Greetings, pumpkin heads! It is the time of year once again when the changing of the leaves triggers the transition of our summer wardrobes to comfy and cozy and our coffee drinks to hot and frothy. 

As always, the Indianapolis Coffee Guide is here to assist in this transitional phase in the best way we know how: by telling you where to find the best local pumpkin spiced lattes in Indianapolis. (I refuse to say ‘PSL’ out of principle (and also maybe because it’s copyrighted).)

This year, I’ve teamed up with my good friend Kaffeinated Kyler (@kaffeinated_kyler) to bring you the very best pumpkin-flavored and -themed drinks from our favorite local coffee shops in and around Indianapolis.

Without further ado, let’s get (pumpkin) spicy!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes in Indianapolis

Anecdote Coffee

Greenwood and Southport

Anecdote Coffee

Beech Grove

Ascend Coffee

Castleton

Barista Parlor

Downtown

PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Black House Café

Fountain Square

Blue Mind Coffee

Meridian Kessler

Cafe Euclid

Greenwood

Calvin Fletcher's

Fletcher Place and Fountain Square

Chronic Coffee

Downtown

Coffeehouse Five

Greenwood

Command Coffee

Downtown and Fall Creek

Command Coffee

Downtown

Founders Grounds

Speedway

Foundry Provisions

Downtown

Fresh Pots Coffee Bar

Greenwood

Gaia Cafe

Eagle Creek

Georgia Street Grind

Downtown

GoldLeaf

Broad Ripple

Hubbard & Cravens

Broad Ripple

Hubbard & Cravens

Broad Ripple and Meridian Kessler

Illumine Coffee

Nora

Illumine Coffee

Downtown

Indie Coffee Roasters

Carmel

Indie Coffee Roasters

Carmel

Leviathan Bakehouse

Downtown

Lincoln Lane

Downtown

Lulu’s Coffee

Northside

Mansion Society

Downtown

MOTW Carmel

Carmel

MOTW Coffee

West Side

MOTW Coffee Fishers

Fishers

Niyyah Coffee

Fishers

Noble Coffee & Tea

Noblesville

Normal Coffee

Garfield Park

Parlor Public House

Downtown

Provider

Downtown

Rabble Coffee

Irvington and Near Eastside

Rivet Coffee

Westfield

Roasted in the Village

Zionsville

Silver Linings

Beech Grove

PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Strange Brew

Greenwood

The Coffee Haus

Downtown and Riverside

The Selene

Fountain Square

The Spark

Speedway

PERMANENTLY CLOSED

The Well

Fishers

Standout Local Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Now listen, I haven’t been to all of these places yet,  but Kyler has been to a lot of them, and you all have been blowing up my DMs about your favorites. Here are just a few of the stand outs for us this year so far!

The Jack O’ Lisa at Monon Coffee Company

If you see me post a photo at Monon Coffee Company in Broad Ripple, there’s a 110% chance there’s a Mona Lisa in my hand (their signature latte with honey and cinnamon).

Well, another set of Monon regulars and icons of innovation (Hi, Lily and Oscar!) had the team add pumpkin to their Mona Lisa. And thus the Jack O’ Lisa latte was born!

Cinnamon? Check. Honey? Check. Pumpkiny goodness? Check. Me texting my friend Sarah-Jean to meet me at Monon? Check.

Also back by popular demand for another year is the Pumpkinhead Zombie, a twist on white zombie latte with pumpkin syrup and pumpkin pie spices.

MOTW Brings the Sweet

You all never stop talking about the Biscoff latte at MOTW, and for good reason! To get yourself into the spooky season mood, MOTW has introduced the Biscoff Pumpkin Pie latte—a creamy mix of Biscoff spread, pumpkin pie syrup, and that goodgood espresso.

Another non-pumpkin drink on their fall menu that I’ve had my eyes on is their Marshmallow Chai. I love love love the chai at MOTW, and the addition of vanilla takes it to a whole new marshmallowy world that I never want to leave.

Pumpkin Time at The Selene by OVA

The Selene by OVA in Fountain Square—you know, our new favorite walk-up coffee window—is coming in hot (and cozy) this season with their version of a PSL. It is loaded with cinnamon, French vanilla, spiced pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, espresso, and milk. I’m almost 100% confident that if you pop this latte in the oven a real pumpkin pie will come out.

