Give Your Starbucks Caramel Macchiato A Touch Of Pumpkin Flavor

At Starbucks, the fall season also means the revival of fan-favorite pumpkin spices and sauces. And if you're getting bored of drinking pumpkin spice lattes days in and out, there's good news: There are many other pumpkin-theme drink recipes that the barista can make for you. These drinks are part of Starbucks' legendary "secret menu," and they aren't listed on the official beverage lists. One such drink that we're going to introduce to you today is the Pumpkin Caramel Macchiato.

This secret drink is a clever twist on the classic Caramel Macchiato recipe that you can order off the menu. While the original recipe makes use of vanilla syrup, in this one, it's swapped pump-for-pump with pumpkin sauce. In other words, three pumps of sauce for grande, and four for venti. After that, the drink is crowned with a dash of pumpkin spice topping and voila, you got yourself a Caramel Pumpkin Macchiato!

Just like with any Starbucks secret recipe, you're free to customize it in any way you'd like to suit your taste and preference. For vegans, lactose intolerants, and those who follow a dairy-free diet, simply swap out regular non-fat dry milk for oat or almond milk. You can also opt to take off the heavy cream, too, which is part of the original Caramel Macchiato recipe.

If you're counting calories, the best way to reduce the calorie content is to reduce the pumpkin sauce. Each pump of pumpkin sauce contributes 30 calories, so for a grande, that's equal to 90 calories (3 pumps) and 120 calories for a venti (4 pumps.) Feel free to tell the barista to take off a pump, but just remember not to take off too much, or else the pumpkin flavor may be washed out of the drink.

As for the caffeine content, the standard recipe should also come with two shots of espresso, which counts for about 150mg of caffeine. But if you want to add a jolt to the drink, there's no harm in adding an extra shot. It'll be the perfect way to start up your morning in style!