Summertime PSLs Are Possible With Canned Pumpkin Puree

By the time summer hits, some of us have a hankering for a nice PSL (pumpkin spiced latte). By June, it's already been over six months since we had our last sip of the orange-tinted elixir, and we usually just wait until the fall season comes around for our next indulgence. But the truth is with a little ingenuity and some canned pumpkin puree, we could be making our very own PSLs at home at any time of the year. While most tend to save pumpkin puree for their fall pie recipes, it's still available year-round at grocery stores, meaning we can have pumpkin whenever we please — and that is surely a blessing. All you need to do is make a batch of pumpkin sauce.

The best part of making your own pumpkin sauce at home is that less than 1 cup of pumpkin puree can give you enough sauce for at least 10 PSLs. So even during the fall season, you could have budget-friendly PSLs daily, which saves a lot of money considering that the drinks now retail for roughly $5.95. To make your own batch of barista-approved pumpkin sauce, gather together some sugar, condensed milk, and that canned pumpkin puree.

The first step to making a PSL is to make delicious pumpkin sauce. This step might be a bit involved, but it's definitely worth the effort since you'll have a big batch of syrup to create many drinks. Although there are tons of homemade recipes with varying steps and ingredients, we found that the ones that simply combine pumpkin puree with milk do not taste like the real deal. The canned pumpkin is a puree after all, and it can give your PSL a chunky smoothie texture. The best approach is to heat the puree with all of the other ingredients for a smoother sauce.

According to Starbucks, the official sauce is made from pumpkin puree, condensed skim milk, sugar, natural flavors, and preservatives. The distinction between syrup and sauce came about when real pumpkin puree was added to the formula in 2015, making it a sauce. Your homemade pumpkin sauce starts with a simple syrup made from sugar and water, to which you'll add canned pumpkin puree and sweetened condensed milk. The sweetened condensed milk brings everything together, making it a cohesive sauce for any latte. Boil the whole mixture together and you'll soon have something that tastes like the actual Starbucks pumpkin sauce, but fresher. With this sauce, you could make any popular pumpkin drink, including the Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. Or, just enjoy an iced PSL on a hot summer's day — no fall leaves required.