Does anything sound more on-brand for Halloween than pumpkin juice? I've been dying to experiment with recipes for years but never found a good excuse to do so...until I had a Halloween blog.
This week I decided to finally give it a try. I collected every pumpkin juice recipe I could find, bought all the ingredients and sat down at my kitchen table to mix up and sample every concoction.
Some were great. Others were bland. In the end, I came up with a blend of a few recipes to create one I think is the perfect pumpkin juice.
I should note while I'm definitely a Potterhead, this wasn't meant to be a quest to duplicate what is served at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (Though I'm sure, it's quite similar.)
Instead, I wanted to find a pumpkin juice I could whip up from time to time to enjoy the flavors of fall - the flavors that remind me of Halloween.
Here's what I came up with.
Perfect Pumpkin Juice
Ingredients
- 7 1/2 Tbsp pumpkin (canned)
- 6 oz apple juice or cider
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 1/4 oz honey
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
Instructions
- Combine all spices in a small bowl and mix until combined.
- Store in an air-tight container to use for recipes.
- Add all pumpkin juice ingredients to a cocktail shaker (no ice) and shake vigorously for 30 seconds or until combined.
- Pour into a glass an enjoy.
Notes
Yes, this drink is thick and a bit like a milkshake consistency! I preferred it this way for the pumpkin flavor, but you can adjust your apple and pineapple juices to preference.
Here's how to make perfect pumpkin juice:
Gather your ingredients. The mini mason jar is some homemade honey I received from a family friend. (Yum!) The shot glass on the right contains my self-made pumpkin pie spice. Keep reading for how to make your own.
You'll also want to gather your hardware, aka what we'll be using for mixing. I recommend a cocktail shaker since we're making a single drink here, but you could also use a blender for batches.
First, we'll add our 7 1/2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin.
Next, we'll measure out six ounces of apple juice. I preferred apple juice to apple cider (I sampled both in my taste tests) and adding spices myself - the overall flavor was better.
(By the way, can you spy me in this photo?)
Then it's two ounces of pineapple juice.
A one-quarter ounce of honey gets drizzled in for a bit of sweetness.
It's looking good, isn't it?
Finally, we sprinkle about one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I made my own, and just in case you've never done it...it's super simple. Here's how:
Add one tablespoon of cinnamon, one teaspoon of nutmeg and ginger, each, and half a teaspoon of cloves. I stuck mine in a small container with a lid and shook it to combine.
Seal your cocktail shaker.
Shake for 30 seconds until the juices, pumpkin and spices are all combined.
How gorgeous is that? I love how thick mine came out!
Pour into your favorite pumpkin-shaped glass!
Add a straw, and enjoy!
Stay tuned - next month we'll be revisiting this recipe and giving it a delicious twist.
By the way, if you love the vintage pumpkin banner in the background of my photos...you can get it too - for free! It's a download from Tried & True over on Craftaholics Anonymous.
