This Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe is quick and easy with just ingredients. Save money with this diy blend of warm fall spices you probably already have in your pantry. Pumpkin pie spice is the perfect addition to all of your favorite pumpkin recipes.
I’m ready to serve some “BPE” yall; that’s BIG PUMPKIN ENERGY! Because we are finally kicking off our series of Pumpkin Spice Hacks.
September marks the launch of pumpkin spice season, and every place you turn pops off with this aromatic blend in their menu items.
I get a tad sad when I go to the store and see the tiny pack of the premixed spice blend skyrocket in price. Especially when I know, it’s made of just a few ingredients that I already have at home.
Plus, making homemade pumpkin spice is sooooooo easy and so worth it – you can tell the difference immediately. If you are up for a challenge, go ahead and buy the store-bought premixed version as a test sample – even better if you already have one at home. Then make this homemade pumpkin spice blend and give both a sniff.
Tell me which one your nose puckers up to most? Remember, your nose doesn’t lie.
Pumpkin spice ingredients
I love making my own spice blends, and this one is super easy. To make this homemade spice mix, you will need the following:
- Ground Allspice. Commonly used in baking, allspice is a highly aromatic spice with a spicy and sweet flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon. This iconic autumn spice makes up half of this warming spice blend. It’s sweet, fragrant, and mildly spicy.
- Ground Cloves. Intensely aromatic and slightly sweet, a little of this warming spice goes a long way in this delicious fall spice blend.
- Ground Ginger. This warm, spicy, and sweet spice pairs beautifully with the other fall spices in our blend.
- Ground Nutmeg. This spice is warm and deeply aromatic, with a bittersweet flavor that tastes similar to cloves. It’s often used in both savory and sweet dishes and is considered a quintessential fall spice.
- Ground Mace. This spice, the sister to nutmeg, has a rich, woody, and warm flavor that many describe as a combination of cinnamon and pepper. Mace gives this spice mix an extra kick of flavor.
How to make pumpkin spice from scratch
Simply add your ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined to make homemade pumpkin spice. Once you’ve done that, you can transfer the spice blend to an airtight container to store it. Mace is the red lacy coating (called the aril) that encases the nutmeg seed.
You can find cheap spice jars on Amazon or use any small glass jar to store your homemade pumpkin spice. Store this spice blend at room temperature out of direct sunlight for up to 6 months.
Ways to use pumpkin spice
If you’re looking to make recipes with pumpkin spice but aren’t quite sure what to make, I’ve got you covered. Light your favorite fall candles, put on your coziest sweater, and get ready to do some cooking! Here are some of my favorite ways to use pumpkin spice:
- Add it to your coffee. Pumpkin spice latte, anyone? Spruce up your favorite hot or iced coffee by mixing in some of this aromatic seasonal blend.
- Make spiced nuts. For the perfect healthy fall snack recipe, mix your homemade pumpkin spice into a batch of nuts before roasting them. Some of my favorite options include almonds, pecans, and walnuts.
- Mix it into batters. There’s something about the fall season that makes me want to bake… like, ALL the time. Try mixing this spice blend in the batter next time you’re making pancakes, cookies, muffins, or pumpkin bread.
- Season your vegetables. This spice blend pairs incredibly with fall vegetables like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and carrots. Try seasoning your veggies with the blend before roasting them to perfection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the answers to some of the most common questions about this homemade spice mix:
What is pumpkin spice?
Pumpkin spice is an iconic fall spice blend made with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. It’s often used in sweet dishes like pumpkin pie, muffins, pancakes, cookies, whipped cream, and of course—the classic pumpkin spice latte.
It doesn’t contain actual pumpkin, but this warm spice blend pairs incredibly well with pumpkin in season and is abundant from mid-September through November.
Can you substitute homemade pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon?
While cinnamon is the key ingredient in pumpkin pie spice, the latter contains several other aromatics that give it a richer and more complex flavor profile. The two are not totally interchangeable, but cinnamon can be used in basically any recipe that calls for pumpkin pie spice if you don’t have the ingredients to make the spice blend.
How to enhance the flavor
Flavor seekers, this mix can be made simply using ground warming spices, but if you’d like to take it up a notch, there are a few recommendations.
- Purchase the spices whole and freshly grind just before using them, so the flavors are more potent.
- Deepen the flavors further by making a toasted pumpkin spice. Simply toss the whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat until they’re fragrant before grinding them.
How long does homemade pumpkin spice last?
When stored in a sealed airtight glass container out of direct sunlight (preferably in a cupboard or pantry), homemade pumpkin spice will stay fresh for up to 6 months. While it won’t expire after this time, it will lose its bold fragrance and flavor.
More Pumpkin Spice Deliciousness To Love!
If you love pumpkin spice everything then you’re going to obsess over these recipes:
- Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream with Biscoff Cookies
- Pumpkin Spiced Whipped Cream
- Skillet Pumpkin Spiced Latte Pudding
- Drunken Pumpkin Spice Dalgona Coffee
Making your own pumpkin spice blend couldn’t be easier
Sure, you can buy pumpkin spice blends at any grocery store, but they are usually way more expensive. All you need is a few spices and a few seconds. This super-easy homemade spice mix will instantly take any fall dish from good to great!
Try it yourself! If you love it, don’t forget about me. Come back and leave me a 5-star review in the comments and/or share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @meikoandthedish and #meikoandthedish. I absolutely love 👀 snooping out how creative you get with these recipes!
Homemade Pumpkin Spice
Equipment
- Measuring Tools
- Whisk
- Small Bowl
- Airtight Container
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
- ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoons ground mace, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Transfer to an airtight container to store the pumpkin spice.