Pumpkin Spice Syrup: Easy Homemade Recipe (Syrup or Sauce)

Pumpkin spice syrup is sugar and water simmered with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove, plus a spoonful of real pumpkin puree if you want it thick and authentic. It takes about 15 minutes, most of it hands-off, makes roughly 1 cup, and keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.

A jar of it is the difference between a fall latte that tastes like the cafe version and one that tastes like cinnamon milk. It also works in iced coffee, cold brew, chai and cold foam, which is why it deserves its own recipe alongside our pumpkin spice latte guide. Below you get the recipe, the syrup versus sauce question, how much to use per drink and how to store it.

Pumpkin spice syrup vs pumpkin spice sauce

The difference is body, not flavor. A syrup is thin and pours like water, so it stirs straight into iced drinks. A sauce is thicker because it keeps the pumpkin puree in, and usually some dairy, which gives cafe pumpkin drinks their creamy, opaque look.

Starbucks sells its version as a sauce. Its published ingredient list for the pumpkin spice sauce starts with sugar and condensed skim milk and includes pumpkin puree. You can make either one at home from a single base recipe, and the table shows the trade-offs.

Pumpkin spice syrup recipe

Makes about 1 cup, enough for 6 to 8 lattes at 2 tablespoons each. You need a small saucepan, a fine-mesh sieve and a jar.

• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cinnamon stick, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin pie spice is a fine shortcut. Use 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons in place of the ginger, cloves and nutmeg, and keep the cinnamon stick if you have one. Ground spices make a cloudier syrup than whole ones, which is why the straining step matters.

How to make it, step by step

1. Combine the water, sugar, puree and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. A hard boil scorches the puree and turns the syrup bitter.
3. Steep off the heat for 10 minutes. This is where most of the spice flavor comes from.
4. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Line it with a coffee filter if you want a clearer syrup.
5. Stir in the vanilla after straining, because heat drives vanilla flavor off.
6. Cool, jar and chill. Seal it and keep it in the fridge.

Some fine sediment always settles at the bottom of the jar. That is normal, so give it a shake before you pour.

Make your own pumpkin pie spice

Pumpkin pie spice is just five ground spices, and mixing your own means fresher flavor and no mystery ingredients. Whisk these together in a small jar and use it in the syrup, on top of cold foam or in baking.

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Ground spices fade quickly, so mix a small batch and use it within a few months. If a jar is older than that and smells faint, the syrup will taste flat however much you add.

How to make the thicker sauce version

For a cafe-style sauce, use 1/4 cup (60g) of puree instead of 2 tablespoons, skip the strainer, and whisk in 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk once the pan is off the heat. The result coats a spoon and turns a latte the familiar creamy orange-brown.

Use the sauce in hot drinks and in cold foam, where the thickness helps. In iced coffee it can clump, so either thin it with a splash of milk in the glass first or use the plain syrup. Because it now contains dairy and puree, keep it for a week at most. It is the sauce we use in our pumpkin cream cold brew.

How much pumpkin spice syrup to use

These are starting points. Pumpkin flavor reads as less sweet than vanilla, so most people end up adding another half tablespoon. Start at the amount above and adjust in half-tablespoon steps. For the milk and espresso side of a hot latte, our latte at home guide covers ratios and steaming.

What else to do with it

Iced coffee is the easiest upgrade: stir a tablespoon or two into our iced coffee of choice. For a cafe-style topping, whisk a tablespoon into cold foam. It also suits chai, so try it in a dirty chai in place of the sugar.

• Oatmeal and yogurt: a tablespoon replaces sugar and cinnamon in one go.
• Pancakes and waffles: warm it slightly and pour it on like maple syrup.
• Hot chocolate: one tablespoon per mug gives it a spiced, autumn edge.
• Homemade creamer: stir 3 tablespoons into a batch, as in our recipe for homemade coffee creamer.

Storage, shelf life and fixes

Keep the syrup in a sealed glass jar in the fridge and write the date on the lid. The puree version lasts up to two weeks and the condensed-milk sauce about one week. For longer storage, freeze it in an ice cube tray and move the cubes to a bag, where they keep for about three months.

• Sour smell, fizzing or a film on top: throw it out.
• Sugar crystals: the pan boiled too hard. Warm the syrup gently with a splash of water and stir.
• Too thin: simmer for another two minutes.
• Too thick: stir in a spoonful of hot water.

If you make several syrups, keep them in matching bottles and label them. We cover the brown sugar version in brown sugar syrup, and the vanilla version is in our vanilla latte guide.

Most disappointing batches come down to one of four things, and each has a simple fix.

• Tastes bland: the spices were old or you skipped the steep. Stir in another 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon while the syrup is still warm and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Tastes bitter or harsh: it boiled too hard and scorched the puree. Make a fresh batch at a gentle simmer rather than trying to rescue this one.
• Tastes too sweet: use less syrup per drink, or cut the sugar to 3/4 cup next time and add a pinch of salt.
• Feels gritty: strain again through a coffee filter, which catches the fine particles a sieve lets through.

The bottom line

Pumpkin spice syrup is the cheapest way to get a cafe-style fall drink at home, and one batch covers a week or two of lattes. Make the plain syrup for iced drinks and the thicker sauce for hot ones. See everything we have on coffee drinks.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Megan Cunningham Contributor Tests everything in an ordinary kitchen on affordable gear.