Pumpkinception Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte in a Pumpkin Cup
The irksome thing about most seasonal pumpkin dishes is that they rarely contain much actual pumpkin as an ingredient. This goes extra-much for pumpkin drinks, like the omnipresent pumpkin spice latte. Honestly, I was feeling a little cheated—not to mention super-wasteful. This vegan pumpkin spice latte recipe uses every part of the pumpkin, including the seeds (which become a surprisingly satisfying pumpkin seed milk)‚ the flesh (which adds sweet heft to the brew), and the hulls (which become the cutest little serving cups ever). It even comes with a bonus snack in the form of an ersatz spent-seed granola. It is entirely possible to bypass all the fuss, using canned pumpkin puree and raw pumpkin seeds (fun fact: the green pepitas usually sold in stores come from oilseed or Styrian pumpkins, rather than the pie-centric varieties) or nut milk so you may head straight for the cunning mini-pumpkin cups—but making this from-scratch pumpkin spice latte is a strangely satisfying way to spend an autumn afternoon. Seize the season, assemble some friends, and make a project of it. I’m not saying a little rum or whiskey should make it into the mix, but I’m not saying it shouldn’t, either. Depends how seedy you want things to get. (Fist pump.)Pumpkinception Pumpkin Spice LatteNote: The recipes below yield more pumpkin seed milk and pumpkin puree than you will use in one drink.Pumpkin Seed MilkBonus recipe: Take the leftover hulls and toss with salt and sesame oil. Roast on a cookie sheet until brown and crunchy for a granola-ish, no-waste snack.Pumpkin Puree
