Homemade alternatives to your fave hot drinks

I know I’m undoubtedly in the minority, but I’ve never been a big fan of coffee. My mother always used to drink a strong, ground, filter blend. Its consistency honestly resembled thick, black tar. Sampling that as a curious teenager was enough to put me off for life. Nevertheless, at this time of year, there’s very definitely something toasty and comforting about pumpkin spice lattes, warming salted caramel mochas and the scent of gingerbread drifting from brightly lit coffee shops.

Getting up in the dark for an early morning commute to the office in sub zero temperatures, with the autumnal smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove spiced coffees wafting through the air, almost makes those creamy coffees a compulsory part of an on-the-go breakfast. After all, how many calories can there be in single drink? The answer is: quite a lot. Not to mention heaps of sugar and often added artificial flavourings and preservatives.

There’s a good reason these seasonal lattes and mochas taste so incredibly sweet, rich, creamy and deliciously moreish. Their spicy, sweet-smelling aroma is designed to tempt us back each morning for more. And let’s face it, our chilly autumn days are seductively conducive to wrapping our frosty, fingerless-gloved hands around a warming gingerbread latte. November mornings stood waiting at the train station make those seasonal coffees all the more tempting.

Aside from the effects on our health and waistline, there’s also the impact on our wallet. At three quid a coffee, they’re not cheap. And over the month it soon adds up.

Pumpkin spice latte

How many calories do you think there could be in a single hot drink? The frightening answer is: over 400 per pumpkin spice latte. Not to mention the three and a half teaspoons of sugar in each serving. That’s over half our recommended daily intake of the sweet stuff before we’ve even properly started the day. While we may try and convince ourselves that a hot drink with the word ‘pumpkin’ in it surely has to offer some health benefits, we sadly can’t get away with classing this as one of our five-a-day.

Salted caramel mocha

Made with espresso and steamed milk blended with mocha sauce and toffee nut-flavoured syrup. It’s topped off with whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and a mix of sweet sugar and sea salt. A large cup contains a frighteningly high 408 calories and around 145mg of caffeine. Those are two very good reasons to go easy on this seasonal favourite – before we’ve even mentioned sugar.

Gingerbread latte

Deliciously aromatic and warm with a spicy bite, as a non-coffee drinker even I’m tempted by the smell of a seasonal gingerbread latte.  Not quite so enticing is its 36g sugar content, and while the addition of ginger may offer some health benefits, this is vastly countered by the presence of artificial flavourings and preservatives.

So, what to do? 

While I don’t drink coffee, I do love hot chocolate and mulled apple spiced drinks when I’m out Christmas shopping. These are equally as calorific and sugar laden as those creamy coffees. So if the thought of wandering past your favourite cafe on a daily basis, resisting the temptation of those soul-warming seasonal best sellers is enough to leave you wanting to hibernate until spring, fear not. The good news is there are healthier alternatives and ways to make your favourite hot drinks at home without tons of refined sugar and empty calories.

Plus, if you fancy being super healthy and want to keep the flu at bay this winter, there are some wonderful healthy hot drinks you can make that offer fantastic immune-boosting benefits. Why not try this warming mug of juiced pear and ginger, sprinkled with cinnamon? Or this dairy-free hot chocolate made with the superfood cacao and whipped cashew cream.