Pumpkin cream cold brew is cold brew coffee sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with a thick pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin spice. You can make a very close copy at home in about five minutes once you have cold brew in the fridge.
The trick is the foam, which is really vanilla sweet cream with a spoonful of pumpkin spice sauce whisked in. Below you get what Starbucks puts in the drink, the exact ratios for a home version, how the nutrition compares and how to stop the foam sinking. If you have not made cold brew before, start with our cold brew guide.
What is in a Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brew?
Starbucks describes it as cold brew sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin-spice topping. Its published ingredient list breaks that into four parts, and each has an easy home equivalent.
| Component | What it is | Home version |
|---|---|---|
| Cold brew | Slow-steeped coffee poured over ice | Cold brew concentrate diluted 1 to 1 with water |
| Vanilla syrup | Sugar syrup stirred into the coffee | 1 tablespoon of homemade vanilla syrup |
| Pumpkin cream | Vanilla sweet cream plus pumpkin spice sauce | Cream, milk, vanilla syrup and pumpkin spice syrup, frothed |
| Pumpkin spice topping | Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves | A pinch of pumpkin pie spice |
The pumpkin cream is what makes the drink. Starbucks builds it from its vanilla sweet cream and its pumpkin spice sauce, so the foam tastes of vanilla, pumpkin and dairy all at once. We cover the vanilla half of that in our vanilla sweet cream cold brew recipe.
Pumpkin cream cold brew ingredients
This makes one 16 oz drink. Everything except the coffee can be made ahead.
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold brew concentrate (1:4 ratio)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup, for the coffee
- Ice
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup, for the cream
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice syrup or sauce
- A pinch of pumpkin pie spice, for the top
How to make it, step by step
- Fill a 16 oz glass with ice.
- Mix the coffee. Stir the first tablespoon of vanilla syrup into the cold brew concentrate and water, then pour it over the ice, leaving about an inch (2.5 cm) of space.
- Combine the cream. In a jar or tall cup, add the heavy cream, milk, second tablespoon of vanilla syrup and the pumpkin spice syrup.
- Froth for 20 to 30 seconds with a handheld frother, until it thickens to soft, pourable peaks. Stop before it turns stiff.
- Pour the pumpkin cream slowly over the coffee and dust the top with pumpkin pie spice.
No frother? Shake everything in a sealed jar for 30 to 45 seconds. The foam is looser but still works. Our milk frother roundup covers the handheld options, and the cold foam guide has the full method and a troubleshooting section.
Make the pumpkin spice syrup first
The pumpkin spice syrup is what separates this from a plain vanilla sweet cream cold brew. Our pumpkin spice syrup recipe takes about 15 minutes, most of it hands-off, and makes enough for 6 to 8 drinks. The thicker sauce version gives the foam a deeper orange color and a creamier taste, which is closer to the cafe drink.
If you are short on time, skip the syrup. Stir 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and an extra half tablespoon of vanilla syrup into the cream instead. It gets you most of the way, though the pumpkin flavor is softer.
Choosing the right cold brew
Use a strong, smooth cold brew, because the sweet cream and pumpkin will drown out a weak one. Steep for around 20 hours at a 1:4 ratio, which our cold brew guide lists as the strong, bold setting that suits dilution with milk and cream. Dilute it 1 to 1 with cold water when you build the drink.
Medium and dark roasts with chocolate or caramel notes match the pumpkin best, and our best cold brew coffee beans roundup picks out the ones that hold up under cream. If you make cold brew often, a dedicated jug or pitcher saves effort, and we compare them in our best cold brew makers guide.
Pumpkin cream cold brew nutrition: Starbucks vs homemade
| Version | Calories | Fat | Sugar | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starbucks, grande (16 fl oz) | 250 | 12 g | 31 g | About 185 mg |
| Homemade, recipe above (estimate) | About 230 | About 12 g | About 28 g | Depends on your cold brew |
| Lighter homemade, 1 tablespoon cream and 3 tablespoons milk (estimate) | About 185 | About 6 g | About 29 g | Depends on your cold brew |
The homemade figures are estimates from standard ingredient values, so treat them as a guide rather than a label. Most of the fat is the cream, and it is 2 tablespoons in the standard version, which is why the two land so close. Swapping 1 tablespoon of cream for milk saves roughly 45 calories and 5 g of fat.
Most of the sugar comes from the three tablespoons of syrup, so the quickest way to cut it is to halve the syrup in the coffee. The cream and foam carry most of the flavor either way.
The pumpkin spice topping
The Starbucks topping is four spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. You only need a pinch per drink, so mix a small jar and keep it by the coffee.
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Pumpkin pie spice from the shop works just as well and is the easiest option. Dust it on last, because it clumps if it sits on wet foam for long.
Variations
- Dairy-free: use 2 tablespoons of full-fat coconut cream in place of the heavy cream and unsweetened barista oat milk for the milk. The foam is looser but tastes good.
- Less sweet: halve the vanilla syrup in the coffee and keep the syrup in the cream.
- Pumpkin cream on an iced latte: pour the same foam over a plain iced latte or a shaken espresso instead of cold brew.
- Extra spicy: add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to the cream before you froth it.
If you would rather have it hot, our pumpkin spice latte guide covers the steamed-milk version, and it uses the same pumpkin spice syrup.
Why your pumpkin cream foam sinks or goes flat
- It sinks straight away: the foam is too thin. Use cold cream, cold milk and a full 20 to 30 seconds of frothing.
- It sits on top like whipped cream: you frothed too long. Aim for soft pourable peaks and stop there.
- It goes runny: too much syrup thins it. Keep it to 2 tablespoons of syrup in total across the cream.
- It clumps: the pumpkin sauce was too thick. Thin it with a teaspoon of milk before you add it.
Pour slowly over the back of a spoon if you want it to layer neatly. Fast pours break through the surface and mix straight into the coffee.
The bottom line
Pumpkin cream cold brew is three parts you probably already have: cold brew, vanilla syrup and a cream foam. The one thing worth making ahead is the pumpkin spice syrup. See more recipes in our coffee drinks section.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Pumpkin cream starts with vanilla sweet cream, which is cream, milk and vanilla syrup, then adds pumpkin spice sauce. That is why it tastes of both vanilla and pumpkin.
Starbucks lists about 185 mg of caffeine for a grande and describes it as an approximate value. At home it depends on how strong your cold brew is and how much you dilute it.
A Starbucks grande is 250 calories with 12 g of fat and 31 g of sugar. The home version in this recipe comes out around 230 calories, and using less cream brings it under 200.
Yes. Shake the cream, milk and syrups in a sealed jar for 30 to 45 seconds. The foam is a little looser than frothed cream but still floats on the coffee.
Starbucks lists pumpkin puree in the pumpkin spice sauce that goes into the pumpkin cream. In the home version the pumpkin comes from the pumpkin spice syrup, which you can make with a little real puree.
Yes, but chill it fully first so it does not melt the ice and turn watery. Cold brew is smoother and less acidic, which suits the sweet cream better.
Austin Barker
Founder & Lead Editor
Seven years behind a bar before starting Brewing Coffees. Writes most of the equipment coverage and tests every machine on this site in an ordinary home kitchen.