Pumpkin Spice – not just basic, but. a supportive fall food!

We make fun of this drink for being basic, and I get it. As for a lot of things with food in our world, we missed the original intent, and skipped to a syrupy, sugary version that can taste fine, but leaves a lot missing (no shame if you love a Starbucks PSL, but try this and you might fall in love!)

I first learned about making a pumpkin spice latte with real pumpkin back when I worked as a barista at Zocalo.

Most of the baristas were too cool for school and refused to serve this before Oct 1, but I couldn’t get enough and always happily made them.

And was surprised how much better I thought they tasted.

A glop of pumpkin puree, some frothed milk, some vanilla syrup, a touch of cinnamon, and voila!

Pure perfection in my eyes.

And the health benefits of pumpkin are immense! The warming spices are so helpful this time of year too to balance fall vata and anxiety and warm up to feel cozy mentally and physically.

Some more notes:

• adding vanilla isn’t necessary but makes it dream. My favorite is this vanilla bean paste – affordable and delicious! If you’re feeling fancy, make your own vanilla bean syrup.
• you can purchase pumpkin spice or make your own
• don’t accidentally buy pumpkin pie filling, make sure it’s just pure canned pumpkin