GERD-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte
Your Fall Favorite, Without the Heartburn
Fall is here, and that means it’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season! 🎃 But if you have any issues with acid reflux, you may be wondering if you can still enjoy this cosy treat without the dreadful side effects. The good news is that there are ways to make a GERD-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte that is still delicious and satisfying. ❤️
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Pumpkin Spice Latte: The Origins
I tried my first Pumpkin Spice Latte about 4 years ago when, occasionally, I could still drink delicious coffee. I didn’t have much expectations as mixing pumpkin with coffee wasn’t exactly something I thought worked. Pumpkin, at home in Italy, has always been used for savoury dishes like Pumpkin Risotto or Pumpkin Soup. And coffee, well, we do not mix coffee as a drink with anything else besides milk and sugar. So the idea was not exactly appealing to me 😅. However, I wanted to know what the fuss was about and to my surprise, I really liked it!
It’s sweet and tangy, the bitterness of the coffee works well with the cream and the spices complement the drink with a kick of flavour! Shocked by this discovery, hoping that my Italian ancestors wouldn’t be too upset with me liking anything else than espresso, I was curious to learn more.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is believed to have been invented in the early 2000s by Peter Dukes, a coffee developer for Starbucks. Dukes and his team were inspired by the flavours of pumpkin pie. They wanted to create a seasonal espresso drink to the likes of Eggnog Latte and Peppermint Mocha, but for the Fall season. After months of tasting pumpkin pies and coffees, the team settled on what we all now know as Pumpkin Spice Latte.🍂
The first PSL was released to only 100 stores in the US and Canada. However, everybody quickly realised it was a roaring success! In less than 10 years, PSL has taken the world by storm.
Duke’s original recipe for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte includes espresso, steamed milk, and pumpkin spice syrup, which is a blend of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Topped with a swirl of whipped cream and pumpkin spices. Fun fact, originally, PSL didn’t contain any pumpkin puree. 😮
This winning recipe made Pumpkin Spice Latte an official herald for the fall. So, whether you love it or hate it, Pumpkin Spice Latte is a cultural icon that has had a major impact on the coffee industry and people all over the world!
The irritants of Pumpkin Spice Latte
When I was first diagnosed with hiatus hernia, stomach ulcer and gastritis, I had to completely get rid of coffee and limit my sugar and fat intake. This meant I could not have any of those delicious hot drinks that I liked, and Pumpkin Spice Latte was one of them. To give you an idea, these are the ingredients that make PSL not very suitable for anyone with these types of conditions, including GERD.
- Coffee: It’s the queen of acidity as it contains caffeine in really high quantities. It relaxes the lower oesophagal sphincter (LES), which is the muscle that keeps stomach acid from backing up into the oesophagus. When it relaxes, it’s much easier for your stomach acid to come all the way up! Generally, it increases the production of acidity within the stomach more than other less acidic foods. This makes it a great irritant if you’re already suffering from any stomach conditions.
- Whipped Cream: If consumed in moderation it’s not too risky. However, it is the most fat-heavy ingredient in the Pumpkin Spice Latte, especially if it’s from animal-derived milk. It not only relaxes your LES but If you have a digestive disorder, It can create a lot of discomfort. It does for me 🥹
- Syrup: Syrup is sugar. Sugar is not bad for you per se, but in this drink, it’s very concentrated and mixed with other heavy ingredients like condensed milk. It’s likely to irritate the lining of the oesophagus, which worsens the symptoms of GERD and acid reflux in general.
GERD-friendly pumpkin spice latte: What’s different?
So now that you know what’s up with the real deal, let’s get to the positive and fun bits! How do you make a GERD-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte?
The core of the recipe remains unchanged. We still have creamy pumpkin puree and delicious autumnal spices. But there are a couple of things that need to go and others we can replace with healthier alternatives.
- No Coffe: Some of you may wonder why I didn’t just go for a decaf coffee instead of eliminating it from the recipe. The truth is that even decaf coffee is not suitable for me. Currently, it’s not possible to create a coffee that is fully 100% decaffeinated. And the commercially available ones are processed with chemical components that still irritate my stomach lining and worsen my symptoms. So no coffee it is! If you can “stomach” a little decaf coffee, feel free to add a splash to this recipe. 😊
- Soya Milk: It contains much less fat than animal-derived ones. Which makes it easier to digest and won’t affect your LES. It’s also suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets and for anybody with lactose intolerance.
- Cane Sugar: It’s less processed than white sugar, which always makes it a slightly healthier choice. Because of cane sugar’s sweeter caramel flavour, I can use less of it to reach the sweetness I need! And to be honest, I just like it more 😁
So here it is, I hope you try it out and that you like it as much as I do 😊Don’t forget to leave a comment and rate the recipe, I’d love to know what you think of my GERD-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte!
GERD-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte
Equipment
- 1 Medium pot
- 1 Silicon or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 480 ml Soy milk
- 50 gr Cane sugar
- 3 tbsp Pumpkin Puree
- 3 tsp Mix pumpkin spices It's usually a mix of Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger but you can use Bean's Autumn Spice Blend for extra flavour 🙂
- splash Vanilla extract
Instructions
- First of all: If you want to make Pumpkin Puree from scratch you can cut your pumpkin into chunks and bake them with no seasoning in the oven at 180℃ until soft and moist. Then use a powerful blender to break down the fibres until the puree is formed. It might still have little chunks in it so if you want a smoother puree, you can sieve it through a fine filter/sieve.If you prefer to skip this step, I would suggest using a Tinned Pumpkin Puree.
- Mix the sugar, the pumpkin puree, the spices and the vanilla extract in the pan with 60ml of milk. Stir on medium heat until the ingredients look well incorporated – it should look like a soft paste – then add the remaining milk.
- Once the milk has fully mixed with the paste and it's bubbling, switch the hob off. Pour your GERD-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte into 2 heat-proof mugs or cups.It's now ready to enjoy! Consume immediately or the next day.
Cheeky tips
Try our Vegan Spiced Banana Smoothie for more spiced goodies!
Release your inner witch with these Spooky Gluten-free and Vegan Biscuits.
See more seasonal pumpkin recipes from the Cheeky Green Bean archives!
