Kat's Kitchen

If you haven’t heard, The Coffee Bean has a new seasonal drink called the Pumpkin Dry Iced Americano with Half & Half, and it is all the rage right now on TikTok. I kept seeing people doing a taste test of it, and while it is a delicious combo of flavors, it’s nothing we can’t identically replicate ourselves at home. So let’s dive into what the heck this drink even is, and all the ingredients you’ll need to create this fall coffee beverage at home.

What The Heck is a Dry Iced Americano?

Similar to how a latte is made using espresso and milk, an Americano is a coffee beverage made by combining espresso and water together. This gives you all the flavor notes and characteristics of espresso, but in a less intense, non creamy form.

For a hot americano, you combine espresso and hot water. For an iced americano, you combine espresso, cold water, and ice.

Now, a DRY ICED americano, is when you just have espresso over ice, you don’t add any water to it…so technically just an iced espresso.

Ingredients Needed to Make The Coffee Bean Pumpkin Dry Iced Americano with Half & Half

Now that we know what kind of drink we’re creating, let’s dive into the ingredients needed to make this recipe!

• Brewed Espresso: Espresso is the star of the show with this recipe. Without espresso, you cannot make a dry iced americano. Espresso is a type of coffee that is made by pushing hot water at high temperatures through finely ground coffee. This type of coffee cannot be bought at the store, and needs to be made at home. Whether you have an espresso machine or not, I got you covered. See my post on 5 Ways To Make Espresso At Home for how you can make espresso for this drink and any other espresso based beverages! Depending on how strong you want the drink to be, you’ll need anywhere from 2-4 shots of espresso!

• French Vanilla Syrup OR Vanilla Powder: The Coffee Bean uses The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, French Deluxe Vanilla Powder, which you could get from Amazon! I like the Torani French Vanilla Syrup but feel free to use whichever option your heart desires!

• Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce: This Pumpkin Pie Sauce screams fall time and it is the major sweetener in this recipe! The Pumpkin Pie Sauce will be added to the espresso shots for sweet, pumpkin-flavored deliciousness. If you want a lower sugar option, you could use the Torani Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup instead for the same delicious pumpkin pie flavor, but for less sugar! Note, I do share a Homemade Pumpkin Spice Sauce later in this recipe that you could use instead!

• Torani Caramel Sauce: The Coffee Bean drizzles caramel sauce around the inside of the cup for a sweet addition that compliments the pumpkin sauce flavor well. For a lower sugar option, opt for the Torani Sugar Free Caramel Sauce or you could combine 1 tablespoon of the Torani Sugar Free Salted Caramel Syrup and 1/2 tablespoon of a sugar free sweetened condensed milk to get a sugar free caramel sauce! For a dairy free option, use a coconut caramel sauce!

• Ice: Since this is a dry iced americano, you need ice! Feel free to use whatever ice you like from your fridge, ice maker, or ice cube trays.

• Half & Half: This coffee beverage uses half & half as the creaminess factor. While technically the addition of half and half could change this drink from an americano (espresso and water) to a breve (espresso and half & half), we’ll continue calling this a dry iced americano with half & half. You can use whatever half and half you find at the grocery store. I personally like the Nutpods Dairy Free Half & Half. It has all the same delicious creaminess as regular half & half but it’s dairy free and less than half the calories!

That’s all you need to make The Coffee Bean’s Pumpkin Dry Iced Americano with Half & Half. I want to break down the espresso component just a bit since the espresso plays such a large role in this drink. We’ll run through all the different ways you can make espresso at home without or without a machine, as well as all the espresso/coffee options I recommend!

How Can I Make Espresso At Home?

There are five ways to make espresso at home:

• Instant Espresso Powder
• Nespresso Machine with espresso pods
• 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!

Once you establish which method you want to use for making espresso, then we can decide on exactly which coffee products to buy!

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 Twitch Espresso Beans
• Blue Bottle Coffee Espresso Beans
• Lavazza Espresso Barista Perfetto
• Lavazza Super Crema
• Café Bustelo Espresso Dark Roast

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

• Double Espresso Dolce (each pods is two shots of espresso)
• Double Espresso Chairo (each pods is two shots of espresso)
• Peru Organic (each pod is one shot of espresso)
• Orafio (each pod is one shot of espresso)

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.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Sauce

If you prefer to make your own homemade Pumpkin Spice Sauce instead of using the Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce, follow this recipe!

• ¼ cup cane sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small pot or saucepan, add cane sugar, brown sugar, and water and place over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and then bring the mixture to a simmer.
2. Once simmering, add in the pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and stir to combine.
3. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, and then reduce to simmer and allow the mixture to simmer for 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove the pot/saucepan from the burner, add the vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
5. Cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before adding it to a jar or a container.
6. Once completely cooled, add a lid and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Once you have your espresso, and your pumpkin sauce (homemade or store bought), you’re ready to assemble this drink!

How To Make The Coffee Bean Pumpkin Dry Iced Americano with Half & Half

1. Brew a double shot (or triple shot, or quad shot) of espresso using an espresso machine, Nespresso machine, Moka pot, Aeropress or instant espresso powder.
2. Add the Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce (or homemade pumpkin sauce) and Torani French Vanilla Syrup (or vanilla powder) to the espresso, and stir until fully combined.
3. To a separate cup, add Torani Caramel Sauce drizzle all around the inside of the cup, and then fill the cup up with ice.
4. Pour the vanilla pumpkin espresso mixture over the ice, and then top with half and half.
5. Optional: top with more caramel sauce drizzle, and enjoy!

How Can I Make This Dairy Free?

For a dairy free version:

• Combine 1 tablespoon Torani Pumpkin Pie Syrup and 1/2 tablespoon of a dairy free sweetened condensed milk (sweetened condensed OAT MILK or sweetened condensed COCONUT MILK). Mix together until combined and then add this pumpkin sauce to your espresso shots.
• Use a dairy free caramel sauce for the drizzle.
• Use a dairy free half & half!

How Can I Make This Lower Sugar/Lower Calories?

For a lower sugar/calorie version, make as many of the substitutions below:

• Use a Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup instead of the sauce. You can combine the sugar free syrup with a sugar free sweetened condensed milk for your own Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Sauce!
• Use a Sugar Free Caramel Sauce for the drizzle
• Use a dairy free half and half instead of regular.

How Can I Turn This Into a Frappe/Blended Coffee?

For a blended version of this drink, combine the following in a blender:

• 1 cup half & half
• 1-2 tablespoons Torani Pumpkin Pie Sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons Torani French Vanilla Syrup (or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, French Deluxe Vanilla Powder)
• 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee OR a double shot of espresso
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 3/4 cups ice

Blend the ingredients until smooth. Then, drizzle the Torani Caramel Sauce all around the inside of your cup, add in the frappe. Optional: top with more caramel sauce drizzle, and enjoy!

How Can I Make This Drink Using a Keurig?

1. Add Torani Caramel Sauce all around the inside of your cup, and then add the Torani Vanilla Bean Syrup (or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, French Deluxe Vanilla Powder)
2. Select the shot option on your Keurig to brew 4 ounces of coffee into your cup, and add 2-4 ounces of cold half & half and add ice to fill the cup. For a hot option, add 2-4 ounces of STEAMED half & half and no ice.
3. Optional: top with more caramel sauce drizzle, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I hope it helps you save some money this fall season! Comment any questions below, and be sure to let me know what you think of this recipe if you try it.