Pumpkin Pie Spice is perfect for Fall baking and beyond. It's a blend of warm seasonal spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. A flavorful combination that will make your cookies, bread, pies, and cakes taste just delicious.
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There's something special about Fall. Nature's beautiful colors, the smells of fallen leaves, cold mornings touched by frost, and warm afternoons bathed with the sun. I'm excited about this time of year because of the obvious - pumpkins. But also because of the sweet-scented spices swirling around my kitchen.
The most popular spice in the kitchen right now is, obviously, cinnamon, followed by aromatic ginger and strongly scented cloves. It's an overture to the Christmas season, and I absolutely love it.
But the most used spice BLEND in the cabinet is definitely a Pumpkin Pie Spice. The fragrant combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. It's a great addition to seasonal drinks, desserts, and treats.
It's aromatic, sweet, and perfectly scented. Filled with Autumn flavors and the perfect addition to autumnal moods outside. But this Pumpkin Pie Spice mix goes beyond its taste. It is filled with spices that possess many health benefits too.
Ingredients used
To make a Pumpkin Pie Spice blend, you'll only need a few simple spices that you probably already have in your spice cabinet.
- Ceylon cinnamon. Also known as “true” cinnamon, is a highly flavorful and delicious spice. Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. (1, 2) It reduces levels of total cholesterol, “bad” LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, while “good” HDL cholesterol remains stable. (3) Cinnamon is well known for its blood-sugar-lowering properties.
- Ginger. Ginger is among the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on the planet. It's loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. (4) I used ginger powder.
- Nutmeg. It's a spice made from the seeds of a tropical evergreen tree native to Indonesia. It can be found in whole-seed form but is most often sold as a ground spice. Although it’s more commonly used for its flavor than its health benefits, nutmeg contains an impressive array of powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. (5) I used ground nutmeg.
- Cloves. Cloves are the flower buds of the clove tree. In addition to their sweet, aromatic flavor, cloves are known for their potent medicinal properties. Cloves are rich in antioxidants and have strong anti-bacterial properties. (6) I used cloves powder.
- Allspice. Highly aromatic spice also known as pimento.
How to make Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Prepare and measure all ingredients using measuring cups.
- Put all the spices in a small bowl and mix using a spoon or a whisk.
- Transfer the spice mixture to a spice glass jar. Seal it with a lid.
- Store in a cool, dry place for up to six months.
Tips for storing
Store in a cool, dry place for up to six months.
Tips for using
Pumpkin spice has many uses beyond pumpkin pie. This warm combination of autumn spices can be used in sweet and savory dishes. Here are some most popular uses:
- Add it to coffee or make a Pumpkin Latte.
- Mix it into coffee creamer.
- Mix it into Pumpkin Smoothie.
- Season vegetables like winter squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots when roasting.
- Stir it into pancake batter and make Pumpkin Pancakes.
- Dash it over popcorns.
- Make a spiced nuts.
- Use to make special pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin bread.
Don't forget, this spice mix is very flavorful so little goes a long way when using.
Faq
Pumpkin pie spice is a mix of warm spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger.
For 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, substitute: ¾ teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon ginger + a dash of allspice, and nutmeg, with just a touch of cloves.
Apple pie spice is made of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and occasionally cardamom. Pumpkin spice includes a combination of those ingredients except for cardamom, but the key difference between the two is that pumpkin spice contains cloves.
While pumpkin pie spice is heavy on the cinnamon, gingerbread spice has a more balanced combination of cinnamon, allspice, and ginger.
Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 1 ½ teaspoon allspice ground
- ½ teaspoon cloves ground
Instructions
- Prepare and measure all ingredients using measuring cups.
- Put all the spices in a small bowl and mix using a spoon or a whisk.
- Transfer the spice mixture to a spice glass jar. Seal it with a lid.
- Store in a cool, dry place for up to six months.
Notes
Nutrition
This post is originally published in November 2019. It's updated with new information and republished in November 2021. The recipe stayed the same.
Nancy says
I love that you shared this pumpkin pie spice. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Keri says
I'm an American that lives in England, and we don't have pumpkin pie spice blends here, so I really appreciate this!
Genevieve says
I love making my own homemade pumpkin pie spice and add it to nearly everything, especially my morning cofee. This looks delicious!