Vegan "Starbucks": Pumpkin Spice Frappe or Latte Recipe: Cheap, Tasty and Healthy

As soon as the weather chills the blogs buzz with talks of Pumpkin Spice. Pumpkin beer, candles, lotions, and of course, the eternal seasonal latte. I won't pay for a pumpkin spice latte from somewhere like Starbucks when it's easy as sin to make my own superior, nutritious, fresh, low calorie vegan version! I've been enjoying mine with homemade raw vegan pumpkin pie. Here's how to make your own:

You'll Need: Ground Nutmeg, Ground Cloves, Ground Cinnamon, Coffee Grounds, Ice, Vegan Milk (I made my own coconut milk from shredded coconut, DIY on that here), stevia or sweetner of choice to taste.

Step 1) Add ground 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp cinnamon to your coffee grounds and brew as usual. (Or more to taste, I use loads of spice.) You can also add the spices later as you blend the frappe if you have a kurig.

Step 2) Add your coffee (1-2 cups), nut milk (1/2 to 1 cup), ice (1 cup) and sweetener to taste (I used 2 packets of stevia- a no calorie, 100% natural sweetener) to the blender. You can use any combination of milk to coffee ratio.

Step 3) Blend it up (I used my amazing Vitamix blender, it makes the latte professionally smooth), serve, and enjoy! The fat from the coconut milk separates and naturally floats to the top if you're making your coconut milk at home, creating a healthier protein and nutrient rich "foam" at the top!

Optional: To make this a latte instead, simply add your vegan nut milk and sweetener to your coffee, stir, and enjoy.

The Money Savings: A pumpkin spice latte will set you back about $3.75-$4.00, the homemade version costs about .75 cents!

The Calorie Savings: A venti pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks with whole milk and whip cream is 510 calories! One the same size made at home with one cup of coconut milk and stevia as sweetener is 80 calories and just as delicious, if not better. The smug satisfaction of making your own always makes it sweeter, dammit :D

For real, though, the main inspiration for sharing this is knowing friends/family who are trying to lose weight yet are enjoying a 510 calorie (sometimes more) sweet iced coffee in the morning. I'm 5'3" and need around 1,600 calories to "maintain" my weight, starting the day with a 510 calorie drink on top of breakfast would consume most of the day's calories (add a bagel with cream cheese and that's an easy 1,200 calories or so!) You can make your own decadent coffee-drank cheaper and more importantly, healthier! And it still tastes indulgent.

Are you going to make your own pumpkin spice latte this year? I'm enjoying one right now, c'mon caffiene, help me conquer all the things...

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