Unfortunately, as of the current date, you still can’t get a Vegan Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino (or a latte for that matter) at Starbucks in the US.
Luckily I did a bit of experimenting and came up with an easy yet delicious recipe that you can DIY at home to make a plant-based version of this frozen coffee drink. The vegan pumpkin spice frappe you’ll get to have if you follow this how-to guide is very yummy, so I recommend trying it out!
Before we move on to the recipe ingredients, I have to uncover this homemade drink’s calorie content, as many of you might wonder how many calories it contains. The Vegan Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino contains 210 kcal if made with thick coconut milk and if it doesn’t have whipped cream on top of it.
If calories are not your concern, but rather the presence of carbohydrates, you could try out my recipe for a Keto Pumpkin Spice Frappe which will contain no more than 3 grams of net carbs per serving.
Related Post: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte: a Starbucks Copycat Recipe (both hot and iced versions).
With that being said, let’s continue onto one of the most essential segments.
Ingredients
To make a vegan pumpkin spice Frappuccino at home, you need the following ingredients:
- Instant Coffee: 2 teaspoons.
If you prefer using espresso and you have an espresso machine available, feel free to use it instead.
Nevertheless, when made at Starbucks, coffee Frappuccinos (if not decaf) are prepared with a few pumps of something called Frappuccino Roast (often referred to as Frap Roast). Starbucks came up with this recipe component, as the hot espresso, if added to a Frappuccino, melts down the blended ice cubes. This alters the drink’s frozen texture and makes it more watery. To avoid that, they use Frap Roast, which, in its essence, is instant coffee dissolved in room-temperature water.
So if you’re trying to replicate the Starbucks Frappuccino’s taste, use instant coffee instead of espresso.
With that being said, I’ve found that using 2 fl. oz. of cold brew concentrate in the making of a vegan pumpkin spice frappe works well too. - Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: 3 fl. oz. or 90 ml.
It’s creamy and will add a nice flavor to your plant-based homemade Frappuccino.
Of course, you can have it substituted with almond, soy, oat milk, or another dairy-free substitute. Nevertheless, Frappuccinos are known for their creamy texture and higher viscosity. So I recommend adding half a teaspoon of xanthan gum to thicken it. Especially if you’ve decided that you’re going to make your DIY vegan pumpkin spice Frappuccino with, say, almond milk. - Pumpkin Pie Spice: 1 teaspoon.
I make pumpkin pie spice at home by mixing the following spices: 1 x ground nutmeg, 1 x ground ginger, 1 x ground cloves, 1 x ground allspice, 2 x ground cinnamon.
- Pumpkin Puree: 2 tablespoons (around 30 grams).
- Vanilla Syrup or Maple Syrup: 2 tablespoons.
The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice coffee drinks contain vanilla syrup. This flavor compliments excellently all of the other flavors, so I definitely recommend using vanilla syrup for your homemade pumpkin spice frappe too. I use Monin’s vanilla syrup which is vegan. You can check it out on Amazon by clicking here.
Using a few drops of vanilla extract is also an option, but if you use it instead, you will need to think of another way to have your coffee frappe sweetened.
If you don’t have vanilla syrup at hand, the maple one is a great plant-based alternative so feel free to add 2 tablespoons to the mixture before blending. The DIY Vegan Frappuccino will still turn out great. - Ice Cubes.
Here you can see all of the recipe ingredients that I used in the making of my vegan pumpkin spice coffee frappe.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino: Recipe Instructions
To make a DIY Vegan Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino:
- Pour all of the ingredients into a blender.
- Blend until smooth and pour into a serving glass.
Here’s the DIY Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, sprinkled with a bit of pumpkin pie spice on top.
I prefer mine without any other toppings.
After I place a metal straw in my glass my delicious frozen coffee beverage is ready to be consumed.
With that being said, many people prefer having their drink topped off with a bit of vegan whipped cream. You can use full-fat canned coconut milk to prepare some. Click here to check out a detailed recipe on how to make such a delicious vegan topping.
With all being said, this Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino is extremely delicious. If you’re a vegan and you’ve never tried this fall drink at Starbucks, because their version isn’t plant-based, I recommend trying this copycat recipe at home.
By following it, you will get to enjoy a yummy pumpkin Frappuccino that’s pretty close to the Starbucks one (and if you ask me, it’s even better).
If you’re looking for vegan coffee and tea drink recipes, feel free to check out a few of the following Woke Lark guides:
- Iced London Fog Vegan Recipe
- How to make a London Fog Tea Latte
- Matcha Latte – Vegan & Non-Vegan recipe
- Plant-based Mocha Frappuccino Recipe
- Vegan Oreo Frap Recipe
- How to make a Vegan Chai Latte
DIY Vegan Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino
Check out how to make a tasty vegan copycat version of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino at home.
Ingredients
- Instant coffee - 2 teaspoons.*
- Full-fat Canned Coconut Milk - 3 fl. oz. or 90 milliliters, or 4 fl. oz. (120 milliliters) of other plant-based milk*
- Pumpkin Puree - 2 tablespoons
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - 1 teaspoon*
- Ice Cubes.
- Vanilla Syrup - 2 tablespoons, or 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- Xanthan gum - quarter to a half of a teaspoon (optional, as a thickening agent)
- Vegan Whipped Cream (optional, as a topping)
Instructions
- Pour all of the ingredients (except for the toppings) into a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a serving glass and add toppings of choice.
Notes
*Instead of using instant coffee, I recommend using a shot of espresso or 2 fl. oz. (60 milliliters) of cold brew concentrate.
*Full-fat canned coconut milk is thick and creamy, which is why I recommend it for this recipe. However, you can use any plant-based milk you desire. Just keep in mind that using thinner milk, such as almond, may result in a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino that's a bit more watery. To make your drink thicker, you can use a quarter to a half of a teaspoon of xanthan gum - a thickening agent, used in many Starbucks drinks.
*One teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice should be added to the mixture before blending. You can also use it as a topping and sprinkle your drink after it's ready to give it a finished look.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Farmer's Market Foods Canned Organic Pumpkin Puree, 15 Ounce (Pack of 12)
-
Thai Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 13.66 Fl Oz (Pack of 6)
-
Monin - Vanilla Syrup, Versatile Flavor, Great for Coffee, Shakes, and Cocktails, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Non-GMO (750 ml)
-
Anthony's Xanthan Gum, 1 lb, Batch Tested Gluten Free, Keto Friendly, Product of USA
-
Simply Organic Vanilla Extract, Certified Organic | 4 oz
Now that you know how to make this caffeinated frappe, you can easily DIY it. Leave me a comment below if you have any questions, or simply share your thoughts on this recipe.