This Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Coffee is a copycat of the Starbucks recipe and is perfect for fall. Plus, it’s made with real pumpkin!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Filtered water – you can use tap water or bottled water, I just find filtered water tastes best.
- Ground coffee – use your favourite ground coffee variety.
Vanilla syrup
- Sugar – use any cup-for-cup sugar substitute of your choice.
- Vanilla – almond extract will work but will have a different flavour.
Pumpkin spice mix
- Cinnamon – double up on the nutmeg if you don’t have any cinnamon.
- Nutmeg – use more cinnamon or even mace.
- Ginger – add in some more allspice instead.
- Allspice – cloves are the best substitute here.
Pumpkin cream
- Milk – feel free to use any dairy or dairy-free milk of your choice.
- Whipping cream – pureed tofu or coconut cream would both work instead of whipping cream.
- Pumpkin puree – this is pretty essential to the recipe. You can try swapping for mashed banana but it will have a very different flavour.
- Pumpkin spice mix – see ingredients above.
- Vanilla syrup – see ingredients above.
How to make pumpkin cream cold brew
Step 1: Make the vanilla syrup.
Combine the boiling water, sugar and vanilla in a mason jar, then let it cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Make the pumpkin spice mix.
Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice or cloves.
Step 3: Assemble your ingredients.
Prep all your ingredients and make the cold brew coffee.
Step 4: Make the pumpkin cream.
Combine the milk, whipping cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice mix and vanilla syrup using an immersion blender or beaters.
Step 5: Add everything to a glass with ice.
Add the vanilla syrup to a large glass with ice. Top with cold brew coffee, pumpkin cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice mix.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Making it dairy free/vegan
With just a few small changes, this drink easily fits into your vegan or dairy-free diet.
I use dairy milk and whipping cream for the pumpkin cream. Those can easily be switched with non-dairy milk. Coconut milk is a great option because it is already thicker and more creamy than dairy milk.
A good substitute for whipping cream is pureed tofu or coconut cream. It will give the drink a thicker texture plus add some protein. That's all it takes to make this pumpkin cold cream drink vegan!
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can't store your assembled pumpkin cream cold brew in the fridge for very long, you can prep certain components of this drink ahead of time. The cold brew will last in the fridge for up to 48 hours, the vanilla syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 months and the pumpkin cream can be stored in the fridge for about a week (but you'll likely need to re-froth it before serving). You can also store the pumpkin spice mix in your pantry for up to 3 months.
This recipe will only work for cold brew coffee, but if you're looking for a hot drink option, I suggest trying out my Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe! It tastes just like the Starbucks version.
The pumpkin cream will last in the fridge for about a week. It will likely lose it's frothiness, so I'd recommend re-frothing it before adding it to your cold brew coffee.
While some recipes call for pumpkin pie spice, I actually like to make my own pumpkin spice mix. It's super easy to make – all you need to do is mix together some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice or cloves. The spice mix can be stored in your pantry for up to 3 months.
There are 230 calories and 31 grams of sugar in the Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew whereas mine has just 137 calories including 15 grams of sugar. By making your own cream and syrup, you are saving a lot of those calories.
Storing components of this drink
Since you have to make each of the ingredients separately for this drink, it’s great to know that you can store them for later. You can make multiple batches of this drink or use the ingredients for other favourite drinks.
The cold brew coffee can stay in the refrigerator for a week. Unlike regular coffee that starts to lose its flavour almost instantly, cold brew will still taste great for days.
In addition to the cold brew, the pumpkin spice mix can be stored for up to 3 months in the pantry, the pumpkin cream will last in the fridge for up to 7 days and the vanilla syrup will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 months.
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- Get some cheesecloth to strain the coffee.
- I use smaller 4oz jars for storing homemade spice mixes (and just regular spices) such as the pumpkin spice blend.
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Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Coffee {Starbucks Copycat}
Ingredients
- 8 cups filtered water
- 2 cups ground coffee
- 1/4 cup vanilla syrup (see below)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin cream (see below)
- Pumpkin spice, for garnishing (see below)
Vanilla syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
Pumpkin spice mix
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp allspice or cloves
Pumpkin cream
- 1/2 cup milk (can use skim, 2% or whole)
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice mix
- 1 tsp vanilla syrup
Instructions
Cold brew coffee
- Make the cold brew coffee by mixing water and coffee grinds together in a large pitcher. Let sit overnight in the fridge for at least 12 hours (or up to 48 hours if desired).
- When ready to serve, slowly pour coffee through cheesecloth that is sitting in a fine mesh sieve into another large pitcher. Make sure you pour slowly and with precision to ensure there are no coffee grounds in the cold brew.
Vanilla syrup
- Add one cup boiling water and 1 cup sugar to a mason jar, stirring well. Stir in vanilla, then let cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge up to 2 months.
Pumpkin spice mix
- Mix all ingredients together for spice mix and store in an airtight container until ready to use. Will last for 3 months.
Pumpkin cream
- Mix all ingredients under the pumpkin cream heading together using an immersion blender or beaters in a large mixing cup.
Pumpkin cream cold brew drink
- Add a handful of ice to a large glass or mason jar, then mix in 1 tbsp of vanilla syrup. Top with 2 cups of coffee, then add 2 tbsp of pumpkin cream on top (you can do more of each to serve if desired). Before mixing, sprinkle with pumpkin spice mix. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Sam says
Hi! In the notes you say that the cream not frothed lasts a week, how long will it last once it is frothed? Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
It will last the same time, you may just need to re-froth it!
Morgan says
Thank you very much for sharing these recipes! The pumpkin cream is delicious- just what I was looking for. I’ve used it to make delicious coffee, but I also used it to make French toast after adding an egg to it. A new fall favorite!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! And thank you for the tip on the French toast, such a great idea!