Starbucks is giving its fall fan favorite a makeover: the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is kicking caramel coloring and adding real pumpkin puree.
“After hearing from customers and partners about ingredients, we took another look at this beverage and why we created it so many years go,” said Peter Dukes, Starbucks’ director of Espresso and Brewed Coffee for the Americas, on the official Starbucks blog. “It was simple – espresso, perfectly steamed milk, warm fall spices with delicious flavor of pumpkin pie that reminds you of the cool, crisp days of autumn. So, with that great taste you know and love, the PSL returns this fall, and this time it will be made with real pumpkin and without caramel coloring.”
The change comes after a blogger, Vani Hari – better known as Food Babe – posted an article last August revealing that the Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte contained artificial caramel coloring and no actual pumpkin. The article went viral and fed the consumer trend of demanding less artificial ingredients.
In the PSL’s new recipe announcement, Mr. Dukes posted a complete ingredient list for the new Pumpkin Spice Latte:
- Espresso
- Milk
- Pumpkin spice flavored sauce (sugar, condensed skim milk, pumpkin puree, contains 2% or less of fruit and vegetable juice for color, natural flavors, annatto (color), potassium sorbate (preservative), salt)
- Whipped cream (light whipping cream [cream, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan])
- Starbucks vanilla syrup (sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate (preservative), citric acid)
- Pumpkin spice topping (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove
