This well-balanced and flavorful homemade pumpkin pie spice is perfect for all your favorite Fall treats! Most store-bought brands have a too-heavy concentration of cinnamon (because it's the cheaper spice), and is therefore less flavorful than this homemade version.
Easily make just enough pumpkin spice for a single recipe or scale it up to have a little jar on hand for all of your Fall baking.
I use this pumpkin pie spice mix in all of my sweet pumpkin recipes! It's gluten-free and made of just four pure spices.
For pumpkin recipes to make with this spice blend, check out my 3-ingredient Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins, Crustless Pumpkin Pie, Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Flourless Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream, Pumpkin Chia Pudding, and Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread.
You can also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to one of my apple recipes to spice it up a bit more! Check out my Easy Apple Crumble, Baked Apple Slices, Gluten-Free Apple Fritters, Gluten-Free Apple Pie, and Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake.
If you love making your own spice blends, you'll also love my Easy DIY Italian Seasoning, Taco Meat Seasoning, and Ranch Seasoning without buttermilk.
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What is Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of spices that are used in pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin pie spice blend includes:
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- ginger
- allspice
- cloves (optional)
While it was originally designed for pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice is now used for lattes, muffins, pancakes, custards, oatmeal, ice cream, and any other sweet recipe that contains pumpkin puree.
Outside of the USA, pumpkin pie spice can be hard to find. But you can make your own using this recipe, or substitute British Mixed Spice since it has similar ingredients (but usually with more nutmeg and allspice and less cinnamon).
How to make it
You can whip up this easy pumpkin pie spice with just four common ingredients.
Ingredients
We use just the 4 most important ingredients to keep this pumpkin pie spice recipe simple and versatile. For a little extra spiciness, consider adding ground cloves to the blend, or add it to individual pumpkin recipes alongside this homemade spice blend.
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground allspice
- ground cloves (optional)
See recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Each of these spices has a unique flavor, so swapping them out is not recommended. However, it's fine to omit a spice entirely.
If you'd like, you can also add a pinch of ground clove in addition to the spices in this blend or as a substitution for any one of the spices. Remember that ground clove is strong, so you want to add just a pinch and not substitute an equal quantity or it will be too overpowering.
Here are a few other substitutions to consider instead of leaving a spice out:
- Cardamom - Cardamom is often used in baked goods along with these spices, and can make a good substitution for nutmeg, ground ginger, or allspice. You can even substitute it for ground cinnamon, but in a lesser amount.
- Chai Spice - Since Chai spice blend uses a lot of similar spices, you can substitute it for any one of the spices in the mix.
- Apple Pie Spice - Similarly to Chai Spice, an Apple Pie Spice Blend can be used as a substitute for any one of the spices in the mix.
- British Mixed Spice - Mixed spice usually has similar spices, but with less cinnamon and more nutmeg and allspice. Double check that the Mixed Spice ingredients are very similar to those in this recipe, then combine Mixed Spice with a little extra ground cinnamon for a pumpkin pie spice substitute. Check out our our "Top Tip" section below for tips on how to get your ratio just right.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This recipe is truly as easy mixing everything together!
- Add each of the spices to a small bowl.
- Mix together well and store in a sealed jar in a cool dry place if not using immediately.
Hint: If making a big batch, I recommend using spices purchased around the same time so that they have similar expiration dates, and will last for 1-2 years.
Top tip
Make your own Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe using this recipe and your sense of smell! Smell determines 80% of our perception of taste, so if it smells great, chances are it will taste amazing too!
Simply make a small batch of this recipe and give it a sniff. Then hold each individual spice next to the blend and smell them together. If you like the combination of our blend plus more cinnamon held beside it, add more cinnamon to the mix. Do this with each spice, keep the batch small until you test it in a recipe, and have fun!
Pumpkin Chia Pudding is a great double or single-serve recipe to test your homemade pumpkin spice recipe with.
Recipe FAQ's
Here are a few answers to questions we frequently get about pumpkin pie spice.
Store any leftover pumpkin pie spice in an airtight container (like a small jar) in a cool dark place like the cupboard or pantry. This recipe will last as long as the individual spices' expiration dates, which is typically 1-2 years for dried ground spices.
Purchase new spices at the same time if you want this mix to last for more than one pumpkin spice season.
Since all of the measurements are in teaspoons, you can simply use tablespoons instead and then double, triple, or quadruple the batch from there!
Pumpkin spice is not commonly found in the UK or Australia, but it is similar to British Mixed Spice. Check out our substitution section for more information on how to use Mixed Spice in place of Pumpkin Spice.
Allspice is made of ground, dried unripe berries from a Jamaican Pepper (or Pimento) tree.
Recipes that use Pumpkin Pie Spice
These are my favorite recipes to make with homemade pumpkin spice:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comment field below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Add each of the spices to a small bowl.
- Mix together well and store in a sealed jar in a cool dry place if not using immediately.
Laurie P. says
I've been using your pumpkin pie spice recipe for years! It's the same one in the notes of your pumpkin muffins. To anyone reading this -- it's a great spicy recipe that's mild enough for any pumpkin treat.