Take Your Homemade PSL To The Next Level By Roasting The Pumpkin Yourself

While you can easily head to the nearest coffee shop to pick up a pumpkin spice latte, you can also make one at home in the comfort of your own kitchen. What's more, when you opt for a DIY pumpkin spice latte, you can add a few upgrades you may not receive from your favorite barista. Specifically, you can roast the pumpkin yourself and get a flavor boost unlike any other.

Though roasting pumpkins requires significantly more effort than rattling off your order in the Starbucks drive-through, the results are worth it. Allow for roughly 40 minutes to roast the pumpkins so that you can blend and puree the pulp to simmer with your choice of sweeteners (brown sugar, molasses, agave syrup, or honey can all do the trick). You'll also need your flavorings, of course; you can opt for a pre-made pumpkin pie spice blend, or make your own from cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. This sweet, toasty mixture can be scooped into mugs along with shots of espresso and your choice of milk or milk alternative. Top with homemade honey whipped cream and your choice of cinnamon or cocoa powder, and you'll have a pumpkin spice latte that can easily match anything from a store.

Once you've sampled the deliciousness that a bit of intentional roasting can provide to a latte, you can apply the same technique to your other favorite pumpkin spice treats. Pumpkin spice latte muffin donuts, for example, can be elevated with the extra step of roasting pumpkins before including them in your recipe. Or you can try using roasted pumpkin to create more depth in your next batch of 5-ingredient pumpkin cookies.

If you can't be bothered to roast an actual pumpkin and simply want to sip a caffeinated beverage ASAP, try adding a quick sprinkle of smoked salt, black cardamom, lapsang souchong tea, or liquid smoke to canned pumpkin puree. These ingredients can replicate the smoky lick of fire if you don't want to slice pumpkins and wait for the gourd to roast. You'll still get the benefits of flavor and can sprint out the door to your first meeting, homemade pumpkin spice latte in tow.