Easy DIY Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer Starts With Sweetened Condensed Milk And Canned Pumpkin
When fall finally arrives, coffee fans want to enjoy as many cozy pumpkin beverages as possible. The only potential downside is the cost, as a $5 (or more) café drink per day can create a Great Pumpkin-sized hole in your wallet. Luckily, you can supplement your seasonal drink orders by whipping up delicious autumnal beverages at home, and one of the best ways to get started is with a versatile, easy DIY pumpkin spice creamer.
This simple yet scrumptious formula starts with 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree and one can of sweetened condensed milk. Put these ingredients in a blender along with a generous pour of half-and-half, plus pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract to taste. Finish with a pinch of salt and whirl everything together until smooth, creating a thick yet pourable mixture. You can pour the creamer through a fine-mesh sieve for extra silkiness or use it as-is. It's sweet, rich, and warmly spiced and will turn your coffee and tea into a cozy autumnal delight.
This recipe works so well because condensed milk is ideal for homemade coffee creamer. It's thick and creamy with a concentrated sweetness, creating a dead ringer for café-style creamers. Because the condensed milk is so sugary, you must combine it with unsweetened pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Using the latter is a mistake you may be making with pumpkin spice lattes and other drinks, as using pie filling can create overly saccharine beverages. Unsweetened puree adds a balanced, authentic pumpkin flavor that frankly puts some store-bought PSLs to shame.
Ways to customize and use DIY pumpkin spice creamer
Since this pumpkin spice creamer recipe is so simple, there are endless ways to customize it. If the consistency of condensed milk plus half-and-half is too rich for you, replace the latter with whole milk. This creates a lighter texture. On the flip side, you can make this creamer non-dairy by using condensed coconut or sweetened condensed oat milk and a plant-based heavy cream or milk substitute of your choice.
You might feel tempted to add cozy, autumn-forward sweeteners like brown sugar, maple syrup, turbinado sugar, or molasses to your creamer, all of which pair great with pumpkin and spice. However, remember that the condensed milk is already very sweet. To fit in alternative sweeteners, use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk in the recipe, as the former has the same thickness without any added sugar. This modification also makes room for other tasty, sweet additions, like caramel or hazelnut syrup or apple, pumpkin, or cookie butter.
Beyond using it in DIY classic pumpkin spice lattes, you can swirl your pumpkin creamer into chais, cold brew, or even a white mocha. Pair it with other delicious ways to give coffee a fall twist, like adding a pinch of cloves and orange zest to the creamer or topping your drink with an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. With so many possibilities, you'll want to whip up this coffee mix-in all autumn long.
@katerinafaith Homemade Pumpkin Spice Creamer Ingredients: 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 14 oz half & half 1 cup canned pumpkin 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Instructions: Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a mason jar or airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Shake well before each use.