Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Latte and Homemade Pumpkin Butter!

I am hankering a pumpkin spice latte and stumbled upon these beauties from Gluten Free Easily. I love the sugar free pumpkin butter, and even more how easily it translates to pumpkin lattes. The fact that you can make the pumpkin butter in the crock pot is even better. Now that's what I'm talking about.

from glutenfreeeasily.com

Non-Coffee Pumpkin Spice “Latte” (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)

Ingredients 

About 1 ½ cups of unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice; see notes)

About 3 tbsp pumpkin butter (I used this gfe recipe, which uses honey, but as stated in the recipe maple syrup or agave nectar can be substituted for an equally delicious vegan option) 

Instructions 

Stovetop method: Add milk to saucepan. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Slowly stir in pumpkin butter. (I use my mini whisk, which is great for mixing single servings of beverages.) You want the latte mixture to steam, but not boil, so be vigilant. Fill mug. Enjoy! 

Microwave method: Fill mug to almost full; leave about ¾ to 1 inch at the top. Whisk or stir in pumpkin butter. Microwave on HIGH for about 2 ½ minutes, hitting PAUSE to stir about halfway through. Enjoy! 

Makes one serving. 

Shirley’s Notes: I love this non-coffee pumpkin spice latte made with almond milk. The texture is perfection—velvety smooth. It actually looks like pumpkin pie “batter,” too. If you want to substitute full-fat coconut milk, you’ll want to use a mixture of full-fat coconut milk and water. If you have a mug that holds 1 1/2 cups, I recommend using about 1 1/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk and 1/4 cup water. Cashew milk is another great option. And if you consume cow dairy, then regular milk would be fine, but I would use regular milk or 2% milk. If you drink Vanilla Almond Milk, you may not need as much pumpkin butter, but your Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Latte will no doubt be equally delicious. You may top your latte with some of my gluten-free, dairy-free Honey Whipped Cream (agave nectar may be used instead of honey) or Diane’s “original” gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan Whipped Cream for a truly decadent delight.

Slow-Cooked Pumpkin Butter
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)

Two 15-ounce cans pumpkin or scant 4 cups fresh pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup honey (I used raw honey from our bees; see notes for alternative sweeteners and their measurements)
Pinch of sea salt

Slow cooker method: Mix ingredients together well in a large bowl and transfer to slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours or longer. If  some liquid remains, leave slow cooker on for a longer period of time and leave lid off slow cooker for another 30 minutes to an hour at the end of your cooking time so that excess liquid can evaporate. Let cool and store in refrigerator.