Even though the temperatures are well above 100 degrees in some areas, pumpkin spice latte season is nevertheless nigh. The good news is iced pumpkin lattes exist. The not-so-good news is that means you’ll be paying anywhere between $5.45 and $7.45 at your local Starbucks, plus tip (depending on your personal views on that controversial topic), for your treat.
Needless to say, that kind of spending racks up quickly and can easily turn the sweetness of pumpkin spice season sour.
You could break down and shell out the cash…or you could follow the lead of TK, who goes by Taekook on TikTok, and make your own version using only Dollar Tree ingredients for a fraction of the price.
Pumpkin Spice Latte: the Dollar Tree version
Spending only about $5, TK purchased:
2% milk
Pumpkin pie spice (obviously a key ingredient)
Instant coffee
Sweetened condensed creamer
Pumpkin puree (technically bought at Aldi, because TK’s Dollar Tree hadn’t rolled out this seasonal item yet…but still only $1.65)
To make the sauce, he whisked together one cup of the puree with the entire can of sweetened condensed creamer, two teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice, plus a teaspoon of vanilla extract he already had at home, and a pinch of salt to “bring out all the flavors.”
He then mixed one tablespoon and one teaspoon of the instant coffee with four tablespoons of hot water for the “espresso” portion.
TK then poured four tablespoons of the homemade pumpkin sauce into a cup (though he recommends measuring this portion “with your heart”), added the espresso, gave it a “barista swirl,” and poured in milk until the liquid reached about three-quarters of the way up. Finally, he added ice and whipped cream, which he also already had at home, and sprinkled pumpkin pie spice on top.
And voila! A delicious iced pumpkin spice latte you can recreate for the entirety of fall for the same price that would get you only one of these bad boys at Starbies.
And that’s not the only Starbucks drink TK has made a Dollar Tree rendition of
Earlier this year, TK recreated the popular $7-$8 Mango Strawberry Lemonade Refresher using only mango nectar, freeze-dried strawberries, and canned caffeinated lemonade.
Other popular DIYs include the Caramel Ribbon Frappuccino, Apple Crisp Oat Shaken Espresso, Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso, and White Chocolate Mocha.
At Starbucks, each of these drinks would cost about six times as much. And judging by the comments, the at-home versions don’t compromise taste.
“At first I was skeptical, then I was like… okaaay!” commented one person
“I sure did run to make this at 1 a.m. and u did not do us wrong…soooooo delicious…thank u…😋😋😋” wrote another.
The success of his recipes has led TK to one conclusion: higher price doesn’t mean higher quality
“In this economy, you’re made to believe that if you pay for something expensive, that means it’s high-quality, and it’s the best thing ever, but that’s not always the case,” he told TODAY.
Granted, sometimes the amount of work it takes to make some of the specialty drinks many boutique cafes offer today might justify the cost. But so often we pay high prices for the illusion of convenience rather than the real thing.
Think of how much time it takes, from start to finish, to actually get a Starbucks order. Even supposedly expedient mobile orders still require you to actually drive to the location, make it through the drive-thru, or find parking and then walk in to get your order. Compare that to adding a few extra items to your regular shopping list and doing it all at home.
Modern life doesn’t exactly prioritize slow living. But when we choose it, we can reap so many benefits—whether in our wallets, on our taste buds, or in the simple enjoyment of adding sweetness to our day and knowing we are the ones who created it.
