Kat's Kitchen

You always hear people raving about pumpkin white mochas, and while yes, absolutely, those are incredible, I think Pumpkin Mochas deserve some more love and attention.

Pumpkin and chocolate pair so perfectly together in this Pumpkin Mocha recipe. You have to give it a try this fall and let me know if you prefer it hot or iced!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce: I love the Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce! It tastes like pumpkin pie in liquid form, and it goes so great in this Pumpkin Mocha recipe. Feel free to use any pumpkin syrup instead of the sauce, or opt for a sugar free syrup to keep the overall sugar lower.

Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce: The Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce has a delicious rich dark chocolate flavor that compliments the pumpkin sauce perfectly. Together you can get a perfect Pumpkin Mocha! Feel free to use a different brand of chocolate sauce or syrup, or you can make your own Homemade Chocolate Sauce using Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder, sugar, and a few other pantry essentials!

Espresso: All mochas require espresso as one of the ingredients. See my 5 Ways to Make Espresso at Home blog post for all the different ways you can make espresso at home. It doesn’t matter which method you choose, simply follow the espresso making steps to get your espresso shots, and then use that to make your own Pumpkin Mocha at home!

Milk: I like 2% milk in this recipe, but feel free to use any milk your heart desires! For an iced Pumpkin Mocha you’ll use cold milk straight from the fridge, and for a hot Pumpkin Mocha, you’ll need to steam your milk before adding to your cup. I’ll share the various ways to steam milk later in this post.

Ice: If you’re wanting an iced Pumpkin Mocha, you will need ice to chill the drink. For a hot version, you do not need any ice.

Whipped cream: Whipped cream is an essential ingredient of any mocha (regular or white mocha). It’s the perfect creamy topping for an iced or hot drink. If you’re not a whipped cream fan, you can add cold foam instead, or try a cold foam creamer!

Cocoa Powder: A sprinkle of cocoa powder ties this drink together so perfectly! It adds an extra layer of chocolatey goodness with little to no extra effort. Instead of, or in addition to the cocoa powder, you can use ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice!

How Can I Make Espresso At Home?

There are five ways to make espresso at home:

• Instant Espresso Powder
• Nespresso Machine
• Moka Pot
• Aeropress
• Espresso Machine

See my 5 Ways To Make Espresso At Home blog post for step by step instructions of each espresso making method!

What’s The Best Coffee to Use For Espresso?

If you are using an espresso machine, a Moka Pot, or an Aeropress to make espresso, these are my recommended coffees:

• Laka Java Wahine Blonde Roast Espresso (Use code: katerinafaith for 10% off)
• Press Coffee Spitball Espresso Beans
• Press Coffee Twitch Espresso Beans
• Blue Bottle Coffee Espresso Beans

If you are using a Nespresso machine, these are my recommended espresso pods:

• Double Espresso Dolce
• Double Espresso Chairo
• Peru Organic

If you are using instant espresso, these are my recommended espresso powders:

• Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso (light/blonde roast)
• Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso (dark roast)

Note for instant espresso, I like to follow the following ratios:

• Single shot: 1/4 tablespoon instant espresso + 1.25 ounces warm water
• Double shot: 1/2 tablespoon instant espresso + 2.5 ounces warm water
• Triple shot: 3/4 tablespoon instant espresso + 3.75 ounces warm water
• Quad shot: 1 tablespoon instant espresso + 5 ounces warm water

What is a “Shot” of Espresso?

A common espresso term you’ll see a lot is a “shot” of espresso. When you brew espresso using an espresso machine, the liquid that comes out of the machine is considered a shot, since the machine pushes out the liquid at high pressure.

• A single shot or one shot of espresso is roughly 1.25 ounces of liquid.
• A double shot is roughly 2.5 ounces of liquid.
• A tripe shot is roughly 3.75 ounces of liquid.
• A quad shot is roughly 5 ounces of liquid.

How To Steam Milk For a Hot Mocha

Hot mochas require steamed milk as one of the ingredients. To steam milk at home, you have a few options:

1. Steam Wand: If you have an espresso machine with a steam wand attached to it, watch this Milk Steaming Video Tutorial for how to steam milk! You simply add milk to a milk frothing pitcher, insert the tip of the steam wand into the milk, and create air bubbles, heat and texture to create perfect, velvety steamed milk at home!
2. Electric Milk Frother: Add your milk to an electric milk frother, and select the hot setting. The milk frother will heat the milk as well as create a thick and foamy texture. The texture will be a little different than a typical steam wand, but it’s very similar and pleasant, and a great option if you don’t have an espresso machine with a steam wand.
3. Handheld Milk Frother: Add cold milk to a large coffee mug and place the mug in the microwave for 60 seconds. Alternatively, you can heat up milk in a pot on the stove until warm, just make sure to constantly stir it so it doesn’t burn. Once your milk is warm, insert a handheld milk frother into the warm milk. Froth the mixture until the milk doubles in size and becomes bubbly and frothy, and you have steamed milk for your hot mocha!

