Pumpkin spice season is here, and so is the pumpkin cream cold brew. This drink isn't as sweet as the PSL, and still has hints of fall spices and pumpkin that you love!
You'll also enjoy these copycat recipes for Starbucks pumpkin spice latte and Starbucks apple crisp macchiato. Don't miss our collection of 9 copycat Starbucks recipes, too!
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Why This Recipe Works
- It contains real pumpkin. No artificial syrups or flavors here; just a little bit of real pumpkin puree.
- It's customizeable. If you want yours sweet or unsweetened, or with more foam or less, it's easy to customize it.
- It's made with all-natural ingredients. There's no artificial syrups, preservatives, or thickening agents, so you can enjoy this recipe guilt-free!
Ingredients
You might be wondering: what ingredients are in a pumpkin cream cold brew? Starbucks lists their pumpkin cold brew ingredients as ice, brewed coffee, pumpkin cream cold foam, milk, pumpkin spice sauce, vanilla syrup, and pumpkin spice. This recipe doesn't use any artificial syrups, preservatives, or thickening agents.
- Cold Brew: this is made from cold brew coffee with a little sugar and vanilla extract added for extra flavor.
- Pumpkin Cream Foam: this is a whipped medley of cream, milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of pumpkin spice.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Dairy Free/Vegan: Use your favorite plant-based milk instead of the milk and cream. Our favorite is the Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend (affiliate).
How to Make
- Start by pouring the coffee into a 13-ounce glass.
- Add the vanilla and sugar.
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then taste and add more if desired. Keeping it a little bitter will give you a taste more like Starbucks'.
- Froth the pumpkin cream mixture with a milk frother or a hand-held electric mixer on high speed. It took about 2 minutes for the mixture to thicken using a mixer. The foam should be pourable, but hold its shape and have a texture similar to a very slack whipped cream.
- Pour the cream over the back of a spoon so it floats on top of the coffee. Be sure the surface of the coffee is still when you pour on the cream, or it won't float. This can take some practice, so don't be upset if your first try doesn't work. The drink will still taste great!
- Garnish the drink with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice, and enjoy right away!
Recipe FAQs
This Starbucks coffee drink is a medley of sweetened cold brew coffee and pumpkin-infused frothed milk. Pumpkin cream cold brew is meant to be a less sweet alternative to the pumpkin spice latte. It was originally released as part of Starbucks' fall drink lineup in August 2019, and has been released again in August 2020.
No, these two drinks are definitely not the same! Pumpkin cream cold brew is made from lightly sweetened cold brew and flavored with vanilla syrup, then topped with a creamy pumpkin foam. Pumpkin spice latte is made with espresso or strong brewed coffee and contains pumpkin syrup (or pumpkin milk) and steamed milk.
In fall 2023, Starbucks will have the pumpkin cream cold brew on its menu from August 24, 2023 to November 11, 2023 (Veterans' Day).
This coffee drink is only a little bit sweet, and has a slight bitterness from the cold brew. Unfortunately, the pumpkin flavor is quite subtle, since the pumpkin flavor is only in the foam. I could only use ½ teaspoon of pumpkin puree in the foam, as too much will prevent the foam from thickening.
Yes, it does! The cream is frothed with sugar, pumpkin, and spices to give it an orange hue and distinctive fall flavor.
Serve
If you love recreating your favorite coffee shop drinks at home, you'll need to try our copycat recipes for other Starbucks drinks! Try our fall favorite recipe for Starbucks salted caramel mocha. Try the Christmas favorite Starbucks peppermint mocha, too!
If you're a fan of some now-discontinued drinks, try these recipes for Starbucks eggnog latte, Starbucks gingerbread latte, and Starbucks smoked butterscotch latte. Get our recipe for the most popular drink at this coffee chain: Starbucks flat white. If you love cold brew, you might want to try our Chick-fil-A mocha cream cold brew.
Store
The cold brew concentrate will keep in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. Only make up the pumpkin cream mixture right before serving.
Expert Tips
- Use cold milk for the pumpkin foam, as it will froth a lot better.
- Want an orange-colored pumpkin foam? Add a couple pinches of turmeric to the foam; this shouldn't affect the foaming.
- Don't add extra pumpkin, vanilla, or sugar to the foam, or it won't thicken properly.
Other Copycat Starbucks Drinks
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Recipe
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Ingredients
For the Cold Brew
- 1 ½ cups cold brew concentrate
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ice cubes, if desired
For the Pumpkin Cream
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 pinches ground turmeric, optional (for color)
- pinch of pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Pour the cold brew, sugar, and vanilla into a 13-ounce glass and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add more sugar to taste, if desired.
- Pour all of the foam ingredients into a mixing bowl and froth them with a milk frother or a hand-held electric mixer on high speed. (If you're using a mixer, it will take about 2 minutes for the mixture to thicken to a whipped cream-like consistency.)
- Pour the pumpkin cream over the back of a spoon so it floats on top of the coffee. It may take a couple of tries to perfect this technique, so don't be discouraged if it doesn't work perfectly the first time.
- Garnish the drink with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice and enjoy immediately. Stirring it before drinking is up to you.
Notes
- Homemade Cold Brew: coarsely grind 6 ounces (170g) of medium-roast coffee beans (We used Starbucks' Pikes Place). Add 6 cups (1.42 liters) cold water and stir until blended. Seal in a mason jar or cold brew coffee maker and let it brew in the fridge for 20 hours. Strain out the grounds in a paper towel-lined sieve and refrigerate the strained coffee for up to 7 days.
- Make sure the milk and cream are thoroughly chilled when you whip them, or they won't thicken as much.
- Try not to add extra pumpkin, sugar, or vanilla to the pumpkin cream. The more add-ins it has, the less thick it will be.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Alex
I love how the spices blend together in the foam! The hint of pumpkin is delicious. I like this with extra sugar.
Emma
Glad you liked it, Alex!
Beth
This yummy coffee is very flavorful. It's filled with pumpkin, and I love the cream on top. It looks very nice!
Emma
Glad you enjoyed this, Beth!