Here’s How Julianne Hough Pumpkins Up Her Coffee

I love summer, don’t get me wrong (the sun! the beach! the in-season fresh fruit!). But when this time of year rolls around, I get super excited about how pumpkin-flavored goodies start popping up everywhere. And of all the pumpkin options, the one I love the most is a latte. Sipping on a spicy, delicious pumpkin-y coffee drink makes me feel all cozy inside and reminds me of being a kid. It’s hard not to be excited about fall when you have one in your hand!

But they aren’t as innocent as you might think, which I discovered when I researched how many calories are in one of those delicious drinks (it’s a lot!). The loads of added sugar make them most definitely a splurge and kind of took away some of the fun of ordering one. That’s when I got an idea: I had a feeling I could come up with a recipe that would give me all the amazing flavors I wanted using real ingredients—no artificial colors or flavoring—and that actually included pumpkin. (Those lattes you get at the coffee stores don’t have any! Shocking, right?)

The winning recipe, which is so good I had to share with you, gets its sweetness from honey (go ahead and switch to agave or two teaspoons of granulated sugar if you’d like!) and has real pureed pumpkin in it. (Be sure to get the kind that’s 100 percent pure pumpkin—you don’t need anything else.) It’s like a legitimate pumpkin pie in latte form (and without the guilt!). Not a coffee drinker? You can swap in black tea instead—it’s just as good. Bottoms up!

Real Pumpkin Spice Latte

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) brewed black coffee

2/3 cup (5 fl oz/160 ml) skim milk

1/3 cup (3 oz/90 g) canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons honey, or sweetener of choice

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ground cinnamon for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the coffee, milk, pumpkin, honey, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract. Whisk slowly until the mixture is warm. Pour into mugs, top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, if you like, and serve warm. That’s it!

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories 66

Protein 3 g

Carbs 13 g

Fiber 1 g

Total fat 0 g

Saturated fat 0 g

Total sugars 11 g

Added sugars 5 g

Sodium 82 mg

Julianne Hough

Fitbit Ambassador Julianne Hough is a dancer, singer, actress, and all-around lover of life. She is a two-time Dancing with the Stars champion, and has starred in such films as Footloose, Rock of Ages, Safe Haven and FOX Television’s live musical broadcast GreaseLive!, which was a critical and ratings hit. Her passion is spreading joy, love, and kindness. She lives in LA with her two dogs, Lexi and Harley.