BEST Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice Recipe

This delicious Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice tastes just like the real deal at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I brought a bottle of pumpkin juice home with me from Universal Studios Hollywood, played with ingredients, and came up with this tasty pumpkin juice recipe. Get the easy recipe AND learn how to make a diy drink dispenser out of a pumpkin!

If you’re any sort of Harry Potter fan, then you know all about pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and all of the other fantastic treats and sweets in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (read  our 21 favorite magical moments in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter here).

Pumpkin juice is one of those must haves for me every time our family goes to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando.

We love visiting Diagon Alley, riding on the Hogwarts Express, eating at The Three Broomsticks, and stocking up on chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.

I always buy a cup of this tasty cold drink at The Three Broomsticks, then grab a few bottles from Honeydukes that I take home and save for our Harry Potter movie nights.

Yes, I’m that obsessed with it!

My Harry Potter obsession runs deep.

Did you see our Harry Potter Christmas tree last year with DIY Harry Potter Broom Ornaments, Harry Potter Cake Ornaments, and more?

It’s one of my favorite projects EVER.

Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice

Harry Potter pumpkin juice has a sweet, slightly spicy flavor that tastes like apple cider with spices and a hint of apricot flavor that muggles, wizards, and kids all love!

It has a very subtle pumpkin flavor, but tastes more like a warm fall drink.

Because I hoarded a few bottles of juice before Universal Studios shut down, I’ve been experimenting, taste testing, and creating my own version of pumpkin juice, Harry Potter style.

And because I like to go overboard, I also created a pumpkin drink dispenser out of a real pumpkin! It turned out even cooler than I imagined.

I’m so excited to share my Harry Potter pumpkin juice recipe and DIY pumpkin drink dispenser with you!

What is in Pumpkin Juice at Universal?

Here are the ingredients in the pumpkin juice Universal version, straight off the bottle label-

• Water
• Apple juice concentrate
• Pumpkin puree
• Apricot puree
• Sugar
• Natural and artificial flavors
• Citric acid
• Acesulfame potassium
• Sodium benzoate

Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice Ingredients

The real pumpkin juice I brought home with me from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios was my guide for creating this recipe.

Here’s what’s inside this fabulous drink-

• 64 oz bottle of apple cider
• 1 cup 100% pumpkin puree (not filling)
• 2 cans apricot nectar (I used Kern’s brand)
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. vanilla

When to Drink Pumpkin Juice

This favorite drink is perfect for any time of year!

Because it has pumpkin in it, Harry Potter pumpkin juice is a wonderful drink to serve for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and especially during the fall.

We dressed our baby girl in a no-sew DIY Hedwig baby owl costume I created a couple years ago. Sooo cute!

If you’re planning a Harry Potter party (we threw one recently I can’t wait to share), then you definitely need to make this pumpkin juice recipe to serve. I wish I would have served this at our Fantastic Beasts Party!

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Pumpkin has some incredible health benefits too!

• High in vitamin a
• High in vitamin c
• High in carotenoids, which can function as antioxidants
• High in fiber
• High in potassium

Pumpkin Juice Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see exactly how to make this yummy drink-

Pumpkin Juice Recipe

This Harry Potter pumpkin juice recipe couldn’t be much easier!

Just mix all the above ingredients together in a saucepan, then simmer on medium heat for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve pumpkin juice warm, cold on ice, or in a large pumpkin dispenser made from a real pumpkin!

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe. Keeping reading for the diy drink dispenser instructions.

Optional Ingredients

Here is a list of other ingredients that you could add or substitute in your Harry Potter pumpkin juice if you’d like.

• Apple juice concentrate (instead of apple cider)
• Peach nectar (instead of apricot nectar)
• Cinnamon
• Pumpkin spice seasoning
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Allspice

How to Make a Pumpkin Drink Dispenser

Making a drink dispenser from a pumpkin is very much like carving a pumpkin for Halloween, but with an extra added easy step.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage if a purchase is made at no extra cost to you.

Pumpkin Drink Dispenser Supplies

• Pumpkin (You’ll want a nice pumpkin that sits flat and straight)
• Spigot set (I went to my local water store and bought a plastic spigot set for about $6, but for double that you can get 8 sets on Amazon!)
• Knife and spoon
• Pumpkin juice (or other drink to put inside)

DIY Pumpkin Drink Dispenser Video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I made our pumpkin drink dispenser-

 

Clean the Pumpkin

First you will need to gut the pumpkin, just like when decorating pumpkins for Halloween.

Use a knife to cut a round circle around the stem on the top of the pumpkin.

Use a large spoon to remove the pumpkin seeds and “guts.”

You want the pumpkin to be VERY clean inside so that little pumpkin pieces don’t end up floating in your drink or clogging the spigot.

Remove as much of the pumpkin insides as you can so that it is nice and smooth inside.

Make a Hole in the Front

Decide where you would like your spigot to go.

If you make it too high, then you will need to add more drink inside your pumpkin for it to flow out through the spigot.

My pumpkin was huge and I made my spigot a little too high. The pumpkin held much more liquid than I anticipated so I had to make extra pumpkin juice so the drink level would be high enough to come out of the spigot.

Next time, I would make my hole a bit lower.

To make the hole, just trace around the spigot and use a knife to cut the hole out from the pumpkin.

Be sure that you get all the gooey stuff from the inside of the hole and around the hole so that it’s nice and smooth.

Add the Spigot to the Pumpkin 

Now that you have a hole for your spigot, place the long portion through the hole so that it goes all the way through to the inside of the pumpkin.

Mine came a plastic bolt and two washer type pieces that fit on the front and the back of the pumpkin.

From the inside of the pumpkin, screw on the bolt and the other piece so that the spigot is on nice and tight.

Drink Up!

Now just add your pumpkin juice (or any other beverage you’d like to serve) to the inside of the pumpkin.

Fill up your glass just like you would with a regular drink dispenser.

Here’s the pumpkin drink dispenser that’s perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving, sitting with other colored pumpkins.

Now here’s our pumpkin drink dispenser filled with pumpkin juice, ready for a Harry Potter movie marathon or party.

Cool, right?! It just seems so fitting to serve pumpkin juice in a real pumpkin, don’t you think?

If you make our pumpkin juice or pumpkin drink dispenser, be sure to tag us on Instagram @makelifelovely and follow along so we can see!