They also have an Iced PSL for all you “cold brew all year” crazies that is topped with pumpkin cold foam (but more on that in a minute).

Overflowing with Pumpkin at Niyyah Coffee

“Oh, how cute! Look at your one little pumpkin drink!” is what I can only assume whoever is in charge of the menu at Niyyah Coffee in Fishers said as they were prepping for this sweater weather, because they are not playing games when it comes to pumpkin.

Here is what’s on their menu:

  • Pumpkin Suga’ Shook: A pumpkin spice, brown sugar, white chocolate latte (wipe your chin, you’re drooling)
  • Pumpkin Creme Brûlée: Pumpkin Suga’ Shook with torched sugar on top (just like at a fancy restaurant)
  • Pumpkin Spice Matcha (self-explanatory)
  • Pumpkin Chai: House-made masala chai infused with pumpkin spice (they’re happy tears, okay??)

The Hazy Pumpkin at Indie Coffee Roasters

As TheYouth™️ would say, The Hazy Pumpkin slaps. Indie Coffee Roasters always goes hard with their seasonal drinks, so why would they phone it in for spooky season?

The Hazy Pumpkin weaves together pumpkin, cinnamon, and hazelnut (yeah, that’s what I said, too) to make the creamiest, coziest pumpkin latte of your dreams.

The Great Pumpkin-ing at Fresh Pots Coffee Bar

Fresh Pots Coffee Bar on the south side of Indianapolis (Greenwood to be exact) is one of my favorite new spots that has popped up in the last few years. Not only is their coffee menu loaded with pumpkin, they also have a cocktail menu that is full of pumpkin as well!

The Great Pumpkin Cold Foam Craze of 2024

Listen, I don’t pretend to know what’s going on with cold foam, but I am so happy for your cold brew people. Honestly! You’re having fun! And I’m having fun because you’re having fun! We’re all having fun!

One cool (cold?) trend we’re seeing this fall is Pumpkin Cold Foam. A handful of local coffee shops are serving up this pumpkiny foam as a topping for any drink and/or it already comes on it!

Here’s where we’re seeing Pumpkin Cold Foam pop up this year in some variation:

  • Falls Perk (Pendleton)
  • The Selene by Ova
  • Fresh Pots
  • Rivet
  • MOTW
  • Coffeehouse Five
  • Command Coffee

JAPANESE Pumpkin at Rabble Coffee

I have been telling you all for years that they just do things differently at Rabble Coffee.

This year they are blessing us with the Sassquash that is made with kabocha squash, which is a Japanese pumpkin (what??). It’s paired with sage, cinnamon, and their deliciously dialed-in espresso to create this absolute masterpiece.

Additional PSLs worth noting

Listen, we are but two men with unhealthy coffee habits, and we could gush about all of these drinks all day long, but unfortunately, we can’t! So here’s a quick list of other local PSLs we’re digging this season outside of our local Indianapolis shops:

What’s in a PSL?

“PSL” means something different wherever you go, which is part of what makes exploring all of these amazing local coffee shops so much fun! Each café brings its own twist to these fun seasonal drinks which makes them all worth exploring.

A few years ago when I published the first local PSL guide, I also did a deep-dive into where the h*ck this pumpkin craze actually came from. Hilariously, a few local news organizations picked up the story afterward, but that’s a different story for a different day.

The Local PSL Rundown

Sweater weather is creeping up on us. Our iced coffees are transitioning to their warm counterparts as the mornings get cooler and cooler. Hay bales, scarecrows, corn stalks, gourds, spiderwebs, and giant plastic skeletons are starting to adorn our porches.

Most importantly: the invasion of pumpkin-flavored lattes has arrived at our favorite local coffee shops in Indianapolis.

With so many Indianapolis coffee shops serving up so many local pumpkin spice latte variations, we’re going to be over-caffeinated well past Halloween.

Have you tried any of these amazing drinks yet? Make sure to take pictures and tag the coffee shops on social media when you do!

And big, big thanks to Kaffeinated Kyler for compiling this list with me this year! Make sure to follow @kaffeinated_kyler for so much amazing local coffee content.