Skip The Pumpkin And Try This Squash In Your Next Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

It's peak pumpkin spice season right now, and while getting your next PSL hit at a local Starbucks is fast and easy, it can get expensive real fast if you want one every day. That's why our DIY classic pumpkin spice latte recipe is a real hit every fall — not only is it easy to make, it's cheap to boot (and you can have it year-round, no need to follow Starbucks' seasonal menu). But if the pumpkin spice is getting a bit boring these days, here's an idea worth considering: Try using butternut squash purée in your next fall-themed latte.

They're both squashes — pumpkins and butternuts — but the latter tends to be sweeter, with a more pronounced nutty and buttery flavor. You can think of it as a sweet potato in the guise of a huge, pear-shaped squash. Your latte will end up a bit sweeter and richer than the PSL you're probably used to, but we guarantee it's "good different," not "bad." Swap it one-for-one in our recipe, and when cooked together with the mélange of spices like ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, and cinnamon, your butternut squash spice latte will be ready to wow and — just maybe — become your new morning favorite.

While you can purée the butternut squash right away and cook it together with spices and espresso on the stove, if you want to amp up the flavor of the drink to the nines, here's a pro-tip: season and cook it first. Peel and cut the squash, then give it a very light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then roast until tender in an oven (30 to 35 minutes in a 400-degree Fahrenheit pre-heated oven will do the trick). The roasting process will concentrate the natural sugars of the squash and make it all the sweeter — exactly what you'll want in your latte.

The seasoning might sound strange in a coffee recipe, but it actually helps balance the flavor of the squash. The fatty olive oil will help push the caramelization of the squash along to give you a sweeter-tasting purée (as well as lending to the purée its own natural grassy flavor). Meanwhile, the salt's going to give the squash a flavor boost by dulling the slight bitterness in its profile and crank the sweetness up — much like how it works for yum-ifying watermelon.

Roasting will also soften the squash even further, so when you puree it, it'll turn out extra creamy. In one fell swoop, you get a tastier and smoother latte to kickstart your morning than with the basic recipe. It takes extra time to prep, but, honestly? It's worth it.