Uncover the key to delicious fall cooking and baking by adding a homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend which turns any dish into an autumnal favorite.

This blend of iconic sweet spices can easily be made at home. So, say goodbye to store-bought pumpkin spice and hello to the delicious taste and customization of homemade blends.

Start creating your own pumpkin spice mix today and elevate your fall baking to a whole new level!

Pumpkin Spice Blend in a small bowl surrounded by cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, whole cloves, and dried ginger.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Store-Bought Pumpkin Spice and Make Your Own
Why This Recipe Works
Ingredient Notes
How to Make a Pumpkin Spice Blend
Can You Pumpkin Spice It?
How to Make 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Spice
Apple Pie Spice vs Pumpkin Pie Spice
My Top Tip
Pumpkin Pie Spice in Pumpkin Pie
Commercial Pumpkin Spice Blends
Substitutions & Variations
Make-Ahead & Storage
More Recipes You Can Pumpkin Spice!
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Store-Bought Pumpkin Spice and Make Your Own

Customize to Your Taste Preferences
Control The Quality
Superior Freshness and Flavor
Cost-Effectiveness in the Long Run... If you use it a lot!
Fun and Rewarding DIY Experience

Why This Recipe Works

My pumpkin spice blend is simple and easy to make. It is based on the same ratios of ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves used in the Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie with one difference. I include freshly ground nutmeg in the mix. For reference, here's what the original Libby's recipe is for 1 nine inch pie:

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves

Interestingly, of the many pumpkin spice blends that are available in the marketplace, most have the same base of sweet baking spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in varying amounts. Allspice is lovely, with the aroma and flavor of "all the spices" and typically is a substitute for cloves.

So, it seems we all love Libby's version since that is what is commercially popular and what most people think of when they think "pumpkin spice."

I keep my blend simple, so it is easy to scale and it is cost-efficient if you want to pumpkin spice everything. 😊

So, let's cook!

Ingredient Notes

Pumpkin Spice Blend ingredients from left to right: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

Here's what you need to make this Pumpkin Spice Blend:

Ground Cinnamon - Cinnamon is sweet and spicy and is a favorite spice in baking and cooking. Its distinctive flavor is used in savory and sweet dishes and flavors everything from breakfast cereals to liquors like the very popular Fireball Whiskey.
Ground Ginger - Spicy ginger is fragrant and typically used to flavor pickles, vegetables, candy, and soda.
Ground Cloves - Distinctive and pungent, cloves are an unforgettable strong spice that is well suited for sweet dishes.
Ground Nutmeg - Nutmeg has a distinctive fragrance and a warm, slightly sweet taste with floral characteristics. It is more fragrant when freshly grated.

I typically buy cinnamon, ginger, and cloves already ground. But I always buy whole nutmeg seeds and use a Microplane to freshly grind them as needed.

Because spices lose their potency after being ground, and have a shelf life of about 6 months, I always buy new containers of ground ginger and cloves every year for the holiday season.

I often use ground cinnamon during the year and usually already have a fresh jar in my pantry. Whole nutmeg has a long shelf life of several years when stored properly.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

How to Make a Pumpkin Spice Blend

Process Photo 1a - The ground spices in a small glass jar.

Place all of the ground spices in a small jar and shake to combine.

Process Photo 1b - The ground spices in a small glass jar shaken together to mix them.

Can You Pumpkin Spice It?

Pumpkin spice can be used in more than just pumpkin pie. It is fantastic in many foods or beverages that normally contain cinnamon or nutmeg. Here are a few ideas:

Use In:

Oatmeal
Banana Bread
Puddings
Warm Drinks
Smoothies
Baked Apples
Baked Winter Squash
Pies
Cookie Dough
Cake Batter
French Toast
Coffee Creamer

Sprinkle On:

Plain Yogurt
Buttered Toast with a Little Sugar, as a play on Cinnamon Toast
Eggnog
Float a sprinkle of it on a coffee with cream!

Low Carb Genius Idea:

Add pumpkin spice to a vanilla protein shake and then mix it with cold brew coffee.

How to Make 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Spice

Sometimes, you just need a small amount of pumpkin spice, and it can be maddening to do the arithmetic just to make just 1 tablespoon. Here's a quick reference table of exactly what you need to scale it perfectly to 1 tablespoon. The trick is you will need a measuring spoon set that includes a ⅛ teaspoon measure.

Ground Spice	Amount
Cinnamon	1 ½ teaspoons
Ginger	½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
Cloves	¼ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon
Nutmeg	¼ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon
Total	3 Teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon

Apple Pie Spice vs Pumpkin Pie Spice

You might wonder what the difference is between apple pie and pumpkin spice. So let's compare them:

Apple Pie Spice - Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice.
Pumpkin Spice - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves.

The main differences are pumpkin pie spice contains ground ginger for a spicy note and apple pie spice contains mostly cinnamon with a hint of allspice and nutmeg.

So, in a pinch, you can add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger to 1 ½ teaspoons of apple pie spice to make an acceptable substitution for pumpkin pie spice. 😊

My Top Tip

♡ Always use the freshest spices and store them in a cool, dry, dark place.

Pumpkin Pie Spice in Pumpkin Pie

You can use this Pumpkin Spice Blend in pumpkin pie. Simply substitute 2 teaspoons of this pumpkin pie spice for all of the spices listed in any recipe for a 9" pie.

Commercial Pumpkin Spice Blends

Here are the ingredients of several commercial blends to inspire your own personalized pumpkin spice blend. It's obvious many of these companies and home cooks love the original Libby's pumpkin pie spices!

Badia - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Cloves.
McCormick - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice.
Morton and Bassett - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Cloves.
Watkins - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Cloves.
Spice Islands - Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Mace, and Cloves.
Trader Joe's - Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemon Peel, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamon.
Spice Hunter - Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemon Peel, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Star Anise, Fennel, Black Pepper.
Jar Masala (Spicy Pumpkin Spice) - Allspice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace, Clove, Green Cardamom, Ginger, and Black Pepper.

As you read through this list, you will find two of the blends, Spice Islands and Trader Joe's, include lemon peel which some people find essential for great flavor. There are also two blends, Spice Hunter and Jar Masala, that contain lovely chai spices, which makes those blends much spicier.

Substitutions & Variations

To the basic recipe, you can consider adding a small amount to any of the following to play with the flavors and personalize your spice mix:

Mace. Mace is a spice made from the outer membrane covering nutmeg and is a more economical choice if you can't afford nutmeg.
Allspice. Allspice, "all the spices," is a spice from the dried berry of a tree and has the combined flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. It makes an excellent substitution for cloves.
Cardamom. Arromatic and unique, cardamom has an aroma of fresh cut pine or spruce trees. It comes both green and brown with the black being smoky with mint aromas.
Lemon Peel. Lemon is refreshing and has the ability to lift flavors.
Coriander. This surprising spice is the seed for cilantro, but has a different smell and taste when compared to the herb. Ground coriander seed is warm and nutty with a hint of lemon.

Make-Ahead & Storage

This spice blend will be flavorful for up to six months if stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

More Recipes You Can Pumpkin Spice!

♡ Did you love this Pumpkin Spice Blend? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how things went in the ✍ comments below. Thanks for visiting!

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