12 Fall Drinks For Those Who Don't Like Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Fall's crisp arrival can be bittersweet for those who love autumn but dislike pumpkin spice lattes. This flavor, which typically jazzes up your everyday espresso beverage with pumpkin and a few shakes of allspice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon, has become as synonymous with the season as colorful leaves and cute boots. Heck, even those who love pumpkin spice lattes enough to make them at home might just want to change things up with other sips every now and then. And, although they might not loom quite as bright, some alternative flavors do speak to these crisp days just as well.

It's easy to feel like pumpkin spice lattes have been the fourth quarter's signature drink forever, but plenty of other ingredients have also long been associated with the 'ber months. These flavors capture the essence of fall and pair with the season's brisk air even without any images of hay rides, trick-or-treating, or annual coffee chain product rollouts. And all of our 12 fall drink alternatives for those who don't like pumpkin spice lattes have similarly warming, soothing, delicious notes for anyone who just seeks release from the big orange botanical's winding, viney grasp on what can still be the tastiest time of the year.

The somewhat sweet, richly floral inhale of cardamom is the aromatic equivalent of a plush blanket. Ground and added to a standard latte base, it gives the whole cup a rich bouquet and a warm flavor. You'll be glad to have proceeded with what should be a fall classic in its own right.

You can expect Vietnamese coffee to be strong and sweet with a velvety texture thanks to its sweetened condensed milk. You might be more familiar with the iced kind stateside, but you can also have it hot by, you know, not adding the ice. The thick texture keeps it plenty cozy at either temperature. You can make Vietnamese coffee at home with a few simple steps.

In case you haven't heard, matcha's popularity now rivals that of pumpkin spice. Is that because its green tea powder packs verdant freshness even amid a snug cloak of frothy milk with customizable degrees of sweetness? Maybe! Matcha comes in different grades, and for lattes, the premium grade is ideal (though you can also pick ceremonial for a more refined flavor).

Whether you're making your own chai in the slow cooker or tipping in one of the many store-bought options on the market, it's brilliant in your morning (or whenever) latte. The black tea, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon that you'll often find inside chai will coat your mug like a fragrant hug.

This icon of the fall drink genre blows pumpkin spice out of the water any day. Its two-ingredient ingredients list is pretty much right there in the name (apple cider and caramel sauce), and all you really need to do is scale the titular sauce up or down to taste.

A bit of real maple syrup is all it takes to imbue your latte with the caramel-vanilla notes and campfire qualities that will make you feel like you're toasting to the harvest with a scarecrow. 

Hot chocolate and cocoa are among the season's more decadent beverages, often reserved for after dinner. Add in some espresso and it retains its sumptuous elements, just recalibrated for the daytime. That also, obviously, gives a mocha the caffeine kick that even pumpkin spice deniers might still seek.

Speaking of pumpkin spice deniers, it is totally legal to make a latte with all of the requisite spices and none of the big squash. Just omit the pumpkin puree from your pumpkin spice latte recipe and still enjoy the toasty flavors of clove, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon with this easy hack.

What this one lacks in heat it makes up for with an exceptionally creamy crown of whipped cream cheese atop what's often black iced tea. Cream cheese coffee is made similarly, and this is about as close as you'll get to consuming a comforting cumulus cloud in either case.

Another drink that borrows from more savory items much like the PSL, this is no mere flavored syrup affair. Sweet potato lattes blend the root veg right in with the milk and sweetener of your choice before heating. The resulting texture is about as luxe as you can get.

Earl Grey tea meets steamed milk, a bit of vanilla, and a spot of sugar in a lovely preparation that might just make you long for those overcast days.

If you're used to the brown sugar lattes at Starbucks which popularized the very pumpkin spice that you might be trying to avoid, know that you can also make them right at home. Just shake together the brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon, a little vanilla extract, and espresso with ice, and top with oat milk. You can choose your own milk and even switch up the cinnamon with other autumnal spices.