You can make a Pumpkin Spice Latte at home with no espresso machine — here's how
Latest from Tom's Guide ·
Erin Bashford is a senior reviews writer at Tom’s Guide. She has a Master’s in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia and 7 years of experience reviewing music and events for various publications. She has edited publications such as Outline Magazine’s Guide to Norwich, and she has written for a number of music magazines and websites such as Clash Magazine, Outline Magazine and Dork Magazine. She has a strong interest in audio gear and the music world. As an ex-barista, Erin is passionate about coffee tech. She also loves finding the best cooking hacks and kitchen appliances, including her beloved Instant Pot. In her spare time, you can find her reading, practising yoga, hiking, writing fantasy novels, or stressing over NYT Games.
I'm Erin, and welcome to The Coffee Lab Episode 24, the series where we forget coffee snobbery. The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun. Join me as I help you kickstart your coffee journey!
Controversial opinion incoming, but if you don't have an espresso machine, you can still make great-tasting coffee at home. Some coffee snobs will disagree, and that's fine, but this recipe isn't for them. This is for the I-love-coffee-but-I-can't-afford-a-machine crowd. I see you! I'm here for you!
I used to be a Starbucks barista, so the amount of PSLs I've made is off the charts. Although Starbucks keeps its PSL sauce recipe pretty secret, you can get copycat-ish syrups everywhere online, so you can easily make the fall favorite at home. To make it even more Starbucks-y, just add a touch of condensed milk to the pumpkin syrup. For this recipe, I used Monin Pumpkin Spice syrup ( $10 on Amazon ), but you can use any you like.
The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun and accessible, so let's demystify the ubiquitous fall drink! It's no-machine PSL time.
I used Nescafé Instant Espresso ( $10 at Amazon ) for this recipe, but you can use anything you like. Add one or two teaspoons, depending on strength preference, and a dash — about one ounce — of hot water to mix.
Didn't I say this was easy? Now combine your pumpkin spice syrup (remember, condensed milk and orange food coloring if you want it truly Starbucks-y), and instant espresso. Mix, and you're done!
You can prepare your milk in multiple ways. Either simply heat it up in the microwave (which is what I did for this recipe), or you can use a milk frother. I have the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro 2 ($159) and the Subminimal Nanofoamer Go ($34). The moral of the story is to use whatever you have!
And you're done. I said this was easy, didn't I?
You can add whipped cream or nutmeg on top if you want to make it even fancier.
I'm not going to lie: this will not fool any PSL diehards. You can tell it's not Starbucks from just looking at it — Starbucks PSLs are bright orange. However, for a fraction of the cost, and without requiring you to fork out on an espresso machine, I'm extremely happy drinking my Pumpkin Spice Faux-tte all fall long.