Living a gluten-free lifestyle can be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to visiting popular restaurants and cafes. With Starbucks bringing back its world-famous pumpkin spice latte, many people may find themselves asking: Is the pumpkin spice latte gluten free?
The pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks is gluten free, since it doesn’t contain gluten in any of its ingredients. However, Starbucks also has many products that aren’t gluten free and which may cross-contaminate the drink. Therefore, the pumpkin spice latte is not safe for those with celiac disease.
If you’re a pumpkin spice latte lover attempting to live a gluten-free lifestyle, read on as we take a look at whether pumpkin spice lattes are gluten free, if they’re safe for those with celiac disease, how to make your own gluten-free pumpkin spice latte at home, as well as how to find good gluten-free drinks near you.
Are Pumpkin Spice Lattes Gluten Free?
Determining whether or not cafe drinks are gluten free can be difficult due to the fact that many cafes don’t officially report that their drinks are gluten free. You may therefore be pleasantly surprised to learn that a traditionally made pumpkin spice latte is in fact gluten free.
This is because the beverage doesn’t contain any wheat, rye, barley, or wheat by-products.
A pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks is made by combining steamed milk, one or two shots of espresso, pumpkin spice sauce, whipped cream, and pumpkin spice topping.
The pumpkin spice sauce is made with sugar, condensed skim milk, pumpkin puree, fruit and vegetable juice for color, natural flavors, annatto, salt, and potassium sorbate. The pumpkin spice topping, meanwhile, is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and sulfiting agents.
None of these products contains any gluten, meaning that if you’re on a self-imposed gluten-free diet, it’s safe to enjoy the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. However, this does not necessarily mean that the drink is safe for those with celiac disease.
Are Pumpkin Spice Lattes Safe for People With Celiac?
Even though the pumpkin spice latte has no gluten in its ingredients, that doesn’t necessarily make it safe for people with celiac disease. This is because Starbucks does in fact serve some other drinks as well as food items that contain gluten-based ingredients.
Starbucks doesn’t guarantee that their gluten-free products will contain zero gluten due to the possibility of cross contamination.
On their website, Starbucks says, “We cannot guarantee that any of our products are free from allergens (including dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, wheat, and others) as we use shared equipment to store, prepare and serve them.”
This unfortunately means that even though the pumpkin spice latte is gluten free in theory, Starbucks cannot guarantee that your pumpkin spice latte will contain no gluten.
How to Make a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home
You may be disappointed to learn that Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte is not safe to drink for those with celiac disease. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to a pumpkin spice latte-free life.
Given that the pumpkin spice latte has no gluten-containing ingredients, all you have to do is make your own at home. In order to do this, all you need is some coffee, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice (on Amazon), sugar, milk or a dairy-free milk substitute, and some pumpkin puree (on Amazon).
Step 1: Prepare Espresso or Coffee
When making lattes, Starbucks uses an espresso maker (on Amazon) in order to make their espresso. If you have access to one of these, then you simply need to make your desired amount of espresso.
If you don’t have espresso, just make a batch of really strong coffee. For this, you should make coffee using 1.5-2 times the coffee grounds you would regularly use.
Step 2: Prepare Your Puree
For this recipe, we recommend simmering your pumpkin puree in a saucepan. This will really bring the pumpkin flavor out of your puree.
All you have to do is simmer it until it has reduced down by about a third. If you want a pumpkin spice latte with a little less pumpkin flavor, feel free to skip this step and just use the pumpkin puree as-is.
Step 3: Heat the Rest of Your Ingredients
Now put your milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spices, and vanilla extract into a saucepan, mix them together and heat them while whisking constantly. Your goal is to froth up the milk, so you need to get it to a high temperature without boiling it.
If the milk reaches a boil, simply turn down the heat a little bit. Take it off the heat once the milk has reached a cream-like consistency.
Step 4: Combine the Milk With the Coffee
Now just pour your espresso or strong coffee in a mug, add your steamed pumpkin spice milk on top, and congratulations! You now have your very own homemade gluten-free pumpkin spice latte. Add some whipped cream on top and then some nutmeg for that authentic Starbucks experience.
Tips for Finding Gluten Friendly Drinks This Fall
It can be really difficult for someone with celiac disease and those trying to avoid gluten to find safe places to eat at.
Luckily, there’s a website that can help. Findmeglutenfree.com is a wonderful website that will help you find gluten-free restaurants and celiac-friendly spots near you. The best part is that they also have apps on both Apple and Android devices.
Each restaurant comes with reviews from other gluten avoiders that can help you. All you have to do is enter your address, city, state, or postal code as well as what kind of restaurant you’re looking for. Whether it’s gluten-free pizza or a celiac-friendly bakery, findmeglutenfree.com can help.