Apple Pie Spice

The smells and essence of Apple Pie Spice are the epitome of fall for many of us. Time to put away the bathing suits and head for sweaters and sweatshirts.

 

Jarred

Sure, you can easily pick up some premixed apple pie spice at your local grocery store. It will run you about $5 and yield about 3 tablespoons (just over 1 ounce). When you are whipping up a storm in your kitchen, that goes super fast!

The other thing to consider with any ground jarred spice is the shelf life. If you aren’t planning on using the whole container, the once pungent aroma and flavors will start to disintegrate.

Starting at about 6 months, they gradually decline, especially when exposed to direct sunlight. Keep in mind that recipes will need to be compensated with an increased amount.

Homemade Apple Pie Spice

Which is why I prefer to make my own apple pie spice mix at home and fresh when I need it. As a rule, I buy the smallest spice jars and then make my own spice blend.

This ensures nothing is sitting in the spice cabinet for extended periods of time and keeps the most delightful of flavors.

I even mark the lids of my homemade spice blend with freezer tape and a marker of the date it was opened so I know when to start adjusting volumes in a recipe or just plain replace them.

Further extend the shelf life of spices by putting them in the freezer- they will last up to 1 year.

Homemade Apple Pie Spice takes only a few minutes to whip up and is made with spices you most likely already have in the pantry.

Ingredients

This easy homemade apple pie spice is made up of only four simple ground spices that you might already on hand.

• Cinnamon – This is the main ingredient and what you will be using the most of. It’s the quintessential fall season spice.
• Ground nutmeg – Nutmeg adds an almost sweet nuttiness into the mix.
• Ground ginger – Ginger adds both flavor and a slight bite of spicy flavor to our homemade apple pie spice recipe.
• Ground allspice – Allspice is slightly sweet and peppery, adding a nice bite to our spice.

Pumpkin Spice vs. Apple Spice

The main difference between the two is that apple spice doesn’t have cloves, where pumpkin spice does. The two can be used interchangeably as long as you aren’t picky about cloves.

Cloves are generally characterized as strong, pungent, sweet and almost “hot.” The “spiciness of cloves is what makes it great for pumpkin spice, and not necessarily apple spice.

How to Use Apple Pie Spice Mix

This homemade spice mix can be used to make so many different recipes beyond your apple pie.

While it is mostly used in sweet recipes, don’t be afraid to add a sprinkle to savory dishes too. Sweet potato casserole, breads, roasted veggies, rubs on chicken, pork or turkey. Even make it into a compound butter.

We love adding it to breakfast dishes like french toast, overnight oats or pumpkin bread with our Apple Cider Syrup, too! You can add it to sweet potatoes instead of cinnamon, or any of your favorite apple recipes.

As the name states, it’s great in apple dishes like a fresh apple pie recipe, apple turnovers or just plain apple slices. Heck, I even like sprinkling some into my morning coffee!

Anything that you’d like to add a little more “fall flavor” to, sprinkle in some apple pie spice.

As a Gift

Homemade Apple Pie Spice is also perfect to give as gifts. Just head to your local craft store and find some adorable glass bottles and customizable labels, maybe even some colored string.

It would also make a great favor for guests! If you’re hosting Thanksgiving or throwing a baby or bridal shower in the fall, it’s a nice homemade touch and something that people are guaranteed to use!

Storage & Shelf Life

Store your apple pie spice at room temperature in an airtight container or glass spice jar. They are best kept in areas that don’t get too much sun.

Any ground spice starts to lose potency around 6 months. At this point you might have double the amount of spice a recipe calls for. Use your best judgement or taste test the batter/dough.

More Fall Apple Desserts

Some of my favorite fall desserts are apple desserts. Here are some of our best that I know you’ll love too.