll be using it in the recipe. I’m sure it will be amazing. Thank you.
Yum! I simplified it by microwaving the milk to warm it up a little and boiling water in a kettle. Used a date instead of maple syrup and then just added everything to the Vitamix and blended for a minute and a half to get everything smooth + hot. I forgot to add cornstarch but I think the date thickened it up as it was very creamy.
This is so delicious and easy to make. I opted for a 1/2 tbsp of maple syrup and frothed up some extra milk for the top instead of making the cream. Then added some sprinkles of pumpkin spice to the top. It’s perfect.
I’m glad you loved it, Lenore! I appreciate you sharing.
I use my frother which blends, thickens, and eliminates the blender step and arrowroot. LOVE this recipe. Delicious and so easy! Warms me up and satisfies my sweet tooth. Great substitute in the evening instead of alcohol.
Hello Kate,
I made this latte with arrowroot starch using the 2X scale. Really enjoy this recipe with the simple ingredients that are easy to find and kitchen tools. This is the very first hot drink I have made from scratch and I haven’t used arrowroot starch before. My beverage was definitely creamy however I did taste a bit of gritty/chalkiness. Do you have any thoughts on where I may have gone wrong. Would I have over-mixed or under-mixed in the blender. Not all of the arrowroot starch dissolved as I could see little tiny pieces when I poured the mixture back into the pot to rewarm. I also used coconut milk (from a carton). Also, with the 1/2c water to #of tea bags for all 3 scales the same amount of water, does this affect the strength of the tea. My beverage didn’t have enough chai flavour at 2X and I was wondering if it has to do with the brand of Chai Tea I bought. It was a new package of tea and individually wrapped.
This is my first time on your website and I am very glad to have found it on a google search for pumpkin chai tea lattes. Your website is also beautifully set up and the typefonts are great with a very nice uncluttered look. Thanks for all the tips as well as I am an amateur photographer and like taking food photos but not very successful as lighting is an issue so I really like your tips. Will definitely try other recipes for healthy recipes. All the best to you.
Hi Linda, I’m sorry to hear that was your experience. It could have been the amounts or not quite mixed enough. Tea can change, especially the steeping time. I appreciate you taking the time to comment on your experience!
Great recipe! The first time I made it I accidentally used almond extract instead of vanilla. But… I loved it that way. I’ve now made it with vanilla and almond and prefer the almond. Bonus- almond extract is much cheaper . Be warned, I’m not super into pumpkin spice stuff in general, so my suggestion may not work for the traditionalists out there. Also, I use an ikea battery operated milk frothier to blend it and find that it works beautifully. Love your website, Kate, we use it ALL the time.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Anne! I appreciate you takin the time to review.
I tried this and it was super good!! I added a little sugar because I wanted it to be a bit sweeter. The recipe was perfect and I cant wait to have this before work everyday :)
I love that you plan to have one before work everyday! I appreciate your review, Haylely.
I have had great success with many of your recipes (cheers to the pumpkin cheesecake mousse) that use maple syrup in lieu of sugar. Your site is naturally my first stop in the quest for a coffee based pumpkin latte that is not cloyingly sweet and even a bit healthy (grasping at the pumpkin). Do you have any recommendations to change this up for a coffee – maple – pumpkin pairing?
Thank you very much for all of the great recipes. They have helped make our first year of a “kind diet” rewarding, easy, and fun!
Thank you! I’m glad my blog is a go-to for you, Julie. I don’t have a suggestion right now without trying it. You could try the pumpkin without the chai.
This was incredibly delicious and so easy! I dont have an immersion blender so I just used my milk frother and it turned out awesome! Had a very nice foam on top so went without the whipped cream.
this is soooo good. Used regular black tea bc I did not have chai tea and some pumpkin pie spice i had left over from a different recipe. I also didn’t want to use a sauce pan so i just made the tea in a mug to about 3/4 cup water and blended the other ingredients (using cornstarch and 2% milk) separately and poured it on top. Really frothy and tastefully sweet. So much more healthy and wholesome than Starbucks! I think if I had heated things in a saucepan to cook the cornstarch it would have been super creamy though I thought it was creamy enough this way personally.
Great to hear, Jasmine! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
My first attempt at homemade pumpkin chai. Yummy! I prefer less sweet than generally available so the maple is perfect for me. I combined the non-tea ingredients, warmed in the microwave and whisked by hand. Then I stirred in the tea and happiness. I skipped the starch and forgot the salt (but will get it next time). I didn’t try a whipped topping…maybe on a weekend.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This recipe satisfied my craving for a pumpkin spiced-latte. It wasn’t overly sweet, the flavour was well balanced and the cornstarch added an unexpected delicious creaminess. It was thoroughly enjoyed, right down to the last drop! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! :)
I haven’t tried this yet but it looks delicious. What brand of Chai tea do you use? I haven’t found one that I like yet.
I try to buy organic when I can. I’ve enjoyed Numi and Tazo brands of rooibos chai.
Kate – I am just now drinking my first – and I plan to empty the can of pumpkin over the next few days! So good! I usually do not drink chai; my favorite spicy tea mix actually has no tea in it. I plan to make a very strong batch of Commonweal’s Most Nourishing and Healing Tea and use it, with turmuric and peppercorns added, in place of the chai next time. I love your recipes. My very favorites are your Baked Oatmeal and your “Cookie and Kate” Oatmeal (fluffy, not soggy).
Slightly obsessed with this recipe! I used cornstarch and scaled back to 1/2 tbsp maple syrup. Made no other changes and felt the ratios were perfect. I haven’t taken the time to make the coconut cream but I bet that would be delicious! It worked great with my immersion blender. Perfect cozy fall drink
Great to hear, Jen! Thank you for your review.
Hi – I read all of your reviews and am excited to make this recipe – I am wondering if you have tried making this iced and if it would work as well?
You can try it! Let me know what you think.
My first time having a pumpkin spice chai latte and this was amazing. I’ll be making this regularly throughout the fall season.
When will you do a SECOND cook book? I love the first…lost 20 pounds on it already! More, please! Warmly, Eileen
I don’t have a plan for one right now. But I do plan to keep adding new recipes to the blog.
I wonder if you could dehydrate the pumpkin to make a shelf stable mix…
10/10 buss
didn’t cook it long enough to make it thick but thats on me and it was still amazing so i dont care
thank you