Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup

The bottled pumpkin syrup sold at coffee shops and grocery stores is mostly sugar, water and flavoring, with pumpkin appearing somewhere far down the ingredient list. This version puts actual pumpkin puree in it, which is what gives the syrup body and that slightly earthy backbone the commercial stuff fakes with caramel color.

The whole batch costs less than a single seasonal latte and yields enough for about twelve drinks. It also refuses to stay in the coffee cup. Spoon it over oatmeal, stir it into pancake batter, brush it on French toast, or whisk a tablespoon into hot chocolate, which is the real argument for making it. One jar earns its shelf space across a dozen different breakfasts instead of sitting untouched after October.

A note on straining: pumpkin puree will not dissolve. Cooking it releases the flavor, and then the solids come out so the syrup pours cleanly through an espresso spout or a milk frother without clogging anything.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Real pumpkin, four pantry spices, and a cup of sugar — a jar of syrup that makes about twelve lattes for roughly the price of one.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved and the liquid turns clear, about 3 minutes.
• Whisk in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. The mixture will look cloudy and slightly grainy – that is correct at this stage.
• Bring to a bare simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the syrup has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Adding it off the heat keeps the flavor from cooking away.
• Let the syrup cool for 10 minutes, then pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean jar. Press gently on the solids with the back of a spoon to get every bit of liquid, then discard them.
• Cool completely before sealing. Refrigerate and use within two to three weeks.

Notes

One 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree holds enough for five batches of syrup. Freeze the rest in 3-tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray so nothing goes to waste.

Buy the individual spices rather than a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice blend if you do not already own one. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves each work across dozens of recipes; the blend works in about three.

Store-brand spices from the baking aisle are a fraction of the price of the small glass jars, and in a cooked syrup the difference is undetectable. Check the bulk or international aisle too.

Swap in 3/4 cup packed brown sugar for a darker, more molasses-forward syrup that suits cold brew. White sugar keeps the pumpkin flavor cleaner.

If the syrup thickens too much in the refrigerator, stir in a tablespoon of hot water to loosen it.

Skip the straining step if you plan to use the syrup only in oatmeal or baked goods – the pumpkin solids are perfectly good there and add texture.

Beyond coffee, it works in oatmeal, pancake batter, on French toast, and whisked into hot chocolate.

Keyword Autumn, coffee syrup, make-ahead, pumpkin spice syrup