Make your own pumpkin spice at home with just five ingredients! Add to a traditional pumpkin pie, or use in other seasonal desserts, drinks, and any treats that need a little cozy boost. This recipe is ready in just minutes and keeps for a long time, so feel free to make a bigger batch!
Use your pumpkin pie spice in pumpkin custard pie, no-bake pumpkin mousse without gelatine, or a chocolate pumpkin marble cake.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cinnamon: this is the bulk of the recipe, so try to choose cinnamon that's fragrant and pretty fresh.
- Spices: generally speaking, it's fine to use pre-ground spices and not buy them whole and grind yourself. If you want to do that, though, you certainly can! Your pumpkin spice mix will be a lot stronger in that case.
- Add-ins: if you'd like to change it up a bit, try adding some cardamom or black pepper.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice
Step 1: add all of the spices to a bowl.
Step 2: mix to fully combine, then transfer to a clean, dry jar for storage.
Top Tips
- Use a glass jar: glass is the easiest to clean and it won't absorb any smells like plastic will, so it's ideal for longer term storage of things like spices.
- Use fresh spices: the older the spices (the longer the original bag or container has been opened) the weaker the spices will be. For the best tasting mix, try to use pretty fresh, recently purchased spices.
- Store in a dark place: this is the case for any spices to extend freshness and shelf life. Spices don't often go bad but they do lose their taste over time. Storing them out of the sun will help.
Recipe Notes
Adjust the amounts of the various spices used to suit your personal preference. This is the familiar blend, but if you don't particularly like ginger, reduce it. Same goes for anything else in the mix.
If this seems like more than you'd use in a season, reduce the amounts (there's a slider when you tap the servings number) to make a batch that you think you can use up pretty quickly. That being said, it makes a nice gift packaged up in a cute little jar or bag.
How to Store
Keep in a glass container in a cool, dark place for several months. The spices will lose their potency and fragrance over time, so while the mix will last for a year, it's best to use within about three months.
FAQ
How does pumpkin spice taste?
If you're familiar with pumpkin pie, it's the spice blend used to flavour it (but there's no pumpkin in the mix). Pumpkin spice is warm and slightly spicy, with lots of cinnamon flavour but a little tingle from the ginger and cloves.
Is pumpkin spice just gingerbread?
Pumpkin spice and gingerbread spice are a little different – gingerbread spice usually has less cinnamon compared to other spices, and will include things like star anise and sometimes black pepper. Think Thanksgiving vs. Christmas.
Is pumpkin spice and allspice the same?
Allspice, despite the name, is a singular spice the same way that cinnamon is. It's a type of pepper that's milder than black pepper. Pumpkin spice mix is a blend of spices, including allspice.
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Homemade Pumpkin Spice
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Stir well to combine. Store in an airtight container in a dark cupboard or pantry for up to one year, but ideally consume within about three months for the best flavour.¼ cup ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 2 tablespoons ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon ground allspice, 1 tablespoon ground cloves