Starbucks and Stay In – Recreate your 5 favourite Fall Hot Drinks at Home

Fall Hot Drinks in September? Surely we’re not too early? I always get to this time of year and start craving Pumpkin Chai Lattes! Or Pumpkin Spiced Lattes! Or even your Pumpkin ICED lattes?

But your wallet isn’t ready to spend all that money every time you get a craving for cosiness in a cup?!

I mean, lets face it, they’re really pricey.

Let me show you how to recreate your 5 cafe favourite Fall Hot Drinks at home for a fraction of the price and without having to take a trip to your local Starbucks every time.

How to Steam Milk at Home

OK, so the reason you head out to Starbucks or the other big brands is because you don’t have a milk frother at home. I get it. But let’s have a look at some options which in the long run might save you some pennies. I’ve had a look at the cheapest to the most expensive.

Keplin Handheld Milk Frother – Stainless Steel Electric Whisk

(£6.79 at time of writing)

This was the cheapest option that was available on Amazon. It had mainly positive reviews for the price. If it’s just for you and you just need to give your warm milk a little ‘jooj’ then I’m sure this will do the trick.

Bodum 1446-01 Latteo Milk Frother, Borosilicate Glass – 0.25 L, Black/ Transparent

(£22.86 at time of writing)

Wow. I really want one of these. The results and the reviews look great, plus it looks like it froths a really good amount of milk.

One to look at if it’s not just you cosying around the pumpkins this Autumn!

Nespresso Aeroccino 3 Milk Frother Black

(£70 at time of writing)

We use this at home as it came attached to our Nespresso machine that we got second hand. I love the result this gives to all lattes I make at home and know it will be wonderful once I get stuck into the Fall hot drinks. I’ve listed it as a middle price option as I see a lot of these going second hand and got ours for around £50 for both the coffee machine and the milk frother.

Severin SM 3587 Induction Milk Frother Spuma 700 Plus, Black-Stainless Steel

(£104.89 at time of writing)

This had some great reviews so definitely worth looking at if you’re a lover of lattes. It also would look great on a countertop and suits more than one cup at a time. But for me, a little out of my price range.

And how about your shot of coffee?

If adding a shot of coffee to your drink is your thing, the world is your oyster! You can use a traditional French Press, a pod type machine like the Nespresso or a hob top espresso maker before you venture into the big bucks if you’re serious about your hot drinks such as a full coffee machine if you want to sell your car and set up your own coffee shop!

Your Seasonal Favourites at Home

It’s around this time of year that my husband opens the cupboard and sees a range of new syrups, powders, toppings and chunky new mugs. He judges me silently. But maybe he knows that deep down, I’m probably making a seasonal saving on my hot drinks.

So let’s jump in and see how to recreate your favourites at home.

The Pumpkin Spiced Latte

The Autumnal hot drink best seller in many high street coffee shops is the Pumpkin Spiced Latte. A delicious mix of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin. It’s quite sweet and wonderful topped with whipped cream, a cinnamon stick and a little pumpkin dusting.

To make at home, mix a shot of coffee with a good glug of your favourite pumpkin spiced latte syrup. Top with smooth, steamed milk, a dusting of cinnamon and an episode of Gilmore Girls for good measure.

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

Utter indulgence and not one that you may want to make whilst counting the calories. This hot chocolate recipe is arguably much better than any you will find in a coffee shop as it uses such rich ingredients. A perfect end to a night of trick or treating or just as those Autumn evenings close in and you want a decedant brew to warm your hands.

A slow cooker is an essential piece of kitchen kit in my eyes which goes way past being good for just hot drinks.

Not only does it make wonderful thick, creamy hot chocolate, but rice puddings, slow cooker fudge, curries and my very own sweet butternut squash soup can be done in there too. The list is really quite endless It’s not an expensive piece of kit if you get a simple model like mine, but it lasts years and has so many uses. We have a similar model to this one and for under £20, it’s a great little bargain to warm your cockles.

Chai Tea Latte

This is my go-to Autumn/Winter hot drink order. I know it can be quite sweet, but it’s so warming with flavours of Star Anise, ginger and cardamon and it has the most wonderful aroma. To keep it simple, the recipe by Snacks and Sips shows how to improve on the simple Chai Teabag to turn it into a copycat Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. It is also easily modified to suit a Vegan or plant-based diet.

I have previously really loved these chai tea bags, both made simply with hot water, or warmed on the hob as shown in the recipe.

Apple Pie Warmer

Anything ‘apple’ flavoured screams Autumn hot drinks to me! This recipe also suggests adding a little Rum if you need that extra warmth.

A warm spicy apple punch mixed with creamy vanilla ice cream spices, I’ll be sure to give this one a go at Halloween!

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

An alternative to the previous steamy options. If you’re a coffee connissiur you would have no doubt tried or enjoyed a cold brew (and I don’t just mean the types I have with a busy toddler).

Starbucks launched the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew 16 years after the iconic Pumpkin Spiced Latte and it has been widely regarded as a success. Signature cold brew mixed with vanilla, topped with pumpkin cream cold foam and topping. Sounds dreamy!

To make at home, the recipe by Fox & Briar is a great one, whether you want to make your own cold brew or get some shop-bought to amend.

Whilst the evenings are drawing in, so are my purse strings. I hope this run down of my favourite ways to recreate the Fall hot drinks see’s you well into a cosy Halloween and beyond. If you’ve enjoyed this post, please let me know and check out my recipe for ‘fire-side softies‘ or ‘espresso and browned butter cookies‘ for a perfect biscuit treat to accompany your steaming hot brew xx