Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

For pumpkin spice fun that lasts all season (or all year) long, learn how to make pumpkin pie spice at home with 4 simple ingredients! Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves—plus optional allspice—whisked together into a comforting DIY spice blend. Although you can buy a premade blend at the grocery store, this homemade pumpkin pie spice mix is cheaper and more flavorful.

For more holiday fun, use this warm spice blend to make a batch of pumpkin spice peanut butter or almond butter!

What is in pumpkin pie spice?

Pumpkin pie spice (a.k.a. “pumpkin spice”) is a warm, aromatic spice blend made of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and sometimes allspice. It doesn’t contain any actual pumpkin, but it’s commonly used as a flavoring in pumpkin pie recipes (hence its name). Whether you use it to make pie or a pumpkin pie smoothie, this homemade pumpkin spice mix can add comforting fall flavor to any dish!

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice at Home

• Choose your pumpkin pie spices. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend with as few as 2 spices, or as many additional spices as you’d like! For the simplest pumpkin pie spice substitute, use 2¼ tsp cinnamon + ¾ tsp another warm spice: nutmeg, ginger, cloves, or allspice. Or, you could make a more flavorful blend by adding ½ tsp cardamom or mace.  
• Combine to make your spice blend. First, measure out your pumpkin pie spices into a jar or bowl and mix them together well. Either shake up the jar, or whisk the spices together and pour them into a sealed container. I like to keep empty store-bought spice jars so I can reuse them for DIY spice blends like this!
• Store homemade spice mix for 6 months. Just like other spices and seasonings, this pumpkin spice blend is best stored in a sealed container at room temperature, in a cool, dark area like a cabinet or pantry.

DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice Ingredients

• Cinnamon. The mild, sweet, spiced flavor of cinnamon is the backbone of this homemade pumpkin spice mix. Remember, you can make a simplified pumpkin pie spice with cinnamon and just 1 other spice, but I don’t recommend substituting for the cinnamon here.
• Ground Ginger. I love ginger’s warm, zesty, sweet heat, so sometimes I’ll use double the ginger in my spice blend! But ginger does have a strong flavor kick, so feel free to use less (or omit it) if you’re not a fan. If needed, you can substitute for ground ginger with an equal amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, or mace.  
• Nutmeg. Warm, nutty, and woody—nutmeg is a go-to seasoning for fall seasonal treats! If you don’t have any, you can replace the nutmeg in this pumpkin pie spice recipe with an equal amount of mace, cinnamon, allspice, or half as much ground cloves.
• Cloves. Ground cloves have a pungent, strong, sweet-yet-bitter flavor—and a little goes a long way. If you need or want a substitute, you can replace ground cloves with allspice, additional nutmeg, cinnamon, or cardamom.
• Allspice. Since many store-bought mixes don’t include it, I like to make my own DIY pumpkin pie spice blend with allspice for an added layer of comfort! Allspice tastes like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg all combined—which is where it got the name “all spice.” This is an optional ingredient so feel free to omit, but it can be a tasty addition if you have some.

How to Use Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin pie spice is a key ingredient in pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake, but there are loads of other tasty ways you can use this fall spice mix. Use it to add holiday-spiced flavor to whipped cream, coffee, or smoothies. Make spiced pumpkin bread, muffins, waffles, or pumpkin oatmeal. You can even make wontons that taste like pumpkin pie!