Starbucks at Home~Pumpkin Foam & Cold Brew

Creating your favorite artisanal coffee beverage is easy and affordable to do at home. Join me in creating the delicious and fall inspired Pumpkin Cold Foam Cold Brew from Starbucks.

By: Elizabeth

Okay, so we all love a good Starbucks coffee, but even with the rewards program, it gets expensive! I am on a mission. A mission to create budget friendly Starbucks copycat beverages and share them with you! The one that I did recently was so popular with my friends and family that I thought, “let’s try to make dups for some of the most popular coffees out there”. 

A little background on me and what qualifies me to even attempt these copycat recipes. One, I am an avid coffee lover, and the first thing we try when traveling is local favorite coffee, so I like to think that I have some experience in the many variations of coffee. Two, I actually managed a coffee shop when I was younger; not Starbucks. During that time, I learned so much about how to create coffee, and I was given the opportunity to make the “coffee beverage of the week” to experiment and market different kinds of coffee. I also baked all of the pastries from scratch each morning…that’s for another time though!

So what are we making today? We are replicating the Starbucks Pumpkin Foam Cold Brew!! Yummmm! The reason I picked this one is because I love everything pumpkin, and it’s not always available during off seasons outside of fall. But here is the kicker, we are going to make it Vegan, with less calories, and use real pumpkin and sugar vs. a syrup. Yes, that’s right…we are aiming high on this variation of the popular beverage!

Of course, we must first gather our ingredients which of course are simple and inexpensive! You will also need a Nutribullet, a blender, or at the worst a food processor. We are aiming to get as much air in the foam as possible.

Ingredients:

• 2 Nespresso Pods (can substitute 2 tbsp. instant espresso Cafe Bustelo)
• 1 Tablespoon of Light Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Regular Coffee
• 1 cup of Ice
• ½ cup Oatmilk
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1 Teaspoon of Pumpkin Spice Seasoning 

Per Serving:  8 Fl Oz |  75 calories 

Directions:

Begin by getting your favorite cup to hold iced coffee. For this recipe, I would recommend a clear glass so you can see the wonderfulness of the pumpkin foam as it incorporates into the coffee.  The cup should be able to hold at least 8 fluid ounces or more with ice. If you have a Nespresso Machine, get your two favorite pods and following these directions:

1. Fill your desired cup with ice. I used crushed ice, but regular ice is just fine too.
2. Brew the nespresso pods separate in the machine and set aside so it can cool slightly. 
3. If you like your coffee on the sweeter side, now would be the time to add that to your nespresso coffee; just remember that does add calories to the total amount per serving.
4. In your nutribullet or other blending device, add the remainder of the ingredients except any coffee.
5. Blend on high for about 2 minutes or until the mixture begins to fluff-up to your desired consistency. Now, if you are OK with hadded calories and dairy products, you can substitute the Oatmild for heavy cream, and that will give you the Starbucks texture, but again, it is higher in caloric intake.
6. Last, pour the espresso into the cup of ice, add the desired amount of coffee you want in addition, but leave about 1 inch at the top to place the foam.
7. Pour the foam on top of the coffee and enjoy!!! I like to drink mine not mixed, but you can go ahead and mix everything together. 

If you are substituting the instant espresso for the Nespresso pods, follow the same recipe, but instead of steps 2 & 3 do the following two steps:

1. Take 2 packets (2 tbsp.) of instant coffee and add it to the brown sugar. 
2. Add in equal parts hot water (2 tbsp.) then follow the remaining steps.

Now, I am not a person who likes sweet coffee or just sweets in general, so the pumpkin foam being less sweet and made with real pumpkin and sugar vs. a syrup is ideal for me! I know that it’s healthier and has more of the original flavors that we associate with fall. Whatever your preference, the best part about recipes is the ability to make it your own!!