If you love your morning cup of coffee, autumn is the perfect time to experiment with seasonal flavors. From pumpkin spice to apple pie, preparing fall lattes at home not only helps you save money on daily coffee runs, it also gives you control over the serving size, sweetness, milk type, and toppings. This allows you to tweak the ingredients based on your nutritional needs and preferences while avoiding excess sugar and calories.
You don't need to add sugar to create mouthwatering fall flavors, says
Johannah Katz, RD, a registered dietitian in Orlando, Florida, who specializes in preventive health, weight management, and exercise performance. Spices like
ginger, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and vanilla extract can add flavor without relying on
added sugar, which is linked to an increased risk of
type 2 diabetes, unwanted weight gain,
obesity, and
heart disease when consumed in high amounts.
Ingredients such as pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce, and fresh pear can also lend a natural sweetness while adding flavor and texture. “These ingredients still contribute carbohydrates and naturally occurring sugars, but those sugars are different from added sugars such as maple syrup, honey, molasses, cane sugar, or flavored coffee syrup,” Katz says.
Below are five no-sugar-added fall latte recipes that RDs recommend.
1. No-Added-Sugar Pumpkin Spice Latte
There’s no need to add sugar to a pumpkin spice latte. Katz says this beverage uses real pumpkin instead of a sweetened pumpkin syrup — and provides almost 8 grams (g) of protein, 3.4 g of fiber, 8.9 g of carbs, 4.2 g of fat (0.5 g saturated fat), and only 107 calories. It blends warm flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves while delivering a caffeine boost. Soy milk brings everything together for a creamy morning treat.
Whisk 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk, 2 tablespoons (tbsp) of plain canned pumpkin, ½ teaspoon (tsp) of pure vanilla extract, ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon, ⅛ tsp of ground ginger, and a pinch of ground nutmeg and cloves in a small saucepan.
Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it’s smooth and steaming (about 3 to 5 minutes), but be sure not to boil. Remove the mixture from the heat and froth with an immersion blender or handheld frother. Pour two shots of hot espresso into a mug before adding the pumpkin mixture and stirring to combine. If you still need a touch of sweetness, add a few drops of monk fruit sweetener, Katz suggests.
2. Apple Pie Latte
Apple pie is one of autumn’s most anticipated treats. This latte brings those flavors to life with unsweetened applesauce, which provides natural apple-pie sweetness without flavored syrup. Most of the sugar in this latte comes naturally from the milk and fruit. At the same time, the applesauce adds 45.3 mg of
potassium and 1.8 mg of
magnesium per ¼ cup.
Sipping this latte provides 114 calories, 6.7 g of protein, and 0.8 g of fiber, 2 g of fat (1.1 g saturated fat), and 17.2 g of carbohydrates.
Stir together ¾ cup of unsweetened soy milk, ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce, ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract, ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of ground nutmeg and ginger in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low until steaming (about 3 to 5 minutes).
Then, froth the mixture with an immersion blender or handheld frother before pouring it over two shots of hot espresso. Stir before drinking, as some applesauce may naturally settle.
3. Cinnamon Pear Latte
The fresh pear in this latte offers subtle sweetness that pairs deliciously with vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. It delivers seasonal coffee shop vibes without the added sugar or calories typically found in pear-flavored syrups. One pear also gives your morning brew 4.6 g of dietary
fiber and 172 mg of potassium.
Each latte packs 6.8 g of protein, 16.6 g of carbohydrates, 1.2 g of fiber, and 2 g of fat (1.1 g saturated fat) but only 112 calories.
To make it, blend ¾ cup of 1 percent dairy milk, ¼ cup of peeled pear (finely diced), ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and a pinch of ground cardamom in a blender or with an immersion blender until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low until steaming (about 3 to 5 minutes).
Froth the mixture with an immersion blender or handheld frother. Pour two shots of hot espresso into a mug and add the pear mixture. Stir well before drinking.
4. Caramel Latte
This latte delivers the warm, scrumptious flavor of caramel, but with a healthier spin.
Dawn Menning, RD, CDCES, a Irvine, California–based registered dietitian and a certified diabetes care and education specialist with Nutu, a health app that features a healthy living program and a diabetes prevention program, shares a recipe that blends Medjool
date, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla, sea salt, and brewed espresso. The great thing about dates is that they lend a rich caramel flavor along with dietary fiber, which promotes satiety and improves digestive health.
A single latte delivers 100 calories, 1.5 g of protein, 16 g of carbohydrates, 1.6 g of fiber, and 3 g of fat (0 g saturated fat).
Measure out 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk. Then, combine one Medjool date (pitted) with 2 tbsp of the milk in a blender until the mixture is smooth and paste-like. Warm the remaining almond milk with the date paste in a small saucepan.
Add ⅓ tsp of vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt and heat for about 4 minutes, whisking occasionally until the paste is completely dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk it vigorously (or froth with an immersion blender or handheld frother) for 30 seconds. Pour one shot of hot espresso into a mug and top with the frothed mixture.
5. Cookie Latte
There’s nothing like pulling freshly baked cookies out of the oven on a cozy fall day. This beverage offers a healthier way to indulge in cookie-inspired flavors with unsweetened oat milk, vanilla, honey, and brewed espresso. The addition of Greek
yogurt adds roughly 1.5 g of protein to this delightful sip.
Honey provides a touch of sweetness without reaching for a sugar-packed flavored syrup. You can also swap out honey for monk fruit sweetener for 0 g of added sugar.
This latte has 105 calories, 4.5 g of protein, 17 g of carbohydrates, 1.5 g of fiber, and 2.5 g of fat (1 g saturated fat).
To make it, warm 1 cup of unsweetened oat milk in a small saucepan. Add ½ tsp of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1 tsp of honey to the milk and heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk vigorously or froth with a milk frother.
Pour one shot of espresso into a mug and add the frothed milk mixture. Finally, whisk 2 tbsp of plain Greek yogurt until smooth and creamy. Use it to top off your mug and add a sprinkling of cinnamon.
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