Pumpkin Spice Latte (dairy free, Paleo, AIP)
Fall is in the air (well, in Chicago it is and that’s where I’m writing this) and a pumpkin spice frenzy has taken over. Lattes, muffins, granola, I even saw Pumpkin Spice M&M’s at the store yesterday. For those of us following healing diets this is the time of year when we can easily start to feel a little left out.
Enter in this dairy free, paleo, and AIP friendly (with modifications) pumpkin spice latte mix.
I whipped this up in my apartment a couple years ago and may have continued drinking it clear into the next summer. (Try finding canned pumpkin in May!) It’s easy and quick and doesn’t require you to stock up on weird ingredients you’re going to use once. It stores well and I’ll warn you that you’ll be tempted to drink it straight, without ever adding the coffee.
There are plenty of great recipes out there for a single or double serving including the coffee but this recipe makes a nice batch of the latte part, or creamer, that you can refrigerate and add to your coffee throughout the week. Yay!
And all of the ingredients are GOOD for you! Double yay!
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is dairy free and nut free and contains healthy saturated fats in the form of medium-chain triglycerides, which are easily burned by your body for energy. My favorite brand is Aroy-D, which I order by the case from Amazon Prime. Just make sure you get full-fat coconut milk with the only ingredients being coconut and maybe water. Native Forest makes a “Simple” coconut milk that you can find at Whole Foods without guar gum or other additives in a BPA “non intent” can.
Pumpkin
Their beautiful orange color comes from carotenoids like beta-carotene, which is the precursor to retinol (yes, the stuff in your eye cream that stimulates the production of new skin cells). They’re full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins C and E. They’re pretty much a health powerhouse!
Real maple syrup
Not to be confused with the corn syrup “syrup” like Mrs. Butterworth’s, real maple syrup contains antioxidants which can help reduce inflammation, minerals like manganese and zinc, and it has a slightly lower glycemic index than sugar. To make this recipe keto friendly you could probably leave the maple syrup out and add stevia to taste, but I haven’t tried it because I love the rich maple flavor the syrup imparts.
To make this AIP friendly, omit the nutmeg and add it to your favorite tea instead of coffee. It’s delicious in roasted dandelion root tea!
Add a scoop of collagen peptides to your cup and really enhance the nutritional content.
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (omit for AIP)
Instructions
I like to use the 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup and a whisk and keep this really simple. You can also measure the ingredients individually and whisk together in a bowl, or add them to your blender or food processor. My minimal cleanup method is below.
- Add the ingredients to the big measuring cup in the order listed, starting with the coconut milk. Add pumpkin until the liquid level is at the 1 ½ cup mark and then add the maple syrup to bring level up to 1 ¾ cups.
- Measure and add the vanilla extract and whisk it all together.
- Add the spices and whisk until they’re well incorporated.
- Enjoy in your favorite coffee or tea.