Tea drinkers rejoice: Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte is a great way to warm up in cold weather!
Four out of five of my kids are sick. Snuffling, sneezing, sore throat, goobery, gloppy, walking-petri-dish, tissue-dropping sick. This comes at the end of a week that was so busy that I didn’t know whether I was coming or going two-thirds of the time. There are five kids in this house, friends, you can imagine how many extra-curricular activities we have… To cap it off, my darling Evil Genius was on a five day business trip. In fact, as I write this, I’m waiting for him to walk back in the door.
I’m planning on tackle hugging him. He’d better brace himself.
The net effect of this all is that I’ve been pooped. Super pooped. I’ve been so pooped that I kind of created my own little song about it. Any ABBA fans out there? COME ON. Admit it. I’ve been singing “Super Pooper” to the tune of “Super Trooper”. Also, remember that “I Love Lucy” skit where she got lit on Vitameatavegamin? Her line was supposed to be, “Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular?” After too much of the Vitameatavegamin, she slurred out, “Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular?” I was totally unpoopular this week.
The one and only thing that kept me going was a steady stream of Pumpkin Spice Chai Lattes. Back in the day, I made these with a syrup made with pumpkin. The problem was two-fold… it relied on me remember to actually MAKE the syrup before a craving struck, and it wasn’t pumpkin-y enough. Where was my instant gratification fix that all those cool folks who live in places with Starbucks can get? When I saw Lori of Recipe Girl’s post of super easy and super pumpkiny Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I knew I had to modify it for the tea drinking crowd (read: ME!)
I opted to make this something I could dig into at a moments notice… Something that would be waiting for me in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks as I dipped into it as the need arose. The need arose A LOT this week.
Here’s how the process works. Because you will be agog when you realize how fast you’ll be sipping your very own fancy-pants Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte recipe. You mix pumpkin puree with brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, grated nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. That’s your base! After you’ve mixed it together, you scoop it into a jar with a tight fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator until you need it. Oh hey… how about you mix one up before you stash it in the refrigerator.
Now you’re going to brew yourself a VERY strong, rather small cup of chai tea. Yes, that is one mega mug and there’s very little tea in it… I wanted to leave mucho room for the pumpkin latte portion of the program. “Excuse me, miss. I ordered a LARGE?” (Name that movie.) Now you scoop a couple tablespoons of the pumpkin spice base into a microwave safe cup (or a saucepan). Add a cup(ish) of milk; whisk or mix in thoroughly with a fork. Heat it up in the nuker or the saucepan until it’s steamy and frothy. Pour it into the tea.
You can serve it up as is… You wouldn’t be sorry. I promise.
It’s creamy, spicy, and oh-so-pumpkiny. But there’s a little something else you could do to take it over the top. You probably know where I’m going with this, right?
WHIPPED CREAM and LOTS of it! Don’t forget to shave a little nutmeg over the top. That you WOULD regret. Believe me. There’s one final instruction. Wrap both hands around that mug and slurp. Lick your upper lip to make sure you got all the whipped cream and nutmeg. Now tell me… do you feel happier than you did when you started?
P.S. Coffee drinkers… we tea drinkers are an accommodating crew. If you replace the specified chai with a shot of espresso or a small cup of strongly brewed coffee, you will have yourself a pretty dandy coffee Pumpkin Spice Latte, or so my dearest coffee drinkers have told me.
Use this to make Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte
- Looking for some great Chai? This is my preferred brand when I’m not mixing up my own blend.
- Mini Whisk
- Whipped Cream Dispenser
Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte {real pumpkin}
Rate RecipeIngredients
For the Pumpkin Spice Base:
- 1 cup real pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch of salt
For the Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte:
- 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Spice Base
- 1 cup milk whole, 2%, skim, almond, coconut, soy, what have you...
- 1 chai tea bag. I like Stash Chai Spice best.
Optional for serving:
- Whipped Cream
- fresh nutmeg
Instructions
To Make the Pumpkin Spice Base:
- Mix all of the base ingredients together until it is evenly coloured and darkened. Scrape it into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To Make a Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte:
- Pour about 4 ounces of boiling water over the chai tea bag (unless you're using green or white chai, in which case you use under-boiling water!) Let it sit while you prepare the pumpkin milk.
- Stir the Pumpkin Spice Base and the milk together in a microwave safe 2 cup container or a saucepan until smooth. If microwaving, heat on high until steamy and frothy. If heating in a saucepan, heat over medium high heat until steaming hot.
- Pour the hot milk into the tea. You can leave the tea bag in if you'd like it very strong or remove it according to your own preference. Serve as is or top with a thick cap of whipped cream and a few scrapings of nutmeg. Say ahhhhhhh.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!
This post was originally published September 21st, 2013, updated September 2015, and again with links and information in October, 2017.
Reader's Thoughts...
sue Lee says
Not pumpkin pie filling…
Do they sell pumpkin puree in the store or will I have to make my own? It sounds wonderful! I’m going to make some today! Thank you for the recipe!
Lauren L. @ Newest Obsession says
Yum! I just made this with 1/3rd of the sugar and it is fabulous! I also used mostly tea and just a few tablespoons of coconut milk to make it creamy. Thanks for reducing pumpkin spice latte consumption!
Sue T. says
Holy smokes, this is soooo good!! Perfect blend and flavor. It is my new favorite after dinner treat, plus I am upping my calcium, so it has to be healthy, right??? No more spending $4 for a mediocore PSL!
Carol says
Just tried this. Delicious. Thank you. Was sad when I kept seeing PSL at the coffee shop. I am not a coffee drinker, so this was a great gift.
