16 Pumpkin Spice Syrups To Make Your Own PSL, Ranked

Crunchy leaves, festive smells, the promise of hoodie weather, and pumpkin spice everything make the absolute ideal autumn starter kit. If you're a PSL drinker and love the act of visiting a coffee shop for your dose of the most perfect of all fall drinks, then carry on. However, if whipping up your own pumpkin spice lattes and treats at home sounds like the perfect way to welcome the new season, I've got you covered.

As a longtime pumpkin spice fan myself, this time of year rings in a series of months filled with some of the most delicious coffee house treats. While I love a handcrafted Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, I've found that I can make better coffee at home. You may imagine that all pumpkin spice syrups are the same — but that couldn't be further from the case. While some are worth saving a little room for in your fridge, others make for a not-so-enjoyable drink. After gathering samples from as many companies as I could, I have discovered that the differences are vast and will greatly change the taste of your homemade beverages. 

To help you make the best choice for your fall coffee setup, I've made an iced coffee with each one and ranked each syrup according to its taste and the quality of ingredients. In general, I looked for a syrup that has pumpkin as one of its listed ingredients without too many more additives. Most importantly, the syrup should have added a pleasant, warm, sweet taste to the drink.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I feel a whole lot of promise upon opening a bottle of 1883 Maison Routin's pumpkin spice syrup. The ingredients are on the simpler side, mostly containing sugar and some warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. The syrup is a lovely amber color.

Giving it a good sniff before using it, however, and I notice that this would certainly be more of a spice-heavy flavor over anything else. Have you walked into a Bath & Body Works this time of year? Then you know the smell going on here. While I love these warming spices, in the case of this syrup, all I get is, well, candle. Even worse, there's an odd aftertaste that just sits on your palate in a way that won't make you want more than a few sips of coffee. The aftertaste is really what places this one squarely at the bottom of the ranking as my least favorite of the brands sampled, regardless of the quality of the ingredients.

When I worked at Starbucks, there was a barista who introduced me to Stevia. It was before the plant-based sweetener became very popular — and upon my first time trying it in a drink, I admittedly wasn't a fan. Since then, I have found that anything with Stevia in it will not be a favorite of mine. So, while I hoped SweetLeaf's pumpkin spice sweet drops would perform differently, this product unfortunately doesn't. I find the ingredients listing to be rather unexpected. The first item listed is purified water, followed by vanilla extract and essential oils. Stevia leaf extract is the second-to-last ingredient, after which natural flavors appear (not unlike many of the pumpkin spice sweeteners I've tried).

The serving size is five drops, so that's exactly what I use. After sipping, this serving size yields absolutely no flavor. So, I double the serving and find that this does provide additional flavor, but it isn't particularly enjoyable. The thesis: I just don't get enough sweetener or pumpkin flavor.

Jordan's Skinny Mixes uses sucralose to achieve a sweet flavor — and since I'm a very hard sell when it comes to anything using an artificial sweetener, I enter into this tasting with some trepidation. Aside from a fake sweetness I feel I can smell a mile away, this pumpkin spice syrup has a pretty well-flavored pumpkin element. It leans more into the spicy aspects of pumpkin spice but doesn't entirely ignore the pumpkin. This feels like more of a pumpkin pie syrup than a pumpkin spice syrup, which I'd gladly welcome.

However, I really can't get past the fake sweetness. So, although Jordan's Skinny Mixes might be ideal for someone who wants to avoid sugary syrups, it's not going be my personal go-to. I also found the syrup to be one of the thinner brands I tried, and the coloring of it doesn't exactly offer a fall feel. It's a very pale-yellow coloring that is altogether unappetizing to add to any drink. While that didn't alter my feelings on the low ranking of this flavor, it seems like it represents my thoughts on the brand's contribution.

When it comes to ingredients, the label on a bottle of Torani's pumpkin spice syrup is pretty vague — not unlike some of the other brands reviewed — with no real identifying aspects other than cane sugar and water. There's a natural flavors component on this Torani syrup flavor's ingredients list, but we're given no indication of the specifics. While the company's website hints at cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, with pumpkin spice flavoring, there can be a whole lot of variance.

For taste, I get a really basic and boring flavor. Even though it's sweet, it gives all the feeling of a cheap version of a quality pumpkin spice flavor. The lingering aftertaste feels like it's trying to be pumpkin, but it's still tasting quite a bit like a candle. The coloring is good, but the flavor is not, and ultimately, that's the reasoning behind this brand's lower ranking. This definitely isn't a syrup I would reach for again.

While other sugar-free syrups tend to use sucralose as the sweetener, Miss Mary's pumpkin spice coffee syrup goes for stevia leaf extract (like SweetLeaf's offering). Other pumpkin spice syrups on this list are amber orange or at least yellow, but Miss Mary's is cloudy white.

