You can make a Pumpkin Spice Latte at home with no espresso machine — here's how

(Image credit: Erin Bashford) The Coffee Lab (Image credit: Tom's Guide)I'm Erin, and welcome to The Coffee Lab Episode 24, the series where we forget coffee snobbery. The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun. Join me as I help you kickstart your coffee journey!Controversial opinion incoming, but if you don't have an espresso machine, you can still make great-tasting coffee at home. Some coffee snobs will disagree, and that's fine, but this recipe isn't for them. This is for the I-love-coffee-but-I-can't-afford-a-machine crowd. I see you! I'm here for you!I used to be a Starbucks barista, so the amount of PSLs I've made is off the charts. Although Starbucks keeps its PSL sauce recipe pretty secret, you can get copycat-ish syrups everywhere online, so you can easily make the fall favorite at home. To make it even more Starbucks-y, just add a touch of condensed milk to the pumpkin syrup. For this recipe, I used Monin Pumpkin Spice syrup ($10 on Amazon), but you can use any you like.The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun and accessible, so let's demystify the ubiquitous fall drink! It's no-machine PSL time. Step 1: Prep your instant espresso I used Nescafé Instant Espresso ($10 at Amazon) for this recipe, but you can use anything you like. Add one or two teaspoons, depending on strength preference, and a dash — about one ounce — of hot water to mix. Step 2: Add pumpkin spice syrup Didn't I say this was easy? Now combine your pumpkin spice syrup (remember, condensed milk and orange food coloring if you want it truly Starbucks-y), and instant espresso. Mix, and you're done! Step 3: Add your milk You can prepare your milk in multiple ways. Either simply heat it up in the microwave (which is what I did for this recipe), or you can use a milk frother. I have the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro 2 ($159) and the Subminimal Nanofoamer Go ($34). The moral of the story is to use whatever you have!And you're done. I said this was easy, didn't I?You can add whipped cream or nutmeg on top if you want to make it even fancier. I'm not going to lie: this will not fool any PSL diehards. You can tell it's not Starbucks from just looking at it — Starbucks PSLs are bright orange. However, for a fraction of the cost, and without requiring you to fork out on an espresso machine, I'm extremely happy drinking my Pumpkin Spice Faux-tte all fall long. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less. More from Tom's GuideOverwhelmed by coffee jargon? Here are the 5 key espresso terms you need to knowI'm an ex-Starbucks barista — you can make the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at home for a fraction of the costI blind taste-tested a homemade PSL vs Starbucks PSL — and the winner didn't surprise me at allGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Erin Bashford is a senior writer at Tom's Guide, focusing on reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia. As an ex-barista, she knows her way around a coffee machine, and as a music lover, she's constantly chipping away at her dream of having a multi-room home sound system. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games.