Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

The smell and taste of pumpkin spice is the definition of fall. And the butt of many jokes. But do you know how easy it is to whip together this homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe?

 

It’s that time of year again; pumpkin recipes are flooding the social media scene, everyone is drinking a pumpkin spice latte and the fall season is fully under way. But do you know what the best part of pumpkin season is? Making your own pumpkin pie spice!

Whenever possible, I love making my own spice blends. A homemade spice blend is a great way to create your own perfect blend of spices. They taste so much more pungent and fresh that way too.

Ye Olde Pumpkin Spice

The phenomenon of “pumpkin spice” is a relatively new thing. While the combination of complementing spices has been around for nearly 3,500 years, it wasn’t commercialized, jarred and sold together until about the 20th century.

It was first produced by McCormick in 1934 as an “original spice” but not seen in published recipes until 1936 when the Washington Post called for it in a spice cake.

Nowadays, it is a regular ingredients and some don’t even realize that it is just a blend of other commonly known and used spices. Apple pie spice falls into the same category.

Jarred

Store-bought pumpkin pie spice from the grocery store will run you about $5 and yield about 3 tablespoons (just over 1 ounce). When you are whipped 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 and recipes will need to be compensated with an increased amount. Make sure to store in an airtight container or small jar for the best results.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Which is why I prefer to make my own ground spices at home and fresh when I need it. As a rule, I buy the smallest containers of any spice (unless it is whole) and then make my own. This ensures nothing is sitting in the pantry for extended periods of time and keeps the most delightful of flavors.

I even mark the lids 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 by putting them in the freezer- they will last up to 1 year. Making smaller batches helps to keep this pumpkin pie spice mix relatively fresh.

PRO TIP: Grading or grating your own whole spices, like nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves, will add loads of flavor to your custom spice blend!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice takes only a few minutes to whip up and is made with spice you most likely already have in the pantry. A jar of pumpkin pie spice is always good to have around.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Ingredients

As stated several times before, I like to use fresh spices when making my own blend. Each of these individual spices brings a different flavor element to this homemade pumpkin spice mix.

• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground ginger
• Ground allspice
• Ground cloves

How to Make Traditional Pumpkin Pie Spice

Now all you have to do is whisk or shake together these 5 ingredients. It is really that simple to make your own pumpkin pie spice blend.

And you get to pick and choose the palette you like the best and adjust accordingly. For example, I prefer less clove in a pie, but more in a cheesecake.

Five ingredients, that’s all!

Uses & Substitutions

While it is mostly used in sweet dishes, don’t be afraid to add a sprinkle to savory dishes too. It’s a wonderful addition to root vegetables like sweet potatoes, breads, roasted veggies, rubs on chicken, pork or turkey. Even make it into a compound butter.

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

There are countless ways and lots of pumpkin desserts that use a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend. Adding a small amount to just about anything can really take even a coffee drink to the next level. Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin spice recipes:

Homemade Pumpkin 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.

More recipes that use pumpkin:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
• Pumpkin Butter
• Starbucks Pumpkin Bread