Made with fresh, whole spices, this homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice is a must-have for fall baking! Takes just minutes to make!
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Why Make Pumpkin Pie Spice at Home
Premade Pumpkin Pie Spice in those little bottles at the store costs a fortune (relatively speaking); plus, you never know how long it’s been been sitting on the shelf. What’s more, premixes never seem to have the right balance of spices, and they lack character.
Some years ago, I decided it was time to start making my own homemade Pumpkin Spice. As it turns out, it's pretty darned easy to make, and the price differential will blow you away!
A 15x Savings
To put things in perspective, the ingredients for this recipe collectively cost just over a dollar. (in 2022) By comparison, bottled Pumpkin Pie Spice can run 10 to 15 times that much, especially if you are buying organic.
What is in Pumpkin Spice Mix
To make fresh, homemade Pumpkin Spice, you first need to gather the freshest ingredients you can. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves are easy – you can find whole spices in your grocery store bulk section.
Grinding your own ginger, however, is another thing entirely, and a time-consuming one at that. For this reason, I usually use pre-ground ginger.
You can substitute in ground spices for any of the whole spices, as needed.
- Ground Allspice: 2 grams
- Ground Cinnamon: 15 grams
- Ground Cloves: 2 grams
- Ground Ginger: 8-9 grams
- Ground Nutmeg: 1-2 grams
Amounts are measured by weight (grams) instead of volume (teaspoons or tablespoons) because freshly ground spices are loftier than those you buy at the store. (They're more aromatic, too!)
How to Make this Recipe
Pound cinnamon sticks with a hammer or meat tenderizer to make smaller pieces.
In a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder, combine cinnamon stick pieces, whole cloves, and whole allspice and grind into a powder. Leave the spices in the grinder and set aside.
Grate the nutmeg on a nutmeg grater or Microplane. Measure 1½ to 3 teaspoons of fresh nutmeg, depending on your preference, and add it to the grinder. Add the ground ginger to the grinder at this time, too.
Give everything a whirl in the grinder to combine.
I ground the cinnamon, cloves, allspice shown here separately, mostly for dramatic effect. You can see that the allspice and cloves are still kind of chunky because they were so lonely in the spice grinder. When there are more spices in the grinder, you can grind them finer.
Store the pumpkin pie spice mix in tightly sealed jar until ready to use.
Storage
Pumpkin spice will keep well in an airtight container for up to 1 year. The fresher it is when you use it, the more intense the flavor will be.
More Pumpkin Spice Recipes
Ways to Use Pumpkin Spice
There are countless ways to use this pumpkin pie spice mix. Here are just a few:
- Bake a batch of Pumpkin Spice Scones or Pumpkin Muffins.
- Mix a latte with some homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup.
- Snack on Pumpkin Spice Pretzels.
- Spice up a Hot Buttered Rum.
- Dip into some Pumpkin Spice Hummus or Pumpkin Pie Dip.
- Chill out with a Pumpkin Smoothie.
- Indulge in Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse.
- Cozy up with a cup of Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix
Equipment
- 1 Meat Tenderizer or hammer
- 1 Electric Spice Grinder or clean coffee grinder
- 1 Nutmeg Grater or microplane
Ingredients
- 4 3-inch cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole fresh nutmeg
- 15-20 whole ground allspice
- 14-16 whole cloves
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
Instructions
- Pound cinnamon sticks with a hammer or meat tenderizer to make smaller pieces.
- In a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder, combine cinnamon stick pieces, whole cloves, whole allspice and grind into powder. Leave it in the grinder and set aside.
- Grate the nutmeg on a nutmeg grater or microplane. Measure 1½ to 3 teaspoons of fresh nutmeg, depending on your preference, and add it to the grinder.Add the ground ginger to the grinder at this time, too.
- Give everything a whirl in the grinder to combine.
- Store mix in tightly sealed jar until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Originally published October 9, 2013. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.
Yvonne @ Dress This Nest says
I love using fresh spices! This spice mix is pretty similar to the one I use. I like to add it to apple cider (along with a little salted carmel). Have you been to Stone & Cottage? It's my favorite bulk spice store. They just moved to Sellwood.
Renée ♥ says
I haven't been there - thanks for the tip! I may need them as a resource for a post I'm working on.
Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says
What a great idea -- I never thought of making my own pumpkin pie spice. Gotta love nutmeg!
Renée ♥ says
Nutmegs and a grater make a great little hostess gift!
Macey Snelson says
Oooh, I LOVE me some pumpkin spice! I have a bottle that was gifted to me a little while ago, and I'm stuck in a rut on how to use it. I look forward to your post with how you incorporate it this season!
Renée ♥ says
Hopefully I'll be posting a Pumpkin Spice Scone recipe next week, but shhh... don't tell!
Pech says
Doh, I never realized there was ginger in there. I am totally with you on upping the nutmeg though!