Your kids will be so excited when they taste this Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice recipe. It has no added sugar & is perfect for a healthy Halloween!
Harry Potter Is My Favorite!
In case you didn’t know, Cheryl and I are huge Harry Potter geeks. I’m even re-reading the whole series right now to get in the mood for Halloween. After all, I do have a fancy Gothic dinner party to plan for the end of October!
I want more vegan Harry Potter recipes
You and me both! I have some more in the works, but you must try my homemade vegan butterbeer syrup. You can make cold, hot, or frozen butterbeer from it and even make butterbeer cold brew and cocktails with it!
My mini vegan treacle tarts are a must make too. I make them as minis in pumpkin shapes which makes it even cuter with your pumpkin juice!
Butterbeer Is Not Vegan But Pumpkin Juice Is
That’s at Universal Studios anyhow. At my house, I make both vegan by making them homemade.
Butterbeer is not vegan because the foam on top contains dairy and they will not serve it without it. But you can find bottles of vegan pumpkin juice all over.
If you want a current idea of what’s vegan at Universal I recommend joining the Facebook group Universal Orlando Vegans.
There are only 2 specialty drinks that were not vegan the last time I was there. One is the famous Butter Beer and the other is Fishy Green Ale which is similar to bubble tea. The vegan drinks are Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice, Tongue-tying Lemon Squash, Peachtree Fizzing Tea, and the ever popular Pumpkin Juice.
How Do You Get into Diagon Alley?
To get to Diagon Alley you have to go through the London waterfront that’s mostly for Muggles. There are a few surprises if you know where to look (hint: lookup in the windows at Kings Crossing by the waterfront). It’s where you’ll find platform 9 3/4 and the entrance to Diagon Alley.
As soon as you pass through the broken wall your eyes won’t be able to take all of it in. This park is themed from head to toe, with cool signs, quirky window displays, shops, and even has spots where you get to make magic happen. (Well, at least with a special magic wand they happen to have for sale…)
What Does Gilly Water Taste Like?
Cheryl and I rushed in so we could stand in line, but we grabbed a couple of Gilly Waters. You buy the bottles of water ($4 each) then buy a flavor elixir separately.
It is the most expensive water we’ve ever had, but look at the smile on Cheryl’s face!
The flavors are: Fire Protection Potion (watermelon with notes of peach & strawberry), Babbling Beverage (fruit punch), Draught of Peace (blueberry, raspberry, cherry & blackberry), or Elixir to Induce Euphoria (pineapple with notes of green apple & mint).
I decided to make my own Pumpkin Juice recipe and I am thrilled with the results. There’s more to pumpkin juice than just juicing a pumpkin.
My version simmers spices, fresh ginger, and vanilla bean – with apple juice to infuse it. Then it’s blended with soaked dried apricots, pumpkin puree and a little nutmeg. Then you strain it and you get about 3 cups of homemade Pumpkin Juice.
Where Can I Get More Vegan Halloween Recipes?
It’s time to break out my Halloween e-cookbook, The Ghoulish Gourmet: A Bewitching Collection of Vegan Halloween Recipes, and make some Harry Potter’s Pumpkin Juice to get in the spirit.
It has 25 original recipes and all but 4 of them have never been seen before! One of them is my favorite autumn drink – Harry Potter’s Pumpkin Juice. Scroll to the bottom of this post to get the recipe.
The Ghoulish Gourmet Kindle ebook can be read on your computer, iPad or phone. It costs $3.99 or you can read it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited.
More Spooky Treats
- Swamp Monster Slow Cooker Jackfruit Gumbo
- Harry Potter’s Mini Vegan Treacle Tarts
- Vegan Halloween Dessert: Gruesome Forbidden Rice Mousse
- The Best Vegan Halloween Sweet Recipe Roundup
- Halloween Round Up with Savory and Sweet!
What’s your favorite vegan Halloween or Harry Potter treat? Let me know in the comments!
Homemade Pumpkin Juice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 dried apricots
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 7 allspice berries
- 2 2 -inch pieces ginger , thinly sliced
- 1/2 vanilla bean split (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Soak the apricots in the water for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- Add the apple juice, cinnamon stick, allspice, ginger and vanilla bean to a saucepan. Bring almost to boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off heat and let it cool a bit.
- Add the apricots and the soaking water to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the pumpkin puree and nutmeg and blend again.
- Strain the apple juice mixture into the blender to make sure only the liquid comes through. Blend until smooth.
- Put a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and strain the pulp so that only the thick juice is in the pitcher.
Veganopoulous says
What a fabulous recipe, that’s next on my list!
Gillian says
Great pictures! FYI, I went to the Harry Potter studio tour in London, and was told the only nonvegan part of Butterbeer is a dairy-based topping, which is put on separately after pouring the soda, so you can ask for it without the topping. (Otherwise it’s basically cream soda.)
Kathy Hester says
I’m so jealous! Thanks for the info 🙂
Muntaha says
i don’t have the allspice berries what can i put in instead of that ?
Kathy Hester says
Ground allspice will work, but it might be a little gritty – just strain it out after it soaks.
Jojo says
So cool! I still haven’t made it to the Harry Potter Studio tour in London but I need to get on it asap!
Kelli says
Oh, I want to go! 🙂 And I can’t wait to make this ~ it looks great!
Monika says
Nina and I are almost finished with book four – her first time reading it, my third or fourth. I’ll have to tell her about this place – by the time she finishes the series she’ll be old enough to really enjoy it!
Ashlie says
I can’t wait to try this out! I’m going to WDW, EPCOT, and Universal Studios this summer so I’m looking forward to visiting the Harry Potter part. Now I know I can enjoy a few fun beverages there- thanks for posting!!
Kathy Hester says
We’re actually going back in December and I can’t wait! It’s our reward for finishing book 5. I will also have a few more posts on the Harry Potter part this week too!
Kyra says
I never really liked the idea of pumpkin juice, but your recipe sounds super delicious! I love how you’ve blended in dried apricots too, yum…you’ve totally changed my mental vision of pumpkin juice!
Oliver says
Great article! How is the taste compared to what you can buy in the park? I’m addicted to the stuff and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Kathy Hester says
I like mine a little better. It’s a bit thicker and tastes a little fresher to me. Let me know what you think if you make some.
Cece says
I tried this recipe out this morning and I absolutely loved it! I’ve never had the stuff at Universal Studios, as it’s crazy expensive online and I’ve yet to visit, but after trying this recipe, I feel like I’ll be disappointed with their version of pumpkin juice. I absolutely loved it and plan to make a double batch next time around 🙂 It was really easy to make, too, aside from the patience of having to strain it out! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Kathy Hester says
I’m so glad that you like it!
Anna Wright says
OMG! that owl & spider really makes me to confuse:>
Kei says
How long do you think this will keep in the fridge?
Kathy Hester says
I think it would be ok for a week.
Jess says
I’d like to make a note that after soaking the apricots overnight, I steamed mine a little on the stove on a low setting in the same water they had soaked in. This resulted in marvelously soft apricots that were very easy to mush (and the water turned into the tastiest syrup!).
Additionally, my juice mixture tasted a tad off so I will be adding some pears to try and smooth out the flavor (granted, I’m making a triple batch so I’m guess-timating some measurements, and I will be adding some booze for my party, so not quite the same).
Loony Luna says
I have a question about the ginger. Is it 2 toes of ginger that are each 2” long and then peeled and thinly sliced? Or is it 2 pieces of peeled, thinly sliced ginger that are about 2” in diameter?
My son is making it for his Harry Potter class in school and we are quadrupling the recipe. I got 8 toes of ginger, each about 2” long. I peeled them all then sliced them. I ended up with a pile of sliced ginger, of which, my son grabbed 8 pieces that are about 2” inches in diameter. I said, “What?! Don’t you need all of this?” He said no and thought it would be too much. I said, “You saw me buy all of this ginger at the store!” He said, “I know. And I just went along with it.”
“Thanks, b*tthole,” I said. All in fun of course. This is how we play. He making it currently, so I know we won’t get a response before it’s done, but I’d still like to know. Until then I guess we’ll just see how it turns out!
Kathy Hester says
It is 2 pieces of ginger (ginger toes), thinly sliced. You don’t have to peel them so that will make it easier 😉
Carl says
My Friend Speaking Windel Wright, “I went OLD OLD School and Used Actual PUMPKIN MEAT from pumpkins.I put them in the Food processor and Juiced some as well. I Cooked them down with FRESH Apple Cider and a Smidgen 1cup SPRING water,NOT TAP unless its a well, then I stained it with Cheese cloth. After wards I added the spices Similar Kathys recommendations and Thinned it a Bit with More Apple “CIDER” that was turning “hard” and I used Fresh Appricots in a processor / juicer as well. Again Straining it all again ( yes it takes time but worth it! I added 2 TBS of RAW Honey to sweeten it ) HARRY POTTER EAT YOUR HEART OUT! Sorry Harry. If you wish you can add your favorite “Spirits” for an added Kick and A cube of Dry Ice in the Punch Bowl is Nice Touch as well! Oh Try to keep track of what you do. Ingredients and such, keep notes, you’d be surprised and How Mistakes can MAKE a recipe. My friend / Partner made DELICIOUS Dinners with his OH GOD recipe’s. Oh God Meaning ” Oh God, I don’t know what i added I just thew it together! ” ( a Cinnamon Stick in the Apple Cider over night ands a NICE flavor, or if you wish you can Heat this ON THE STOVE do not MICROWAVE you will kill the natural Ingredients. Add the cinnamon stick.) In Memory Of Windel Wright. (This is His Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice ” OH GOD recipe! I took notes”)