Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte

I am a tea and latte drinker. Really I just love warm drinks in general! There is nothing more romantic then cuddling up under a knit blanket with a classic novel and a steaming beverage. It's the perfect way to spend the day and allows me time to recuperate from the demands of class and work. However, warm drinks in the summer don't usually work out to well and warm drinks in Texas... Well now that just doesn't happen period. That's part of the reason why Fall is so wonderful to me! After a long sweaty summer it gives me the perfect weather to cuddle up and relax in.

Before I became vegan I would frequent Starbucks for their famous Pumpkin Spice Lattes. When Fall rolled around you knew where to find me. I was addicted. Unfortunately, although Starbucks has a fantastic number of vegan beverages, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is not one of them. Alas, what was my poor romantically bundled sweater self to do? Get off my lazy butt and figure how to make one of course! But don't worry, this Latte is still pretty lazy itself! While in San Antonio, I stopped by Whole Foods (Yes I go to Whole Foods on vacation. Don't judge we don't have one back home) and saw Silk's Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk. I resisted drinking it the entire drive home (This took will power because the drive was 3 hours long) but as soon as I had a glass I was in love and dying to experiment. This little latte was one of the things I came up with. I also made some delicious pancakes with it too! I liked them so much I even featured them in these photos You can also find the recipe here.

**Note**  For this recipe you will need a few special coffee tools. You will need some sort of espresso maker or French Press and a frother. I have a French Press that I have been using to brew espresso for a while now. It was an inexpensive alternative to an espresso maker and I love the taste and consistency that result. To make one shot of espresso in my French Press I put 2 tbsp of ground espresso in the base and cover it with about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of boiling water. I allow the espresso to steep for 4 minutes before plunging down the filter. The frothed is entirely optional. It just creates a nice foam layer you can place on the top of your latte.

Ingredients
1 shot of espresso (see note above)
1/2 tsp of Vegan Vanilla Syrup (I use Madhava's ooh lala vanilla syrup)
3/4 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup of Silk's Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk

Instructions

1.Brew one shot of espresso (See note above and use method of your preference)

2. Combine almond milk and Pumpkin Spice Coconut milk in a microwavable cup or small cream pitcher. 

3. Microwave almond milk and coconut milk on high for 2 minutes

4. Using a frothed you can froth the warmed milk until you have generated your desired level of foam. If you do not have a frother or are not particularly fond of foam you can skip this step.

5. In a separate mug stir together espresso shot and vanilla syrup. 

6. If you have foam in your pitcher use a spoon to hold back the foam while pouring the milk into the espresso mug.

7. Once you have pour out all of the milk use your spoon to spoon out the remaining foam and place it on top of the latte. 

8. For extra deliciousness you can sprinkle some pumpkin spice or cinnamon on top of the latte