How To Order A Low-Carb Pumpkin Spice Latte At Starbucks (It's Just As Delicious)
Ever had a Starbucks frappuccino or spiced latte and felt so full afterwards that you skipped lunch? While these loaded beverages are scrumptious, Starbucks' fall menu items can be particularly rich due to the addition of whipped cream, cold foams, syrups, and milks. These extra toppings and shots also pose a problem if you're living a low-carb lifestyle. However, as Starbucks prides itself on its commitment to providing customers with customizable drinks, there's a way around that particular snag by keeping some ordering hacks in your back pocket. For instance, if you want to order a low-carb pumpkin spice latte that's just as delicious as the regular version, all you need to do is request a grande caffe misto and make a few considered additions.
A regular grande pumpkin spice latte is made with four pumps of pumpkin sauce, 2% milk, and whipped cream, totaling 52 grams of carbs (for reference, a tall contains 39 grams and a venti contains 65 grams). To turn your order into a low-carb pumpkin spice latte, ask your server to use non-fat milk and add three pumps of sugar-free vanilla, one pump of pumpkin sauce, and light whip to your grande caffe misto. As one serving of pumpkin sauce contains 7 grams of carbs, you'll reduce the carb content of your drink by 21 grams alone simply by nixing those three extra pumps.
A customized caffe misto has fewer carbs due to less milk
A regular latte is commonly made with one part espresso and three parts milk, whereas a caffe misto is made with equal parts coffee and milk. This switch, along with reducing the pumpkin sauce, goes a long way in decreasing the overall carbs in your hot beverage because one cup of milk is equal to 12 grams of carbs. To make an iced version of this drink, ask for a grande iced almond milk latte with one pump of pumpkin sauce, three pumps of sugar-free vanilla, and light whip.
Starbucks launched the pumpkin spice latte in 2003, and it has since become a beloved seasonal menu item that returns every fall. But if you want to make a pumpkin spice latte at home, combine some pumpkin puree with sugar syrup and a dash of pumpkin pie spice to make the base. Add this fragrant syrup to some milk before topping it up with espresso, and you'll have a homespun version that you can customize just as easily with low-carb sweeteners or a dash of extra cinnamon sprinkled on top. Be mindful that the type of milk you use will affect the carb content. For instance, there are 1.5 grams of carbs per ounce of coconut milk, whereas the same amount of unsweetened almond milk contains 0.3 grams, making it a better choice when it comes to numbers.