Sarah says
This was sooo good! I made it this morning and can’t wait to make it again tomorrow. Or tonight 😉
kelley {mountain mama cooks} says
What I wouldn’t give to sip on a mug of tea while hanging in your living room and catching up on life. Miss you!! xo
Carrie says
Coffee *instead* of tea? How about just a shot of espresso WITH the tea. Yum. (don’t knock it ’til you try it!)
Rebecca says
I am familiar with ‘dirty chai’, Carrie, but sadly, coffee does not like me. I like it just fine, but it’s not friendly to my heart rate. 😀
Carol Gindt says
My husband, daughter and I live north of the Arctic Circle (Kotzebue, Alaska). The only way to get to our location is by air….there are no roads traveling in our out of this location. I am so happy I “stumbled” upon your blog. Your writing is entertaining and the recipes are delightful 🙂 Today my daughter made the Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte (minus a couple of ingredients our grocery store was sold out of) recipe…..words can express how much we enjoyed our “cup of yup” thanks to you! Fall foods and recipes are something my daughter and I have enjoyed together for years – especially the flavor of pumpkin. We are making a trip to Anchorage in 2 weeks (540 miles from Kotzebue by air) and have our long grocery list made (with key ingredients from your recipes). Thank-you for the time you put in your writing and for sharing tried and true recipes!
Carol Gindt, Kotzebue Alaska
Rebecca says
Hooray, Carol! I’m so glad I could bring some fun your way. Alaska is one place I’ve always wanted to visit that I’ve not seen. Desperately! You must have some serious pioneer spirit living there! I can’t wait to hear what else you’ve tried from FwF!
Shira says
Hi there.. I love this.. I don’t drink coffee and no lie when I saw that other recipe you linked to I thought “I wonder if that would work with chai tea?!”
And then I found this yay.. Just made with almond milk, so amazing.
And also unbelievably happy about your movie quote.. My sister and I had So I Married an Axe Murderer on vhs (one of like 2 tapes we owned) and can basically recite it to this day.. “Wooooooooo- MAN” 😉
Makes this Canadian proud to see it getting some love!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Rebecca says
Hooray! You DO realize there is a quote fest waiting to happen here. I’m pretty certain that if you sat my siblings down and properly caffeinated us we could recite it from start to finish!
I’m awfully glad Team Tea has some serious Pumpkin Spice love going for us now. 😀
Chels says
I cannot wait to make a mug full of this!
Rebecca says
Do let me know when you try it!
Tieghan says
Just posted my own chocolate version of a pumpkin spice latte today, but I am LOVING the full cup of pumpkin in yours. So awesome!
Lorna says
Do you think the base could be frozen in portions in ice cube trays so it would last longer than 2 weeks?
Rebecca says
I haven’t tested it but I think that would work. Pumpkin usually freezes beautifully, so I’m pretty sure you’d be okay here!
MrsBrownie says
You just made my day! I am craaaaving a PSL but have been trying to cut back on caffeine.
Andrea says
Sipping right now! Made it as soon as I saw it, 2 babies napping – this is the perfect treat! Question- I only have black tea, can I just up the spices in the concentrate and then use it with reg black tea you think?
Susan says
Wish she would have answered this…
Rebecca says
Hi Susan- She (meaning me) never saw this comment. You may notice there were quite a few here. In answer to your bumping up her question, of course you can try it! I haven’t tried it myself, so I don’t know what the results will be, but it should be delicious regardless of whether it’s chai or black tea.
Susan Rooney says
Thank you. Sorry if I offended you. Thought there might be some alterations for using plain black tea.
Rebecca says
No offense taken! I just always find it funny when people refer to me like I’m not there. 🙂 I think it tastes lovely in plain black tea, or in chai, or in coffee (I’ve snuck a sip from my kids’ cup.) Honestly, it’s also good just stirred into hot milk (whether dairy, almond, soy, or other…)
Susan says
Rebecca ?, excellent idea to put into just milk (or soymilk). I do appreciate the recipe, and all of your work.
Julie B. says
So I Married An Axe Murderer! HELLO! One of my favorite movies. Now I need to watch it with a large cup of pumpkin spiced chai tea! Or the Cubby Wubby Womb Room 😉
Thanks for this recipe, I’ve been looking for a good pumpkin spiced mix for tea and coffee!
Rebecca says
YEAH! I’m so glad someone got it! I love that movie. I quote it indecently often. And when I meet someone named Harriet? Forget it. I start reciting the poem! I hope you love the chai!
Julie B. says
So many lines to choose from. It’s hard for me to not write all of them! Ok, just one 😉
Head! Pants! Now!
Seriously putting in the movie now
Christina says
She stole my heart and my cat….
Katie says
This is the first thing I am going to make once I am over this yucky sick first trimester!
Traci says
Oh yum!!! I will be making this!! I love me some pumpkin spice..but a lot of the “coffee shop” drinks taste SO SO SO faux!! And I do believe I have everything I need to make one today..WIN! Thanks 🙂
Dianne says
Ok, I am officially making this today. Because I’m looking for a pumpkin “treat” that I can enjoy without wrecking my blood sugar, I will be subbing coconut sugar for the brown sugar. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing!
Brittany says
I just found out about the Chumpkin drink at biggby (chai with pumpkin) and I’ve been getting it almost every day since. I’m a Starbucks fan and I know they use Tazo Chai tea (the pre-made stuff) and do a 1:1 ratio with milk. So I made that up and added some of this pumpkin base and it is exactly what I hoped for it to be. I’m very excited!
Rebecca says
Oooooh Brittany! That sounds AMAZING! I’m going to have to give that a go sometime! Is the Tazo Chai mix pre-sweetened?
Happy Valley Chow says
Mmm I love pumpkin spice latte, your recipe sounds awesome!
Happy Blogging!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This latte sounds fabulous! Yum!