I’m not sad though. $5 (maybe a little less) is a lot to spend on a drink in my opinion. This past weekend I created my first pumpkin spice frozen latte. Gluten free and Dairy free and just for good measure (since I live in Florida and it has been in the 90’s) I made it frozen. (And if you’re counting, MUCH cheaper!) Even if you don’t have a super-duper blender (I used a oster brand blender that is six years old) this drink works. Apparently almond milk doesn’t free as hard as water. You do have to do some prep work, but it’s completely worth it. Just make sure you start the night before you want to have your drink!
To Do the night before:
Freeze a tray full (or at least 8 ice cubes worth for one drink–but who can have just one??) of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Cold brew some coffee (I do decaf, but you are welcome to do regular!) Just grind your coffee, put it in a pitcher, add twice the amount of water (for 1/2 cup coffee you would add a cup of water) and then let it sit on the counter overnight. Strain it in the morning and refrigerate.
Put a can of coconut milk in the fridge to make some coconut whipped cream to put on top! (If you are going to splurge you might as well go all out!)
Ingredients:
8 unsweetened vanilla almond milk ice cubes
1/2 cup cold brew coffee
2 T pumpkin (I used organic)
1 1/2 to 2 T maple syrup (I didn’t try other sweeteners, but you are welcome to experiment. If you aren’t using whipped cream you probably will want more maple syrup!)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg (or to taste I know some people don’t love this spice like I do!)
1/8 t ginger
Throw it all in a blender and blend until smooth/slushy consistency. Pour it into your favorite cup and add your favorite straw. Top with some wonderful coconut whipped cream for a truly decadent treat! And there you have it! An allergy free version of a pumpkin spice latte for Florida. Now we can pretend it’s fall even though it won’t get cold for months! Enjoy your simple homemade decadent treat this weekend!
Notes: This IS NOT as sweet as the Starbucks drink. If you like sweeter drinks make sure to taste and adjust the sweetener before pouring into your favorite cup.
Adjust spices to your liking. Leave one out if you don’t care for it. A pumpkin pie spice blend would most likely work also, but I haven’t mixed mine up yet for the year.