The Rumors Are True: The Pumpkin Spice Latte Will Be Back Earlier Than Ever This Year
Big news for fans of Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte: The PSL is returning by the end of August. Starbucks confirmed the date on the closed Facebook group Leaf Rakers Society (a Facebook group obsessed with celebrating all things fall all year round), and fall lovers everywhere are rejoicing.
So when, exactly, is the pumpkin spice latte available? “Starting Tuesday August 27, Starbucks customers in the U.S. and Canada can get their first sip of the beloved fan-favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL),” a Starbucks spokesperson told Prevention.com.
While Starbucks has had some early releases of the PSL in the past that have been before that, August 27 will be the earliest PSL “official” launch ever.
If you’re not a huge fan of the PSL or (gasp!) have never tried it, you’re probably wondering what all the hype is about. Here’s what you need to know about the beloved drink—plus, how it stacks up nutrition-wise.
What’s in the pumpkin spice latte?
The PSL is made from espresso and milk, but contains a syrup that has flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. It’s also usually topped of with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices, according to Starbucks, and you can enjoy it hot or iced.
Pumpkin spice latte nutrition
Like other Starbucks drinks, the PSL comes in a variety of sizes, but this is what you’re looking at nutrition-wise if you order a grande with two percent milk and whipped cream:
Calories: 380
Fat: 14 grams
Saturated fat: 8 grams
Sodium: 240 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 52 grams
Sugar: 50 grams
Protein: 14 grams
As each sip unfolds—the warmth of pumpkin, cinnamon & clove. #PSL
A post shared by Starbucks Coffee ☕ (@starbucks) on Oct 16, 2018 at 10:29am PDT
Is the pumpkin spice latte healthy?
Nutrition experts are pretty unanimous on this one: The PSL is definitely not a health drink (but, to be fair, it never claims to be). “It is pretty unhealthy,” says Julie Upton, MS, RD, co-founder of nutrition website Appetite for Health, who likens the PSL to “liquid pumpkin-spice candy.” Even the tall PSL made with skim milk and no whipped cream contains 200 calories and 38 grams of sugar “which is essentially the same sugar as drinking a 12-ounce regular soda,” Upton says.
A grande PSL contains twice as much added sugar as the American Heart Association recommends for women in a day, points out Gina Keatley, a CDN practicing in New York City. “That’s a lot of empty calories,” she says. It also has the nutritional profile of a dessert, but as a drink, which is “a bit much,” Keatley says.
“It’s hard to rationalize the intensely high sugar, fat, and calorie content of the pumpkin spice latte from a nutritional perspective,” says Beth Warren, RDN, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl. “For a grande, the nutrient profile is higher than a meal size portion of actual food.”
Okay, so what’s the healthiest way to enjoy the pumpkin spice latte?
Sure, most people aren’t having a PSL for its nutritional benefits, but there are a few ways to make it healthier. “As with most sweet coffee drinks, this is best enjoyed as an occasional treat,” says Jessica Cording, MS, RD, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety.
You can also order the smallest size (Starbucks has a “short” size you can ask for), share it with a friend, skip the whipped cream to shave off extra calories, or ask for just one pump of the pumpkin spice syrup to give you the flavor without going overboard on the sugar, Cording says.
According to Food & Wine, the Leaf Rakers Society also has a tastier, alternative option. A Starbucks company representative informed the group that a lower-calorie PSL can be easily made, without compromising its yumminess. Here’s what to do: Ask for an Americano (espresso and water) with pumpkin spice sauce, whipped cream, and pumpkin topping. Basically, by ditching the milk you can cut calories and still get a bit of creaminess from the whipped cream. Just note: Even by cutting out the milk, you’d still be taking in a whopping 51 grams of sugar from the pumpkin spice sauce (almost 13 teaspoons!), so you should also ask for less of that sweet add-in as well.
And if you rather just enjoy a PSL the way Starbucks intended, go for it! “Make sure you’re really enjoying the drink because a little bit of joy is worth a couple of calories,” says Keatley.
Of course, pumpkin spice lattes aren’t the only way to get your pumpkin spice fix. Check out these healthy pumpkin spice products to get you in the mood. Happy (almost) fall!
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