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It’s that time of year! Pumpkin spice season has arrived at your local coffee shop. Save yourself time and money by making this homemade pumpkin spice syrup recipe. It’s the perfect way to add delicious fall flavor to your homemade lattes and coffee drinks.
Jump to:
- What's in Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup
- How to Store Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Use Pumpkin Purée, Not Pie Filling
- Looking for More Pumpkin Recipes?
- How to Use Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- FAQs and Substitutions
- More Fall Syrup Recipes for Your Coffee
- More Pumpkin Cocktail Recipes You’ll Love
- Print the Recipe Card
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup Recipe
I prefer homemade simple syrup recipes to Starbucks pumpkin spice syrup because I can use simple ingredients to create a delicious syrup without spending much money.
Don’t get me wrong - I love Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, but my budget doesn’t love how often I buy them and making my own pumpkin spice sauce is my way of bringing that delicious fall flavor to my coffee every morning.
This homemade pumpkin syrup uses actual pumpkin, no extracts or artificial flavorings. You’ll get the best flavor from using the real fruit and we’re using only real ingredients in this pumpkin spice coffee syrup.
It’s the perfect addition to coffee with hot milk or to bring the fall season to your favorite latte recipes. You can also drizzle this pumpkin sauce on vanilla ice cream to give it the flavor of pumpkin pie filling.
What's in Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Brown sugar - Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar both work here, so use whatever you have on hand.
- Pumpkin puree - Canned or homemade both work, just make sure it's 100% pumpkin without any flavors added.
- Vanilla extract - Use pure vanilla extract for this recipe. Skip the artificial flavored stuff.
- Ground cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves - The BFFs that make up the "spice" part of pumpkin spice. You'll need all four of these to get right pumpkin pie flavor.
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add pumpkin puree and spices to the brown sugar syrup.
Let cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat.
Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes and come to room temperature.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl.
Pour the syrup through the strainer. Use a spatula to gently stir the syrup and move it through the strainer. Don't press, just stir and be patient.
Discard anything left in the strainer.
To remove more pumpkin puree, strain the syrup through the fine mesh sieve a second time.
Store the syrup in an airtight container - like a glass jar or mason jar - in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
How to Store Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Store your homemade pumpkin syrup in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator. Pumpkin spice simple syrup will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Do NOT store it at room temperature.
Use Pumpkin Purée, Not Pie Filling
When using canned pumpkin, be sure to use 100% pumpkin purée in this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling that’s already been sweetened. Your local grocery store might stock the two ingredients side by side, so make sure you’re getting pure pumpkin.
Looking for More Pumpkin Recipes?
Can't get enough pumpkin? Me either! Try my pumpkin baked oatmeal for breakfast or shake up this pumpkin pie martini (made with pumpkin infused vodka) for your fall happy hour.
How to Use Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup
You can use this homemade pumpkin spice sauce with your favorite coffee and milk of choice. It’s delicious in whole milk, skim milk, oat milk, and almond milk.
- Make a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte - Stir 1-2 oz of your homemade pumpkin syrup in to your morning coffee or homemade lattes. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg for a decadent finish.
- Make Pumpkin Cold Foam! Add 1 oz of pumpkin syrup to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream + 2 tablespoons of milk. Using a milk frother, whip the mixture until light and creamy. Use it to top your favorite iced coffee or cold brew!
- Use it instead of brown sugar syrup in my Coffee Old Fashioned for a delicious fall twist on one of my favorite bourbon cocktails.
- Make my Pumpkin Spice Martini, which features this pumpkin simple syrup.
FAQs and Substitutions
Yes. If you don’t like brown sugar or don’t have any on hand, you can easily make this recipe for pumpkin spice syrup using white sugar. It will change the flavor a bit, but still be delicious.
Yes, you can use whole cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, etc. if you prefer. Break the nutmeg into smaller pieces before adding to the syrup and be sure to peel and slice fresh ginger before adding it. Test the flavor of the syrup after it has steeped for an hour to see if it needs to steep longer to suit your tastes.
Absolutely! If you prefer to make your own pumpkin puree instead of buying it canned, that would be very delicious in this recipe.
Keep straining it! You can pour the mixture through the fine mesh strainer as many times as you want to continue removing the pumpkin puree. I find 2 times is good for me, but feel free to do more if desired. Skip using a cheesecloth though. The pumpkin puree is too thick and you'll end up with a mess that never makes it through the cloth.
More Fall Syrup Recipes for Your Coffee
If you love the apple crisp macchiato at Starbucks, stir some of my apple cider simple syrup into your next cup of coffee. Not into apples and coffee? Cinnamon and fall go hand-in-hand, making cinnamon simple syrup a delicious addition to your morning coffee (or an afternoon hot cider).
More Pumpkin Cocktail Recipes You’ll Love
Print the Recipe Card
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- In a small pot over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
- Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Add pumpkin puree and spices to the brown sugar syrup.
- Let cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat.
- Let the mixture cool for 30 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl.
- Pour through the strainer. Gently stir the syrup to help it go through the strainer.
- Rinse out the strainer and discard its contents.
- Store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Ruth Moore says
This is delicious and so good in coffee.
Katy McAvoy says
I'm so glad you liked it!!
Marissa says
I am obsessed with this recipe!!! I love making a batch and keeping it in my fridge to use throughout the week. It adds the perfect amount of fall seasonal flavor to my daily coffee.
Katy McAvoy says
I'm so glad you like it!!
June says