The Alt PSL

I was walking with a friend in my neighbourhood, and though the sun was bright and the day was hot, a brisk wind through the trees still brought down a cascade of fire coloured leaves and I thought to myself, ahhhh, it’s Fall.

Fall seems to be slightly divisive for folks. For some, it’s the death of summer, putting to bed our yearly escapism in favour of emotionally preparing for the cold slog of winter. For others, it’s Sweater Weather (™), a time of scented candles and cozy everything. Along with the cozy comes the infamous Starb***s Pumpkin Spice Latte. (I don’t think they’ll come for me here, but with the mermaid, it’s best not to test.)

Pumpkin spice has always been so funny to me. It’s just so readily Not Really Actually A Thing, by which I mean very few pumpkin spice labeled things have any pumpkin in them and are a general warm spice blend that would be just as at home with apples or chai or various Christmas cookies. The other thing, and this one bugs me more, is how egregiously expensive it is. $7 for a latte that doesn’t even have pumpkin?! That's just silly. I still want it though…..

Cue at home recipe for pennies on the dollar!

At Home PSL;

1 400ml can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk (or equal amount 2% or whole fresh milk)
1 small (~400ml) can pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt

To make the PSL Concentrate;
Open all your cans and have them sitting at the ready to the side of your stovetop.
To a small pan over medium/low heat, add all your ground spices.
Gently toast the spices until they’re quite fragrant. Be careful to not burn them!
Add your fresh or condensed milk, and stir.
Add your pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt, and bring everything to a low simmer, stirring to avoid scalding the bottom of the pan.
Let just come to the simmer, then turn off and allow to cool fully.
**If your pumpkin puree is a bit ~thick~, you may want to blend it in a blender, then pass through a fine sieve or strainer for texture at this point.
Keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks in a sealed container.

Total Cost for Concentrate - ~$10 (based off instacart prices as of Sept 26/25 in Calgary AB)
Total Servings - ~30
Cost per Serving - $0.33

To make a drink from your concentrate;

Pull a shot of espresso (or make an intense coffee using an aeropress, moka pot, or your preferred method!). Add about 1oz of your PSL concentrate per 8oz drink (adding more if you’re making a big drink!) Add your dairy, and stir well.

Enjoy!