Pumpkin spice season is upon us and that means pumpkin syrup is a must! This recipe for homemade syrup is so simple and delicious you’ll wonder where it’s been your whole life.
Yield: 16 oz Time: 10 minutes Cookbook: Pioneer Woman Online
There are few things more happy, welcoming, and festive than finally spotting those giant boxes of orange pumpkins when we go to the store. Pumpkins are the heralds of fall harvest season and we love them. We unashamedly eat AND drink pumpkin everything during this time of year.
Have you ever wondered what secret sauce your favorite coffee shop pulls out to make its fall drinks? Maybe you’d rather make, instead of shell out the money for, your favorite pumpkin spice latte. Well, now you can, thanks to the Pioneer Woman (a.k.a. Ree Drummond) and her homemade pumpkin spice syrup recipe.
This syrup is so good that you won’t miss that 6 dollar cup of coffee everyone is obsessed with. Even better? You won’t even have to leave your warm, cozy house! Try it once and it just might become one of your new favorite recipes. Let’s get started!
Jump Ahead:
- ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🎃 Ingredients Needed to Make Pumpkin Syrup
- 🍴 Equipment You’ll Need in the Kitchen
- 🥄 How to Make Pumpkin Syrup
- ♾️ Pumpkin Syrup Variations
- ❓ Pumpkin Syrup Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious: What’s not to love about pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla all simmered together to create the best pumpkin spice syrup out there? It’s amazing in coffee, on waffles, and any other place that calls for a good dose or two of syrup.
Easy: This is such a simple recipe to make! Dump everything into a saucepan, whisk, simmer, and strain. Boom. Cents-on-the-dollar pumpkin syrup for all your coffee-making needs.
Cost-Effective: Did we mention how cost-effective this is? When you compare it to a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, this will cost you a few cents per cup when you make it at home thanks to the simple ingredients in this simple syrup.
Ingredients Needed to Make Pumpkin Syrup
- Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is made by combining regular sugar with molasses. The molasses give the sugar its brown color and unique flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is one of the most common types of sugar used in baking. It’s also known as table sugar or white sugar.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: This spice mix embodies the essence of Fall. It’s warm and earthy with tones of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Vanilla extract: Pure extract is ideal, but if you don’t have extract, vanilla flavoring will work in a pinch.
- Pumpkin Puree: Yes, real pumpkin puree! Unlike many recipes out there, this one uses real pumpkin to boost the flavor of the syrup. Make sure to get pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. If you have any leftover homemade pumpkin puree on hand, you can use that, too!
Equipment Needed In the Kitchen
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- Small saucepan: A small 1-quart saucepan is perfect.
- Fine mesh strainer: The fine mesh strainer will remove most of the pumpkin puree so the syrup will last longer.
- Whisk: Use a whisk to ensure all the sugar dissolves.
How to Make Pumpkin Syrup
No need to go out and buy Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes anymore! Making homemade pumpkin syrup is as simple as…
One: combine ingredients
First, add 1 cup of water, both sugars, vanilla, and the pumpkin pie spice to a small saucepan.
Place the pan over medium heat and whisk to dissolve sugars and prevent the mixture from burning. Bring it to a simmer and simmer (but don’t boil) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until all of the sugar has dissolved.
Reduce to low heat and add in the pumpkin puree. Whisk until smooth.
Two: strain the syrup
Once the pumpkin puree is thoroughly mixed in, remove the pan from the heat. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and allow all the syrup to drain while cooling at room temperature.
When strained, the syrup should be smooth and free of pumpkin puree, but will still have a delicious pumpkin flavor.
The pumpkin puree left over in the strainer is delicious. Eat it on its own or mix it into apple sauce and create pumpkin spice sauce.
Three: enjoy!
Add this to your homemade lattes or morning tea, use it instead of maple syrup on your waffles or french toast, and bring it out for any other occasion when syrup is called for!
To store, pour the syrup into an airtight container, such as a mason jar, and place it in the refrigerator.
Pumpkin Syrup Variations
Oh pumpkin syrup, how we love thee. If you want even more to love about it, try these variations!
Tumeric-Infused: Tumeric is a health food powerhouse that helps reduce inflammation, helps improve memory, and even help prevent cancer. Add a few teaspoons of turmeric powder to this latte syrup recipe to give your morning coffee a healthy edge.
Ginger-Infused: Ground ginger is used in a wide variety of holiday foods such as pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin cookies. It’s even in pumpkin pie spice, and it’s super good for you. Add an extra teaspoon of gingery goodness to the syrup while it simmers for an extra spicy kick.
Nutmeg-Infused: Ground nutmeg is another beloved holiday spice that has a wide range of health benefits. Add a pinch or two of nutmeg powder to the syrup while it simmers away for a brighter, more intense flavor.
Psst! Want even more deliciousness? Check out this recipe for pumpkin cold foam coffee using real pumpkin puree!
Pumpkin Syrup Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
This syrup is perfect for all your fall season drinks and desserts. Mix it into a hot cup of coffee, a glass of cold brew, hot tea, or hot chocolate to create fancy pumpkin spice drinks. Drizzle it on top of whipped cream or ice cream to wow a guest. Stir it into some hot milk for the kiddos. Or use it as a topping for waffles, pumpkin pancakes, overnight oats, and french toast.
As long as you store this in an air-tight container, it can easily stay good for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
You can but you’ll definitely be missing some pumpkin flavor. If you leave it out, you’ll still get a PSL type of syrup thanks to the pumpkin spice blend but you won’t get pumpkin sauce.
We’d recommend using coconut sugar in place of brown sugar or 1:1 stevia powder in place of granulated sugar. If you want a truly sugar-free pumpkin syrup, then brown sugar alternatives and white sugar alternatives such as Truvia are the way to go.
This is not a copycat recipe but it might be even better. This recipe uses fewer ingredients and you can pronounce every single one of them.
The Best Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 16 ounces 1x
Description
Pumpkin spice season is upon us and that means pumpkin syrup is a must! This recipe for homemade syrup is so simple and delicious you’ll wonder where it’s been your whole life.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
Instructions
Start the sugar syrup
- First, add 1 cup of water, both sugars, vanilla, and the pumpkin pie spice to a small saucepan.
- Place the pan over medium heat and whisk to dissolve sugars and prevent the mixture from burning. Bring it to a simmer and simmer (but don’t boil) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until all of the sugar has dissolved.
Add pumpkin puree
- Reduce to low heat and add the pumpkin puree. Whisk until smooth.
- Once the pumpkin puree is thoroughly mixed in, remove the pan from the heat. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and allow all the syrup to drain while cooling at room temperature.
Store
- To store, pour the syrup into an airtight container, such as a mason jar, and place it in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pumpkin Spice Syrup, Pumpkin Syrup, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Spice Drinks, Pumpkin Spice Coffee