Miss Mary's doesn't do much to give the impression of what the natural flavors mentioned on its ingredients list include. Even still, the initial taste is quite enjoyable. I don't get a whole lot of pumpkin spice flavoring, but for a sugar-free sweetener, this is one of the better options I've had. I think those who regularly enjoy sugar-free syrups will certainly like this one. Not to mention, there's no funky aftertaste — which is always a nice perk with a pumpkin spice syrup, let alone one that's also sugar-free.

For flavoring, Monin's pumpkin spice flavored syrup is more like a perfume-y syrup. It has a scent and flavor of what appears to be pumpkin, but given that it doesn't actually list pumpkin as an ingredient, it's again hard to tell what exactly those natural flavors happen to be.

While some syrups that remind me of a perfume tend to taste a little bit like a fall candle, this one has less of a fall candle smell and more of a rather flat pumpkin syrup taste. It may be ideal for someone who wants a mild flavor, but the aftertaste isn't altogether enjoyable, and neither is the actual flavor of the pumpkin. It isn't necessarily one of the flavors that I disliked, but it's not one I'd reach for again. In my experience with Monin syrups, the fruitier ones tend to taste better.

Sniffing this Syruvia pumpkin pie coffee syrup while still in the bottle, I can't believe how chemically it smells. This, of course, makes me nervous to actually drink something with it, but I find that the coffee is actually much more enjoyable than I expected.

Indeed, the suspected chemically taste is nearly nowhere to be found, leaving behind a pleasant pumpkin flavor with each sip. Syruvia's contribution is more of a pumpkin pie syrup, as the name suggests, so it does taste more like a dessert than a whole lot of spice. Unfortunately, the chemically flavors do come back after a few moments. Initial sips, though, are quite enjoyable.

The taste of DaVinci Gourmet's classic pumpkin pie syrup has more of a candy-like feel. Much in the same way a caramel apple sucker tastes like a real caramel apple but not quite, this syrup's flavor is similar to a pumpkin pie slice but not quite. As a sweetener, it's pretty good and ideal for a coffee lover with a sweet tooth.

The ingredients show cane sugar as the second ingredient, so it's no wonder that it tastes ultra sweet. There's some indication of natural and artificial flavoring, but there's no direct mention of pumpkin or its spices. This syrup mixes well with coffee, but I wish there were more natural ingredients to make it really feel like more of a pure syrup.

Looking at the ingredients of Proper's pumpkin spice syrup, it's obvious that the brand likes to keep things simple. However, it falls short of explaining just what natural flavors it actually consists of. Granted, ground nutmeg is mentioned, so that's a nice addition. The syrup is a touch thicker than your average syrup, but not by much. The color is quite nice, and according to the ingredients, it's achieved with some type of fruit juice.

Proper's offering has a much different flavor from many of the other syrups I tried. Most pumpkin syrup tends to be spicy or pumpkin-heavy, but the smoothness here reminds me of a syrup that gets mixed into a latte that's trying to straddle the line between tea and coffee. It isn't necessarily a bad taste, but not one I expected.

Amoretti's premium pumpkin spice syrup is thicker than others, with water being the fourth ingredient on its ingredients list. The thickness also leads to a heavier flavor that feels spicy but well-balanced between the cinnamon and sweetener. There's also no aftertaste, which can be a problem with spicier syrups.

I really enjoy the deep orange color of this syrup, which makes it feel like it belongs in the pumpkin spice category rather than being something closer to yellow. My only complaint — and the reason Amoretti isn't placed higher in my ranking — is that I wish the pumpkin flavoring was stronger and more equal between the spices. But even still, it's quite enjoyable.

I always get really excited when I see something unique on an ingredients list, and Holy Kakow's organic pumpkin spice syrup delivers with the mention of allspice flavor concentrate. However, caramel flavoring concentrate is the only other flavor listed, meaning there's no pumpkin in it at all. Instead, it's more of a spicy caramel syrup, which blends quite well with coffee.

As such, Holy Kakow leans more into pumpkin spice as a literal seasoning you might find in a grocery store aisle, rather than a blend of pumpkin and warm spices. The flavoring itself is enjoyable and has the same consistency you might achieve when making your own simple syrup at home. There's also no odd aftertaste. I'd really love to try this syrup with a pumpkin spice latte, because I think it would complement and meld really well into the warmth that drink brings. This versatility and the flavor places Holy Kakow toward the middle-top of my rankings.

Interestingly enough, the label on a bottle of HipStirs' pumpkin spice syrup doesn't advertise that it can be used in coffee. Instead, it proudly advertises cocktails, mocktails, and even soda stream drinks — but there's no mention of coffee. For this reason, it might be a little hard for coffee enthusiasts to spot it.

