These Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos are a tasty spin on a fall fave – they’re perfect for iced coffee lovers with way less calories!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Espresso shots – you can use a fancy espresso maker or a pod coffee machine, just make sure to brew the espresso shot.
- Milk – use any dairy or dairy-free milk of your choice. Skim milk is a good choice if you want to cut down on calories.
- Pumpkin puree – mashed bananas can be used instead, but your drink won’t have that strong pumpkin flavour.
- Whipped cream – leave this off if you’re trying to cut down on calories.
Simple syrup
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- Sugar – or any cup-for-cup sugar substitute of your choice.
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.
How to make a pumpkin spice frappuccino
- Make the simple syrup.
- Add everything to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Garnish with whipped cream and the spice mix and enjoy!
Making a dairy-free frappuccino
With just a few small changes, this drink can easily be made vegan or dairy-free!
I use dairy milk and whipping cream for the pumpkin spice frappuccinos, but they can easily be switched for non-dairy milk and whipped cream. Coconut milk is a great option because it is thicker and more creamy than dairy milk, and you can even find coconut whipped cream in many grocery stores these days!
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this pumpkin spice frappuccino, you’ll need espresso shots, simple syrup, milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice mix (made using a simple blend of spices you probably already have on hand), ice and whipped cream. It’s surprisingly easy to make at home and you’ll save money and calories!
Yes, it does. Just like the pumpkin spice frappuccino at Starbucks, each drink has two shots of espresso. The total caffeine content will vary based on what kind of espresso mix you use. If you don’t want it to be too strong, feel free to use just one shot of espresso per drink instead of two.
Starbucks’ pumpkin spice frappuccino has a whopping 420 calories per serving for a Grande (16 oz.) size, whereas mine only has 227 calories per serving, so you’re saving a significant amount of calories by making this drink at home.
Storing components for future frappuccinos
I make the simple syrup and pumpkin spice blend in advance so that it's easy to make a frappuccino in no time! You can store both the simple syrup and the pumpkin spice blend for 2 to 3 months. You can also store leftover pumpkin puree in a glass container up to 2 weeks so that you can enjoy multiple frappuccinos!
I don't recommend making these drinks in bulk because they will become watered down – they are best to enjoy right away.
More pumpkin spice recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- I use 16oz mason jars as cups and storage containers for these drinks.
- Vitamix is my all-time fave blender – it crushes through ice super easily!
- You can also use a Magic Bullet for individual servings of this drink.
- I use smaller 4oz jars for storing homemade spice mixes (and just regular spices) such as the pumpkin spice blend.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos
Ingredients
- 4 espresso shots
- 1/3 cup simple syrup more or less depending on how sweet you like things
- 1 cup 2% milk 1% or skim if you want a low-fat version)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice mix
- 12 ice cubes
- Whipped cream optional
- Pumpkin spice mix for garnish
Simple syrup
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 1/3 cup sugar
Pumpkin Spice Mix
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp ginger
Instructions
- Make simple syrup by boiling water and mixing it with sugar. In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin spice mix and set aside.
- Add espresso, simple syrup, milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice mix and ice to a blender.
- Mix together until there are no chunks of ice left.
- Add whipped cream (if desired)and garnish with a pinch of pumpkin spice mix. Serve and enjoy right away!
Ian says
Hi there I made this recipe this morning and all I can taste is the spices. I also had to use almost three times the amount of ice cubes to get the frappuccino consistency. Could that be why? I used coconut milk too. If I was to make this again I’d probably have to use 3x the amount of puree/syrup. I used a butternut squash for a pumpkin substitute also. Apparently it tastes the same
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Ian – did you use 2 tsp pumpkin spice mix per two drinks? I have ingredients listed to make the pumpkin spice mix (2 tbsp cinnamon, etc) but you will have some leftover. Just want to make sure you used the correct measure first. With the substitutions you made there could be a change in consistency and taste so it’s hard to tell what went wrong here.
Marly says
OK, don’t laugh when I tell you this – this looks amazing! The thing is, I’m vegan and I don’t drink coffee. But somehow, someway, I need to adapt this recipe for my life. 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
Haha aww Marly!!! I’m sure you could adapt possibly as a chai pumpkin spice latte frapp? I don’t drink tea very often but assume it could sub in for the coffee and then you could definitely use almond or coconut milk instead! In fact, I’m a HUGE fan of coconut milk in lattes and cappuccinos – it brings this different subtly sweet flavour but it’s oh so good! Lemme know if you end up tweaking this!