How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice

How to make homemade pumpkin pie spice with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. It’s easy to make and can be used in so many different recipes.

Somehow I have never shared my homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe, that is until today!

I have a ton of recipes that call for pumpkin pie spice like my healthy pumpkin bread, oatmeal pumpkin cookies and healthy pumpkin spice latte, so it’s a good spice mix to always have on hand, especially for fall baking!

Glass jar filled with homemade pumpkin pie spice.

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Why You’ll Love This Homemade Spice Mix

Quick and Easy – You only need 4 different spices and less then 5 minutes to whip up this spice mix.
Cheaper – Making homemade pumpkin pie spice is cheaper than buying it at the store, especially if you already have all the spices in your kitchen right now.
Customizable – A great thing about making your own spice blend is that you’re in control of the ingredients! If you want to add a spice, go for it or if you don’t like one of the spices, use less or leave it out.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Ingredients

Ingredients measured out to make Pumpkin Pie Spice: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend that usually consists of 4 or 5 ground spices. For my homemade version I used these 4 spices:

ground cinnamon – this is the main warming spice in this mixture. You’ll need 2 Tablespoons.
ground ginger – adds a nice spicy flavor that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon.
ground nutmeg – a favorite spice for fall baking. It has a strong flavor so we’re only using 1 teaspoon as to not overpower the spice mixture.
ground cloves – another pungent spice that we don’t need a ton of. You’ll just want 1 teaspoon for this mixture.

How to Make

This recipe couldn’t get any easier! Just combine your spices in a small bowl and stir to combine. That’s it! Use right away or transfer to an airtight container for storage.

Brittany’s Tip!

Before you start making your homemade pumpkin spice, make sure to check the expiration dates of your ground spices. Spices lose potency over time, so you want to make sure yours are still fresh for the best flavor!

Small glass jar with pumpkin pie spice on a wood board and next to two sticks of cinnamon.

How to Use Pumpkin Spice

If you like fall baking, you’re going to want to have pumpkin pie spice on hand at all times! You can add it to your coffee, oatmeal or yogurt bowl for a nice warming flavor, but here are also some delicious fall recipes that specifically call for this spice blend:

How to Store Pumpkin Pie Spice

This homemade pumpkin pie spice mixture can be kept for up to 1 year in a tightly sealed container stored in a cool, dry place. It’ll start to loose it’s potency after time, but this recipe only makes 3 Tablespoons, so you probably won’t have any trouble finishing it up in one season of fall baking!

I like to store this spice blend in a 0.25 Liter Weck Jar or 4 oz mason jar. If you plan to make more homemade spice blends these spice jars are super cute and come with labels!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Can You Use Instead of Pumpkin Pie Spice?

One easy substitute for pumpkin pie spice is apple pie spice. Apple pie spice has a similar spice profile, namely cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and allspice. The only additional spice that is missing from apple pie spice is ground cloves so if you use apple pie spice instead of pumpkin pie spice, you could add a little ground clove to the recipe if you’d like!

If you’re really in a pinch, you could try a different combination of the spice blend above, but know it might not taste exactly the same… obviously!

What Other Spices Can I Add to The Mixture?

Some pumpkin spice recipes also include allspice, cardamom and/or mace, but these are optional. See my note in the recipe below.

More Fall Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.

Stir together cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in a small bowl.
Place spice blend in a sealed jar for up to 1 year and use in recipes that call for pumpkin pie spice.

Some pumpkin pie spice blends have allspice and ground cardamom as well. If you want to add these to this recipe, simply add 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/8 teaspoon cardamom to the mixture.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.