Pumpkin cold brew is the easiest fall coffee drink to make at home. A homemade salted caramel syrup, warming fall spices, and pumpkin take this creamy coffee drink over the top!
Soo pumpkin cold brew is definitely falling under the category of overhyped fall coffee drinks. The ones you probably tell yourself you don’t need whenever you drive by Starbucks….
Love ’em or hate ’em?
Love the coffee, hate the price which is typically how it goes. Fall is BRUTAL for the coffee budget, lemme tell ya.
Occasionally a Starbucks fall drinks splurge is fun. But what’s even more fun is not splurging on drinks but still having said drinks in the comfort of your own home. ??
This Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cold Brew Coffee ticks all the fall coffee boxes. >>
- It’s packed with sweet ‘n’ salty caramel, creamy pumpkin, a hint of fall spices, and plenty of vanilla for flavoring.
- It’s lower on the sugar + fat content than most fall coffees. Only 200 calories per glass!
- They are so very easy to mix up. You can make the caramel syrup and the pumpkin cream mixture ahead of time and store them in the fridge for days.
Salted Caramel Syrup
First and foremost: if you feel slightly wary about making your own coffee syrup from scratch, you can definitely use a pre-made caramel syrup.
But if you’re up for a challenge and have 20 minutes to spare, I would recommend trying it from scratch!
Start by bringing 1/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat. Then leave it alone for about 15 minutes without stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is a deep amber color. Remove from the heat.
Warm an additional 1/4 cup water and then quickly whisk this into the syrup. You may need to return it to the heat for a minute or two if the caramel starts to harden
Just be patient and keep whisking until the syrup is smooth and melted. Add a pinch of salt and let the syrup cool off for a bit.
Pumpkin Caramel Cream
Pumpkin puree, a pinch of pumpkin pie spice, a splash of vanilla, half and half, 2% milk, and the cooled caramel syrup make up our cream mixture. We want to beat this cold mixture until it’s foamy and very slightly thickened on top.
If you have a milk frother, this works great for this step! Alternatively, you can also use a handheld electric mixer or a blender.
Assembling the Cold Brew
All that’s left is pouring your cold brew in a glass with a little ice and topping it off with the pumpkin caramel cream! I also recommend a little sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice for garnish.
By the way, if you need a homemade cold brew guide, I cover ALL of that in this cafe-style cold brew coffee blog post.
Note: If you’re not feeling up to making cold brew but still want to try this recipe, an alternative is chilled brewed coffee. It won’t taste quite as smooth as the cold brew but it will still be delicious!
This cold brew is like scary good. Creamy, rich, caramel-y, with just the right touch of pumpkin + spices.
It’s also probably disturbing how many times I want to drink this in a day.
Giving good ol’ reliable Starbucks a run for its money FO SURE.
More coffee shop style coffee drinks you should definitely be making next!
Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cold Brew Coffee
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup half and half cream
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 8 oz cold brew coffee
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling syrup over medium heat without stirring for 15-20 minutes until syrup is a deep amber color.
- Warm remaining 1/4 cup water in microwave. When syrup reaches amber color, remove from heat and carefully whisk in warm water, being careful to avoid splattering. Whisk caramel until smooth, returning to heat for a minute or two if it starts to harden. Stir in salt and let caramel cool several minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, half and half, milk, and cooled caramel syrup. Using an electric mixer, beat mixture on high speed until slightly thickened and frothy.
- Divide cold brew and ice between two glasses. Spoon caramel pumpkin milk mixture over top and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Lily Gardner says
coffee is necessary for parts of our life. Thanks for the great sharing.