Are you tired of the same old boring coffee routine? Let me introduce you to the ultimate fall indulgence – pumpkin cream cold brew. It’s super flavorful and easy to make right at home.
Recipe Science
- The pumpkin cream is made by whipping cream with pumpkin puree and spices, incorporating air for a light, frothy texture that enhances the richness of the cold brew.
- The natural sugars in the pumpkin puree and added sweeteners dissolve into the cold brew, balancing the coffee’s bitterness with a subtle sweetness.
- Cold brewing the coffee extracts flavors more slowly than hot brewing, resulting in a smoother, less acidic base that pairs well with the spiced pumpkin cream.
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Why It Works
As the end of the year rolls around, I always look forward to the change in autumn to whip up a pumpkin spice latte. I’ve been making them at home to avoid the chaotic coffee house lines when they debut their fall menu. I’m switching things up this year with my take on the Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew recipe.
The recipe is easy and will save you tons of time and money. Just stock up on the ingredients and enjoy a cup in 10 minutes or less each day. I’ll show you how to make a vanilla-infused cold brew and a light, frothy pumpkin cream to float on top. It’s refreshing yet decadent. I love the contrast of textures, and I think you will, too!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cold Brew Coffee: Use your favorite brand of cold brew coffee, or brew your own! It has a smooth yet robust taste and tends to be less bitter than hot coffee due to the more gentle brewing process. I like to buy a large container to use throughout the week, saving money by purchasing a higher volume.
- Sweetener: I like to make simple syrup using equal amounts of sugar and water. I store a batch in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Alternatively, use pure maple syrup or honey.
- Vanilla: Starbucks adds vanilla syrup to the cold brew coffee. You can make your own or add some vanilla extract directly to coffee.
- Cream: Heavy whipping cream creates a rich foam to add on top of the cold brew. For a lighter consistency, use half-and-half.
- Pumpkin: Add in a small amount of pumpkin puree to enhance the pumpkin spice flavor. The cream tastes like the filling of a pumpkin pie.
- Spices: I always have a jar of homemade pumpkin pie spice for seasonal drinks and desserts. It combines cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
- Ice: This keeps the drink nice and chilly. Add more or less to your liking. Sometimes, Starbucks will serve their cold beverages without ice, like their nitro cold brew. This prevents diluting the flavor of the coffee beverage.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
Now that you know how to make a pumpkin cream cold brew, Starbucks’s copycat it’s easy to customize! Try these tasty ways to switch up the iced coffee:
- Cream: Use half-and-half instead of heavy whipping cream for a lighter topping. It contains 10.5 to 18% milk fat compared to 36%.
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based heavy whipping cream products or coconut cream. For a thinner consistency, shake up some oat milk, cashew milk, or almond milk mixed with pumpkin-flavored ingredients to pour on top of the cold brew.
- Sweetener: Omit completely or use honey, maple syrup, date syrup, agave, sugar, or brown sugar.
- Spices: If you’re not a fan of pumpkin spice, add your favorite spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom to add a sweet and warm flavor to the drink.
- Pumpkin: Use canned pure pumpkin, pumpkin pie filling with sweetener and seasoning already added, or homemade pumpkin puree.
- Flavoring: Instead of vanilla, try hazelnut, banana, maple, coconut, almond, or chocolate.
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Step 1: Make the Pumpkin Cream
You won’t believe how easy it is to make Starbucks’s pumpkin cream cold foam. It combines heavy cream, pumpkin puree, simple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Just like making whipped cream, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
Alternatively, add it to a mason jar and shake it up! Stop when the consistency is like a pourable foam thick enough to sit on top of the iced coffee. You don’t want it to be stiff. Stop just before it reaches soft peaks. It should be easy to sip and blend with the coffee.
Step 2: Make the Cold Brew Coffee
Add the ice, coffee, and simple syrup to sweeten the vanilla extract, then stir it.
Add a layer of pumpkin cream on top, then garnish with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Now it’s time to enjoy!
Pro Tip: Grab a large, tall glass, about 12 to 16 ounces in size. You want enough room to fit the ice cubes, 8 ounces of coffee, and about an inch of pumpkin cream cold foam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold brew coffee mixed with simple syrup, vanilla, and ice. It’s topped with a pumpkin cream cold foam mixture of heavy cream, simple syrup, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. It has a balanced sweet and bitter flavor.
When served at coffee houses, the drink is not usually mixed. However, it’s up to you how you’d like to enjoy it. Mix for a consistently creamy texture, or leave the layer of cream on top for a sip of the coffee and foam together.
Cold brew is smooth, intensely aromatic, and has a full-bodied consistency. Cold brew is steeped in cold water for one to two days and then strained. This makes the coffee less bitter with a more intense smell. Ice coffee is lighter in taste, can be more acidic or bold depending on the bean, and has a medium body. Iced coffee is usually brewed hot, then chilled and poured over ice.
Cold foam is a frothy milk topping to add a velvety texture when drinking a cold brew, iced coffee, and even iced teas. The Starbucks version is lightly sweetened with syrup and flavored, depending on the drink. It’s heavier than steamed milk foam because it uses heavy cream that’s at least 36% milk fat. It can be whipped by hand in a bowl, in a blender, hand-held milk frother, or shaken in a jar. It should be light and pourable, not thick like whipped cream.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cream
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin puree
- ⅛ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Cold Brew Coffee
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 cup cold brew coffee
- 2 teaspoons simple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Pumpkin Cream – In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, simple syrup, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice until foamy, thick, and pourable.
- Make the Cold Brew Coffee – In a 16-ounce glass, add the ice cubes, cold brew coffee, simple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Layer the desired amount of pumpkin cream on top. Garnish with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, or nutmeg.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Sweetener Alternatives: Use honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, sugar, or brown sugar.
- Make it Dairy-free: Use whipping cream alternatives or coconut cream.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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