Alright, I’m just going to say it: pumpkin coffee drinks are not usually my favorite. There. I know. It’s practically sacrilegious to admit this out loud, especially with fall drinks starting a frenzy on every coffee house’s menu right now.
That being said, I’m a hard one to sell on pumpkin flavored drinks, and yet – this one is to die for. It’s so good, you guys. I really even surprised myself with this one.
I think because this combines a few things I really love, the pumpkin flavor was just a nice surprise. It’s shaken espresso, which is my go-to lately, but you can easily swap this out for cold brew if you want. Then, there’s plenty of vanilla in there, and I’m a fan of vanilla based drinks. Then, it’s topped with a delicious pumpkin pie flavored cold foam that is so good I would eat it with a spoon (and I might have…shhhh!).
The whole combo takes just a few minutes to throw together and it’s a pumpkin pie flavored drink that will have you giddy for things like leaves changing color, cooler temps, cardigans and the holidays.
Here’s how you make it:
This drink has a few different parts, so here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Espresso Shots: I used a double espresso Nespresso pod. You can use any espresso or even make shots with instant espresso. You can swap this out for cold brew, too, but then it won’t have the shaken, frothy texture. I use my Nespresso Vertuoline machine to make espresso and it makes it so easy.
- Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce: I used about 1 tbsp of sauce in the sweet cream mixture and it’s delicious.
- Milk of Choice: Lately, I’ve been all about the Califia Farms Barista Blend Oat Milk. It froths so well and is really creamy. But, use whatever works for you here. If you don’t make a request at Starbucks, they traditionally use 2% milk. If you like the way their coffees taste, you can use that as your milk.
- Heavy Cream: You’ll need heavy cream with your milk of choice to make your sweet cream. You can swap this out if needed, but the sweet cream won’t get the same texture as the sweet cream cold foam used at Starbucks.
- Vanilla Syrup: I used my own recipe for vanilla simple syrup here, but you can also use a store bought version. I’ve tried several different brands and they’re all good. This will go in the coffee and the sweet cream.
- Ice: Yaaaaasss. Ice, ice, baby. I do not brew the coffee over ice, because it melts it and waters it down too much. I brew my espresso into an espresso cup, so that it cools a bit before adding it to the sauces to melt them. By the time you are adding the ice, it’s cooled enough where it won’t melt the ice as quickly.
Alright, now that you’re ready to go, let’s get this party started. Also, affiliate links are used above, which means at no cost to you, I may receive a commission if you make a purchase through my links. Cheers!
HOW TO MAKE A PUMPKIN CREAM SHAKEN ESPRESSO:
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I shared this video on Instagram that walks you through it. Scroll down for the step-by-step instructions.
- Mix 2 espresso shots and a cup of ice in a shaker and shake, shake, shake,
- Add to a glass and add 1-2 tbsp vanilla syrup
- Add more ice if needed, I always do.
- Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of milk, based on how strong you want the coffee flavor.
In a separate glass:
- Mix 4 tbsp. heavy cream, 2 tbsp. milk of choice, a splash of vanilla syrup and 1 tbsp pumpkin pie sauce with a mixer for about one minute.
- Pour over the coffee.
- Add pumpkin pie sauce drizzle on top or pumpkin pie spice seasoning. Whatever you like.
- Enjoy!
Answering Your Questions About Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso:
Can I use syrup instead of sauce?
If you have the pumpkin pie syrup instead of the sauce, you can still make this drink. You could swap out the vanilla in the drink for the pumpkin pie syrup and get more pumpkin flavor, or you can use the syrup instead of the sauce in the cold foam. It’s up to you and how much pumpkin flavor you like 🙂
Can I use cold brew?
You definitely can swap out the cold brew. I wouldn’t shake the cold brew, though, and you will need less milk added, because cold brew is made with water and is less strong. Just a splash of oatmilk is probably going to be enough, or just adding the pumpkin cream might be enough. Starbucks only adds the pumpkin cream on top of cold brew with no additional milk added.
Can I make the pumpkin cream without dairy?
I have not tested this recipe as a fully dairy free cream, but I’m sure you could figure it out. I do use oatmilk instead of the traditional 2% milk that they use at Starbucks to cut the dairy amount down a little and it still has the same texture. If you swapped out the heavy whipping cream for something non-dairy, it would still taste good, but would probably not have the same soft whipped texture.
MORE COFFEE RECIPES:
Looking for more coffee recipes you’ll love? Check these out.
- The viral iced white mocha with vanilla sweet cream and caramel drizzle drink made at home
- Best Iced Caramel Mocha
- 11 Starbucks drinks you can make at home
- Iced butter pecan copycat (dunkin’ coffee)
- Starbucks iced caramel brulee latte copycat
- Best iced Mexican mocha ever
I hope you love this delicious fall coffee recipe.
Get roasted,
A
