This Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew coffee recipe is a delicious way to enjoy fall and all things pumpkin spice, especially if you don’t like hot coffee or live in a hot climate. Made with real pumpkin, this recipe is better than Starbucks!
Where I live in South Carolina, it doesn’t really feel like fall until late October or early November, despite that I’m ready for fall come July 5th. While I do drink some hot coffee, sometimes there is nothing better than a refreshing, creamy cup of cold brew!
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Why This Recipe is Better Than Starbucks
- It uses real pumpkin, which gives a more intense flavor.
- It is much more convenient to whip this up at home. Plus, it’s a lovely thing to serve at breakfast for any overnight guests. They’ll be super impressed!
- It is much more affordable. This recipe costs about $2.00 per serving using store-bought cold brew and closer to $1.00 per serving if you make your own cold brew. In comparison, a similar-sized Starbucks version can run you about $5.25 or more depending on your location.
Cold Brew Coffee vs. Regular Coffee
Regular coffee is typically brewed through both infusion and heat. The heat speeds up the infusion of the coffee into the water.
In cold brew, you don’t use heat and because of that, you have to allow the coffee to “brew” by allowing coffee grounds to sit in cold water for several hours or overnight in the fridge. It takes longer to brew since you don’t have heat to speed up the brewing process.
Cold brew coffee can be quite strong, so adding a pumpkin cream cold foam can make the flavor much more mellow and palatable for many. While it can be strong, some studies have shown that cold brew may be less acidic than hot coffee. So, this is great for folks with sensitive tummy issues or acid reflux.
Ingredient Notes
Brown sugar: You can use other types of granulated sweeteners, but I like using brown sugar because it gives off an extra fall vibe from the taste of molasses.
Pumpkin puree: Make sure you get the 100% pumpkin, not the canned pumpkin pie puree – it’s completely different.
Pumpkin pie spice: Really pumpkin pie spice is a blend of several warming spices. Typically it contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can buy it ready-made in the store, or blend your own. I have a DIY recipe for making your own in the recipe card notes.
Half and half: The fat in half/half gives the coffee a creamy mouthfeel.
Evaporated milk: I used this because it has a concentrated and slightly caramelized flavor, which adds to the creamy and flavor complexity.
Cold brew: You can brew your own or you can buy it ready-made.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the pumpkin syrup: Add the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, pie spice, and a bit of water to a saucepan and heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow it to cool completely. This recipe makes just enough for each cold brew, but you can make a full batch of the syrup by checking out my homemade pumpkin spice syrup.
Make your pumpkin cold foam: Froth the half and half, evaporated milk, and the pumpkin syrup together. If you don’t own a frother, I have a few ideas for you in the next section.
Top your cold brew: Pour the cold brew over some ice and top with your pumpkin cream cold foam.
Methods for Making Cold Foam
You can use any of the following methods to make cold foam.
- Glass jar method: Fill a jar halfway with milk. Seal tightly. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds to a minute or until you see the desired frothiness. You are looking for soft peaks of foam to form.
- French press method: Add your milk to a French press and plunge the press using short, quick plunges into the milk. Work on it for about 30 seconds or until you see increasing frothiness.
- Frothing wand or immersion blender method: Place the milk in a deep bowl or tall glass. Move the frothing wand or immersion blender up and down, until the milk is frothy and has doubled in volume, about 30-60 seconds.
- Hand mixer/whisk method: Use a hand mixer or a whisk in a bowl. Whisk briskly until the milk is frothy and has increased in volume, about 1-2 minutes.
- Blender method: Pour milk into a blender. Blend on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds or until the milk is frothy and aerated.
Expert Tips and Variations
Want it dairy-free? The best dairy-free substitutes would be oat milk or coconut milk as they have the creamiest qualities.
If you have any leftover cold foam, you can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days (stored separately from the cold brew). Before you add it to your coffee, give it a good shake in a mason jar or use one of the frothing methods above to fluff it up.
If you have leftover cold brew, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks. Just make sure it’s stored in an airtight container to maintain its freshness and don’t store it with the cold foam already mixed in.
Add a touch of Baileys Irish Cream, like I did with my Pumpkin Spice Mudslide.
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree
- ⅛ -¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice store bought or DIY (see notes)
- 3 tbsp. water
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 6 cups cold brew homemade or store-bought (48 ounces)
Instructions
- Make the pumpkin syrup by combining brown sugar, pumpkin puree, pie spice, and water in a small saucepan. Stir and warm on the stove until sugar is melted and dissolved. Remove from heat to cool. You can pour into a heat-proof container and pop in the fridge or freezer to cool down faster. You can also double or triple the syrup depending on how much sweetness you like or to use throughout the week.
- Make the foam by blending together the half and half, evaporated milk, and pumpkin syrup using either a frother, immersion blender or French press (see recipe notes). Depending on your desired sweetness you can increase or decrease syrup to your liking.
- Divide the cold brew into 4 glasses. Top each with the sweetened cold foam.
Notes
- Mix together 3 tablespoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1.5 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1 teaspoon allspice in an airtight container.
- Adjust the ratios to your preference.
- Shake in a Jar: Seal cold milk in a jar and shake for 30 seconds to 1 minute until frothy.
- Use a French Press: Plunge cold milk in a French press for about 30 seconds until frothy.
- Froth with a Wand or Blender: Move the frothing wand or immersion blender through cold milk for 30-60 seconds until frothy.
- Whisk or Mix: Whisk or use a hand mixer on cold milk for 1-2 minutes until frothy.
- For dairy-free options, use oat or coconut milk
- Leftovers: Store cold foam for 3-4 days and re-froth before use. Keep leftover plain cold brew separate from cold foam in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.
Nutrition
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Jo
This recipe has me skipping Starbucks and making this instead! !