Pumpkin Spice for Coffee and Tea: How to Make and Use It

There is something about pumpkin spice that tells you fall is here. Maybe it’s the cinnamon. Maybe it’s the nutmeg. Or maybe we’ve all just been trained to smell those warm spices and immediately start thinking about sweaters, cooler mornings, and the holidays. Whatever the reason, I love it.

And pumpkin spice is especially good with coffee and tea, as long as you don’t use so much that you can’t taste what you’re drinking anymore.

You want the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, but you still want your coffee to taste like coffee and your tea to taste like tea.

The other thing people sometimes don’t realize? Pumpkin spice doesn’t actually contain pumpkin.

What Is Actually in Pumpkin Spice?

Pumpkin spice, or pumpkin pie spice, is simply a blend of the warm spices traditionally used in pumpkin pie.

Most blends contain cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Some add allspice.

You can buy it already mixed, which is certainly easy. But if you have the individual spices sitting in your kitchen, making your own takes about two minutes.

My Simple Pumpkin Spice Mix

• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A pinch of ground cloves

Mix everything together and keep it in a little spice jar.

And please don't feel like you have to be precious about the measurements. If you love cinnamon, add a little more. If cloves aren't your favorite, use less.

Can You Just Put Pumpkin Spice in Coffee?

Yes. Absolutely. You do not need pumpkin puree, pumpkin syrup, or a complicated recipe just to make your morning coffee taste like fall.

Start with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and add a very small pinch of pumpkin spice. And when I say small, I mean small.

Nutmeg and cloves in particular can take over a cup of coffee surprisingly quickly. Stir it, taste it, and then decide if you want more.

You can also sprinkle a little pumpkin spice into your ground coffee before brewing. I actually like this approach because the spices brew with the coffee rather than sitting in the bottom of your cup.

Either way, start with less. You can always add more.

How Much Pumpkin Spice Should You Put in Coffee?

This is one of those questions where I wish there were one perfect answer. There isn't. It depends on how much coffee you're making, how strong your coffee is, and how much spice you like. For one cup, start with a pinch. Taste it. That's really the best advice I can give you. If you can no longer taste the coffee, you've gone too far.

Pumpkin spice should make a good cup of coffee more interesting. It shouldn't make you wonder where the coffee went.

An Easy Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Coffee and Tea

If you love pumpkin drinks and know you're going to make them more than once, make a little pumpkin spice syrup.

It's easy, it keeps in the refrigerator, and it works in hot coffee, iced coffee, cold brew, and tea. And this version actually does contain pumpkin.

What You'll Need

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar or pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon whole cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon whole allspice

Don't have all the whole spices? Use about a teaspoon of your pumpkin spice mix instead.

How to Make It

Combine everything in a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over low to medium heat.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You don't want a hard boil here. Take it off the heat and let it cool.If you used whole spices, pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer before putting it into a clean jar or bottle.Keep it refrigerated and give it a shake or stir before you use it.Start with about a tablespoon in your coffee or tea. Then taste it. You may want more. I usually think it's better to start with less sweetness and spice and work your way up.

What Coffee Tastes Best with Pumpkin Spice?

Now we're getting to the part I care about most.

The coffee matters.

When you start adding pumpkin, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, there is a lot going on in that cup. A very delicate coffee can simply disappear.

I like a coffee with enough body and roast character to hold its own. A medium-dark or dark roast is a natural fit, and espresso is wonderful if you're making a pumpkin spice latte.

Weaver’s Espresso Blend Coffee is one I particularly like for pumpkin drinks because you can still taste the coffee after you add the milk and spices.

And you don't have to own an espresso machine. Brew it as coffee if that's how you make coffee at home.

The point isn't to make the drink incredibly strong. You just want enough coffee character that pumpkin spice doesn't steal the whole show.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee

Pumpkin spice doesn't have to mean a steaming hot latte.

For a simple pumpkin spice iced coffee, fill a tall glass with ice and add:

• 1 cup chilled coffee or cold brew
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup
• Milk, half-and-half, or your favorite dairy-free alternative

Stir everything together and taste.

Finish it with a little cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg if you like.

One of our favorite tricks for iced coffee is to make coffee ice cubes. Freeze leftover brewed coffee in an ice cube tray and use those cubes instead of regular ice. As they melt, your drink gets more coffee instead of more water.

How to Use Pumpkin Spice in Tea

Coffee gets most of the pumpkin spice attention, but these spices are also delicious with tea.

We especially like pumpkin spice with black tea. A good black tea has enough body to stand up to cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, milk, and sweetness without disappearing.

Brew the tea a little stronger than usual, then add a small pinch of pumpkin spice. Add milk and honey or your favorite sweetener to taste.

You can also use the pumpkin spice syrup above. Start with about a tablespoon in a cup of hot black tea and adjust from there.

If you're a chai drinker, some of these flavors will already be familiar. Pumpkin spice and chai aren't the same thing, but they share several warming spices, particularly cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

And the same rule applies to tea as it does to coffee: don't overwhelm it. The spices should work with the tea, not cover it up.

Pumpkin Spice vs. Pumpkin Pie Spice

For the kind of drinks we're making here, pumpkin spice and pumpkin pie spice are essentially the same idea.

Both refer to a blend of warming spices traditionally associated with pumpkin pie.

And neither one necessarily contains pumpkin.

That's an important distinction when you're making drinks at home. If you put pumpkin pie spice into your coffee, you're adding the spices associated with pumpkin, not pumpkin itself.

If you want actual pumpkin flavor and body, add pumpkin puree as well. That's what you'll typically find in a homemade pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin coffee smoothie, or pumpkin coffee creamer.

Can You Make Pumpkin Spice Coffee Without Pumpkin Puree?

Yes, and sometimes that's exactly what we want.

If you simply want a cup of coffee with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, add your pumpkin spice blend or pumpkin spice syrup and leave out the puree.

You'll get the warm fall spice character without turning the drink into a pumpkin latte.

If you want the fuller pumpkin experience, that's when you bring in real pumpkin puree. Neither approach is right or wrong. They're just different drinks.

Want a Pumpkin Spice Latte?

That's where we give pumpkin its moment. A pumpkin spice latte combines coffee or espresso with milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and sweetness to make the classic fall drink at home.

Rather than repeat the entire recipe here, we've put it in its own guide so you can follow it from start to finish.

Make our Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe when that's what you're craving.

More Pumpkin Coffee Recipes

There are plenty of ways to put pumpkin and coffee together besides a latte.

If you want something cold and creamy, try our Pumpkin Coffee Smoothie. It combines chilled coffee with pumpkin, banana, yogurt, and fall spices.

Or explore our Pumpkin Spice Coffee Drink Recipes for more ideas you can make at home.

That's really the fun of pumpkin spice. Once you have a jar of the spice blend or a batch of pumpkin spice syrup in the refrigerator, you can experiment.

Add a little to coffee. Try it in tea. Make an iced coffee. Blend a smoothie. Make a latte on a cold morning.

Just don't forget the coffee or tea underneath all that pumpkin spice. Starting with a good cup makes the finished drink that much better.