Note, for an iced mocha, you do not need to warm or steam the milk. Simply skip this step, and use cold milk straight from the fridge.

Homemade Chocolate Sauce Recipe

• 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

• Combine cocoa powder, sugar, warm water, vanilla extract and salt in a small bowl or container, and whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

How To Make An Iced Pumpkin Mocha

1. Brew Your Espresso: Start by brewing 2 shots of espresso. See my 5 Ways To Make Espresso blog post for various espresso making methods.
2. Mix the Sauces and Espresso: In your favorite cup or glass, add the Torani Pumpkin Sauce, Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce (or Homemade Chocolate Sauce), and the freshly brewed espresso, and give it a good stir until the sauce is fully dissolved.
3. Add Milk and Ice: Next, pour in the 2% milk, and fill the cup up with ice. Stir everything together to combine the flavors and chill the entire drink.
4. Garnish: Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder (or cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice).
5. Enjoy: Sip and savor your homemade Iced Pumpkin Mocha!

How To Make A Hot Pumpkin Mocha

Instructions:

1. Brew Your Espresso: Start by brewing 2 shots of espresso. See my 5 Ways To Make Espresso blog post for various espresso making methods.
2. Mix the Sauces and Espresso: In your favorite mug, add the Torani Pumpkin Sauce, Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce (or Homemade Chocolate Sauce), and the freshly brewed espresso, and give it a good stir until the sauce is fully dissolved.
3. Steam the Milk: Next, steam your milk using a steam wand, aerroccino, or microwave milk for 60 seconds and froth with a handheld milk frother until foamy. Pour the steamed/frothed milk over the pumpkin-chocolate-espresso mixture.
4. Garnish & Enjoy: Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder (or cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice), and enjoy your Hot Pumpkin Mocha!

How Can I Make This Dairy Free?

To make a dairy free pumpkin mocha:

• Use the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce – YES this product is dairy-free, and either the Torani Pumpkin Pie Syrup or the Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup instead of the pumpkin sauce!
• Make your own Homemade Chocolate Sauce – this homemade recipe is dairy free!
• Use any dairy free milk instead of 2% milk: oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc
• Use a dairy free whipped topping! Most grocery stores sell oat milk or coconut milk whipped topping options! You can also make your own homemade dairy free whipped cream using a whipped cream dispenser, an N20 charger, vanilla syrup, and dairy free heavy whipping cream!

How Can I Make This Lower Sugar/Lower Calories?

To make a lower sugar/lower calorie pumpkin mocha at home, make as many of the modifications below as you would like:

1. Use the Torani Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Sauce
2. Use the Torani Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup
3. Use a sugar free substitue in your Homemade Chocolate Sauce like: monk fruit or stevia
4. Use unsweetened almond milk instead of 2% milk
5. Use a sugar free whipped topping or skip the whipped cream altogether

Can I Make This Without The Coffee?

Absolutely! Simply skip the espresso but keep everything the same for a Pumpkin Hot (or iced) Cocoa!

Can I Make This Recipe With Regular Brewed Coffee?

No you cannot make a Pumpkin Mocha with regular brewed coffee from a coffee pot/maker because brewed coffee is different than espresso. They taste different, they have different concentrations, and they’re meant to be used differently.

You CAN make a delicious Chocolate Pumpkin Coffee using brewed coffee, it just technically won’t be a mocha because mochas require espresso.

If you just have a coffee pot, no worries, you can use instant espresso powder like I mention above in the “How To Make Espresso At Home” section above, or you can simply swap the espresso for regular brewed coffee, and then just add 2-4 ounces of milk instead!

More Recipes Using Pumpkin Sauce

• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Latte
• Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Chai
• Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cold Brew
• Dutch Bros Caramel Pumpkin Brûlée Breve

More Recipes Using Dark Chocolate Sauce

• Dutch Bros Picture Perfect Freeze
• Twix Latte
• Chocolate Covered Raspberry Frappe
• Almond Joy Iced Mocha
• Spooky S’mores Cold Brew

Shop My Favorite Cups for At Home Coffee!