The caffeine is in the espresso, not the spice
A Pumpkin Spice Latte is espresso, steamed milk and pumpkin spice sauce, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin spice topping. The seasonal flavouring adds sugar and aroma but does not change the caffeine content. The caffeine comes from the espresso shots, and Starbucks uses the same shot count as a regular Caffè Latte for each size.
The published nutrition shows 75 mg in a Short or Tall and 150 mg in a Grande or Venti. A Grande therefore matches a Grande Caffè Latte exactly at 150 mg. The jump happens between Tall and Grande, not between Short and Tall, because both the 8 oz and 12 oz sizes use a single espresso shot.
Counting it like a latte
Because the caffeine is identical to a plain latte of the same size, the Pumpkin Spice Latte can be tracked as a flavoured latte for caffeine purposes. The whipped cream and syrup add calories but not caffeine. If you are comparing drinks for your daily total, the espresso-based size is what determines the dose.
The 150 mg in a Grande is below the 200 mg that EFSA assessed as a safe single dose for healthy adults, but EFSA also notes that 100 mg close to bedtime can disturb sleep in some adults, and a late-day Grande still counts toward a 400 mg daily total.
Availability and size quirks
The Pumpkin Spice Latte is a seasonal drink, usually returning in late summer or early autumn. The caffeine numbers remain consistent year to year because Starbucks uses the same espresso build as the plain Caffè Latte. The Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte uses the same shot counts as the hot version, so a Grande Iced also has 150 mg. The only size that increases the caffeine is the jump from Tall to Grande.
Source
The figures are from the Starbucks published nutrition page for Pumpkin Spice Latte, checked 19 September 2026.