Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice – Easy DIY Spice Blend Recipe

Evoke the taste of autumn with homemade pumpkin pie spice, an aromatic mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. This warm DIY spice blend recipe adds delicious fall flavours to baking projects and seasonal desserts, from latte to cookies, cakes and muffins. Quick and easy to make, homemade pumpkin spice is naturally vegan, gluten free, grain free, low carb, paleo and keto friendly.

Homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe

My cousin Michael lives in New Jersey. He and I have a little autumn tradition: He buys and sends me a jar of pumpkin pie spice every year come fall. McCromick Pumpkin Pie Spice was the first product he ever sent and it’s still one of my favourites.

At first, I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. It’s a just a spice blend for fall. But when I received my first shipment of pumpkin spice a few years ago, I became hooked to the point that I now season everything with pumpkin pie spice from September to November.

How to make pumpkin pie spice

Are you on board with pumpkin season and pumpkin spice everything? Even mean pumpkin spice memes can’t scare you off?

Good, you’re in the right place!

Fragrant pumpkin pie spice is the ultimate seasoning to capture the flavors of fall. And this year, I wanted to surprise Michael with my own homemade pumpkin pie spice. And since sharing is caring, I’ll also post my recipe for how to make pumpkin spice from scratch here on the blog.

What is pumpkin pie spice made of?

Do you love making your own spice blends? This homemade pumpkin pie spice is so easy to make. All it takes is to measure and mix the ingredients. But before we whip up a batch, let’s talk about what is homemade pumpkin pie spice made of. Here are the essential pumpkin pie spice ingredients:

Cinnamon

The earthy flavour of ground cinnamon provides warmth and sweetness. Use 3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon. When shopping you may find two types of cinnamon: Ceylon and or Vietnamese cinnamon. Cleylon is the sweeter, less bitter of the two and preferable for this recipe.

Ginger

Ground ginger brings a welcome spiciness and pungency to this homemade seasoning blend. Measure out 1 to 2 teaspoons ginger.

Nutmeg

Ground nutmeg creates a warm, nutty aroma that pairs perfectly with the sweet flavor of cinnamon. You need 1 to 2 teaspoons nutmeg for the recipe.

Allspice

The peppery, sweet aroma of ground allspice gives a little edge and rounds out the flavour profile of this pumpkin pie spice DIY. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon is enough for this autumn spice blend.

And since we’re on the topic of allspice: Allspice is a single spice, not a spice blend, and so all spice isn’t the same as pumpkin spice.

I prefer to make pumpkin pie spice organic, but non-organic ingredients are fine as well.

How can I customize this DIY pumpkin pie spice recipe?

A huge benefit of making your own pumpkin pie spice, is that you know exactly what’s in it. Another benefit is that you can adjust the taste according to your liking. Hate allspice? Use ground cloves instead and simply make pumpkin pie spice without allspice. Want more zest? Amp up the amount of ginger.

I guess the perfect pumpkin pie spice ratio is a matter of personal preference. Here are a few suggestions how you can customize this homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe:

Cloves

You can easily customize your homemade pumpkin spice mix recipe with 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Cloves are also a substitute for allspice in case you prefer to make homemade pumpkin spice without allspice.

Pumpkin pie spice recipe with cardamom

Cardamom offers a warm, sweet and also spicy flavour with a hint of lemony undertones. Add up to 1 teaspoon for a nice variation on the traditional pumpkin spice flavoring.

Dried citrus peel

Ground dried lemon or orange peel adds a wonderful fresh, citrusy note. You can buy dried lemon peel or orange peel, or make your own by letting the peel of 1 organic lemon/orange airdry for several days. Then simply pulse in a blender.

Should I use fresh or ground spices for homemade pumpkin pie spice?

You can mix pumpkin pie spice with both whole or ground spices. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your cupboard, so work with what you have at hand. Just make sure that the spices are fresh. Spices lose their aroma over time and stale spices will never make for flavour pumpkin pie spice.

That said, freshly ground whole spice will always provide the best aroma. Here are a few tips to grind whole spices:

• Cinnamon sticks, ginger root, and nutmeg can be best grated with a microplate garter.
• An spice grinder or electric coffee grinder is the your best option for cloves, allspice and cardamom. A mortar and pestle can also be used for cardamom.

How long can I store pumpkin pie spice?

Store pumpkin pie spice in an airtight container and keep away from heat, sunlight and moisture.

The shelf life of homemade pumpkin pie spice is six to nine months.

How to use pumpkin spice

Want to know how to use pumpkin spice? While the traditional use for pumpkin pie spice is in pumpkin pie, you can use this homemade spice blend to for many pumpkin spice desserts and pumpkin spice drinks.

But your are by no means limited to sweet food. Use your pumpkin pie spice mix to season hearty autumn soups, stews and meat dishes, or sprinkle a dash over fall salads and roasted vegetables.

When seasoning recipes with pumpkin pie spice, start with a small amount and check if you like the taste. You can always add more later on.

Can I substitute pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon?

Absolutely! If a recipe calls for cinnamon and you want to give it an autumn twist or if you’re looking for a cinnamon substitute, using pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon is perfectly fine. Just keep in mind that ginger and allspice add a more zesty and spicy flavour than just cinnamon.

Recipes with pumpkin pie spice

Here are a few recipes with pumpkin spice and pumpkin spice products:

• pumpkin pie
• DIY pumpkin spice latte
• pumpkin spice coffee
• pumpkin spice cookies
• pumpkin spice syrup
• pumpkin spice creamer
• pumpkin spice cake
• pumpkin spice cupcake
• pumpkin spice muffins
• pumpkin spice frosting
• pumpkin spice truffles
• pumpkin spice donuts
• pumpkin spice pancakes
• easy pumpkin pudding
• pumpkin bread
• pumpkin soup

Homemade pumpkin pie spice – a cute and easy food gift idea for fall

Homemade spice blends are excellent DIY food gift idea and if you browse Amazon you can see that pumpkin spice gifts, and pumpkin spice things in general, are on the rise.

I filled my homemade pumpkin pie spice blend into these cute 2 oz mason shot jars. They look super adorable and make a great fall food gift for your friends, family, neigbours, and coworkers.

You can also put the DIY pumpkin spice into 4 oz quilted mini mason jars or lovely clip top spice jars. The printable labels come in different sizes so that you have a packaging option for various jars and containers.

You can download the free printable labels after the recipe card. And don’t forget to grab this set of free printable fall gift tags, too.

Over to you!

Do you like pumpkin spice season and what is your favourite pumpkin spice recipe? Leave me a comment, I’d really love to know!

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Cyna xo