Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

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This pumpkin pie spice blend is so delicious. It’s so easy to make and much cheaper than buying at the store! It’s perfectly balanced with not too much nutmeg or cloves, and it’s just heavenly in pumpkin and fall recipes. Easy to make in larger quantities.

Homemade pumpkin pie spice blend in a small marble bowl with a small wooden spoon.

🧂 What Makes This Recipe So Good

Ever dug through the shelves at the grocery store looking for that container of pumpkin pie spice you know they’re supposed to have, but you can’t find one anywhere? Or need just a little for a one-off recipe in early summer, before seasonal spices officially hit the store shelves? Enter: this easy, 4-ingredient DIY pumpkin pie spice blend. Since it’s made with every day, year-round spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove, you can mix up as much as you need literally whenever you need it. Seasons be damned!
This spice blend isn’t just for making pumpkin pie. You can use it any recipe that calls for pumpkin pie spice. We’re talking breads, cakes, pies, muffins, cookies, coffee creamer, pumpkin ice cream. You can even use it instead of just cinnamon in this pumpkin seed butter. It subs at a 1:1 ratio, so whatever amount of spice your recipe calls for, use that same amount of this blend.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

For the best spice blend, use the freshest individual spices possible. The older your spices, the less flavorful and pungent they’ll be. If you’re not sure how old the ones in your pantry are, or if the dates vary pretty significantly, I recommend just buying all new spices for your blend. That way everything starts out the same!
After you’ve mixed everything together, give it a taste and adjust the ratios to your preferences. Keep in mind, though, that the recipes you use the spice blend in can change the intensity of the spices. You may prefer to adjust the ratios on a case-by-case basis.
For an extra boost of autumn flavor, add a little allspice to your spice blend. It tastes a lot like a combo of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove, so it complements the other spices here really well! If you’re not sure how much to add, a good rule of thumb is to use the same amount as the ground cloves. If you’re making our recipe as written below, that’d mean 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

What is pumpkin pie spice made of?

It’s a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Some variations include allspice, too!

Can you use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon?

Sure! It’s a great substitute for plain cinnamon that’ll give most recipes a little more depth and warmth. You may not want to use it in every recipe that calls for just cinnamon, but for the most part, they’re fine to use interchangeably!

How much pumpkin pie spice do I use instead of an individual spice?

It substitutes at a 1:1 ratio, so whatever amount your recipe calls for, use that amount of this spice blend. If your recipe calls for just cinnamon and just nutmeg, but you want to use pumpkin spice instead, just add up the amounts for each individual spice and use an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.

Does pumpkin pie spice taste like pumpkin?

Nope! Not at all. There’s no pumpkin in pumpkin pie spice. It’s typically used in pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, and other pumpkiny seasonal recipes, though, hence its name.

Spices being stirred together with a wooden spoon in a small marble bowl to make a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend.

🎃 Pumpkin Recipes Too Gourd to Be True

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik