Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice (Substitutions and Uses)
How to make pumpkin pie spice with four simple pantry spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves) in just two minutes, plus substitutes and recommended uses! Making homemade pumpkin spice is frugal, fun, and easily tweakable - perfect for adding in lattes, cakes, bakes, and more!
Measure out the amounts of each spice and add to a bowl. I recommend sifting all the spices into the bowl – this can help with the spices that tend to clump (like ginger).
Use a spoon/whisk to combine all the spices.
Decant the prepared pumpkin pie spice into a spice jar or spice tin.
Using whole spices
Top tip (optional step): for even more aromatic pumpkin pie spice, I recommend you "bloom" the spices first. To do so, add the whole cinnamon and cloves to a large skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring often until they smell fragrant. This will enhance the flavors in the spices and lift your homemade pumpkin pie spice to new impressive levels!
Powder the spices. You can use a grater to grate the spices. Alternatively, you can use a grain/spice/coffee grinder and grind them all together. (Check the FAQ for conversion amounts).
Decant the prepared pumpkin pie spice into a spice jar or spice tin and store away.
How to Store
The shelf life of your pumpkin pie spice blend will largely depend on how fresh all your spices are, to begin with. When using fresh spices, the shelf life will extend for several years. However, when making the spice blend from already opened/not new spices, I aim to use them within 12 months. While they're OK to use after that, the spice will lose potency over time.To make the most of the pumpkin spice shelf life, place it in a cool, dark location in an airtight jar (avoid any liquid entering the pot).
Notes
Use fresh spices: this is probably the most important tip for this pumpkin pie spice. If you make this spice blend and one of the spices is old and has lost its potency, it will throw the entire balance off. Check the best-by dates on your spices and give them a sniff to make sure they're good to go.
Tweak the ratios: one of the best things about making any homemade spice blend is the ease of tweaking the ratios. For this homemade pumpkin pie spice, you could increase the cinnamon for a "warmer"/cozy feel or up the cloves (just slightly) for a stronger more robust spice. However, just be careful with increasing the amount of nutmeg, as it's fairly strong.
If you toast the spices: make sure to allow them to fully cool before storing. Otherwise, they can cause steam in the jar and can cause spoilage.
Label the jar: to make the most of the spice at its strongest, it's best to label the jar with a 1-year period of "best by".
When using pumpkin spice in drinks: due to the fibrous nature of cinnamon, it's best to use less than ½ teaspoon per cup as it can thicken your drink.
Optional Recipe Variations:You can optionally add Allspice (which is a berry, not a collection of spices) – I usually add the same amount of Allspice as Nutmeg. If you want a bit more "spice", you can add some black pepper. If you want to add cardamom, I recommend adding 1/8 teaspoon.Check the post for more helpful tips and answers to top FAQs!