Early every Fall, I decide to jump on the bandwagon and try a Starbuck’s pumpkin spice latte. Every year I realize it’s gross, has a weird fake taste, and is so sweet it makes my teeth hurt. Thanks to the Food Babe article that came out a few weeks ago detailing just what exactly is in a PSL, I’m officially done with the official PSL.

After the Food Babe post went viral I saw a lot of talk about the Whole Foods PSL made with almond milk as a healthier alternative. Please don’t confuse healthier with healthy. This is a treat, not a daily beverage to start your morning. Verdict: No thanks. The first sip was okay, but still too sweet for my tastes. And the aftertaste, while better than chemical, was almost medicinal.

I still wanted a little taste of Fall and decided to try making my own, which lead me to finding four recipes and my favorite word ever: challenge! I had grand plans to conduct my own PSL taste test challenge with all four recipes. Unfortunately I ran out of weekend mornings to get through all four with our crazy travel this month. And since I decided to jump on a Whole30, I won’t be able to try anymore until November. Here’s my opinion on the two I did try, as well as links to the others I had planned on trying.

Stupid Easy Paleo’s Pumpkin Spice Latte: Yes! It tasted like fall in my cup without the sweet taste. My customizations included brewed, extra strong decaf coffee instead of espresso and a drop of maple syrup per serving (might try without next time). My only issue with the recipe was that it made a tiny serving. I ended up making a second serving to get a mug full for my picture. I would make it again but double the amount from the start.

Civilized Caveman’s Pumpkin Spice Latte: Too sweet for my taste, even though I only used 1 tbls raw honey versus the 2-3 in the recipe. But it’s a very different sweet from the fake sugary taste of a commercial drink. If you have a sweet tooth (which I don’t), I would suggest trying this one. Once I added more brewed coffee to my cup it was pretty tasty. I skipped the cocoa but I think a little touch of it would add a little something.

100 Days of Real Food
Nourishing Gourmet 

If you’re looking for a delicious fall drink that’s not full of junk I definitely recommend trying one of these (or all of them!). Let me know if you try the other two so I can live vicariously through you while on my Whole30. Happy Fall!