One of the big draws of HipStirs is that the ingredients couldn't be simpler, with cane sugar, pumpkin puree, and all the spices you would typically associate with a pumpkin pie to round it off. It also runs on the thicker side compared to other syrups, and I imagine this is largely due to the puree, which also creates a rich orange color. In terms of flavor, there's a heavy cinnamon presence, but it's somewhat balanced out with the pumpkin. This is a type of syrup that I imagine would be delicious in a pumpkin cold foam, but it still feels very enjoyable in a simple iced coffee. It's not my absolute favorite, because there's a little bit more bite to the syrup than I'd want, which I think is largely due to the cinnamon and nutmeg.

I'm a total sucker for beautiful packaging. On this list, Portland Syrups' pumpkin spice syrup definitely wins the award for most beautiful bottle — with a lovely drawing on the front, gold trim, and a glass bottle product that just feels delightful to hold. I can tell that great care was taken into the actual packaging, and I always appreciate that.

Looking at the ingredients, it seems equal care is taken here, as it lists things like pumpkin puree, brown sugar, ginger juice, cinnamon, and even organic pumpkin concentrate. One thing is clear: This pumpkin spice syrup really narrows in on the pumpkin aspect of this flavoring, and it tastes quite different from the others. While some of the coffees I've tried for this ranking are spice-heavy on the front or pumpkin-heavy on the back end, Portland Syrups' offering is a very pumpkin-forward syrup, and spices are very difficult to taste. Instead, you get some ginger in the background. 

It's a very mild flavor that would do well with a very strongly flavored coffee, like a White Russian — which the brand advertises right on the bottle. My only complaint about this one is that I wanted the spice aspect to be heavier.

One of the issues I've run into with pumpkin spice flavoring is that it tends to be too strong, and this leads to a poor tasting drink. But Braswell's pumpkin spice coffee syrup is the opposite. Instead, it's a very lightly flavored syrup that mixes ingredients well for an ideally mild — rather than overwhelmingly spicy — syrup.

Braswell's and Williams Sonoma share very similar consistency. Each syrup's ingredients list is pretty similar, too, with spices explicitly listed out (more on this below). Even though Braswell's recommends an ounce per serving, you might want to consider upping that because the flavoring here is quite mild.

Many of the syrups I sampled are so coy in their natural ingredients listing, but not Williams Sonoma's pumpkin spice coffee syrup. This one specifically calls out natural pumpkin flavor, vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. As such, it captures the mix of pumpkin and spice that you'd want — and these pure ingredients simply create a better syrup. 

There's absolutely zero aftertaste in this pumpkin syrup, but rather it adds a smooth background flavor to everything else going on. It reminds me of that first bite of pumpkin pie that you might look forward to all year, and it absolutely pays off. You may not think of this kitchenware and houseware store for coffee syrups, but I will happily keep Williams Sonoma's on my radar.

I am a firm believer that people who enjoy coffee, but don't necessarily like a PSL, just haven't found the pumpkin spice syrup that's right for them. In these instances, I recommend the pumpkin butternut spice syrup from Pink House Alchemy. Looking at the ingredients, it's immediately clear why this tastes so pumpkin-y. Butternut puree and pumpkin puree are both listed, and the rest of the pieces are simple, like brown sugar, kosher salt, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. The only item on the list that you wouldn't naturally have in a pantry somewhere is lactic acid, and that's not too extraordinary to see in an ingredients list.

Pink House Alchemy's syrup lends a sweet and warm feel to the drink that's comforting and very reminiscent of a delicious Thanksgiving dessert. The sweetness feels more understated, just like it should with a really good pumpkin pie. Indeed, it's rather the whipped topping or ice cream that you add on top of pumpkin pie that should really lend that sugary lift.

Therefore, Pink House Alchemy's syrup is an ideal pumpkin spice syrup for coffee lovers who prefer their syrups to be not quite as sweet as others but just enough to sweeten the coffee. This is an easy brand and flavor to fall in love with — and I have zero complaints, only love.

For each iced coffee, I ground 18 grams of coffee using my Fellow Ode Gen 2 Brew Grinder, just past the four setting. I warmed filtered water to 208 degrees F and poured 125 grams of water over my coffee to brew for one minute, upside down in my AeroPress Original Coffee Maker. This made a very rich coffee that is somewhere between espresso and black coffee. To sample each syrup, I poured in the recommended amount (typically one ounce), stirred the coffee and syrup, and then topped with whole milk. To make it iced, I added GE Profile Opal pebble ice on top for that perfect texture, filling the cup the rest of the way.

For the ranking, I considered the taste and quality of the ingredients. Syrups that added a warmth to the drink and a subtle spice ranked high, while those that were too spicy or had a bad aftertaste ranked poorly. I also took into consideration the quality of the ingredients, prizing those that listed out the natural flavors and actually included pumpkin. I noted the color of the syrup if it felt significant, but this didn't impact my overall rating of the syrups.