Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Homemade pumpkin pie spice is a simple blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice that comes together in five minutes with spices already in your pantry. This recipe uses Saigon cinnamon and lets you control the ratios, so you can add more ginger or less cinnamon, whatever your baking calls for. Use one teaspoon as a direct substitute for store-bought pumpkin pie spice in any recipe. Keeps for up to six months in an airtight jar.

I’m not a huge pumpkin fan. I’ll just say that upfront. But pumpkin pie spice is a different story.

My blend is still mostly cinnamon. That’s not the difference. The difference is the ratio. Regular cinnamon tastes bitter to me, so I use Saigon cinnamon, and that fixes it. Same cinnamon flavor, no bitter bite.

And I’m not a fan of allspice or cardamom. So allspice gets dialed way down and cardamom stays out of the jar completely. You still get all the warm flavors you expect from pumpkin pie spice, just without the ones I don’t love taking over.

That’s the whole point of making it yourself. You’re in charge of what goes in the jar and how much. More ginger, less clove, a pinch of black pepper. Your jar, your rules.

It goes into a bunch of my fall recipes, which are listed further down, and it works in anything that calls for warm fall spices.

Five minutes and a jar of this in the cabinet means you’re ready for every fall baking project from September through the end of the year. And you won’t have to reach for a store-bought blend that has been sitting on a grocery shelf since last October.

What Is Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is a premixed blend of the warm spices that go into classic pumpkin pie. Usually that’s cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice.

It’s not only for pie. Use it in cookies, quick breads, lattes, oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Basically anywhere you want fall in a spoon.

Store-bought blends like McCormick work fine, but you’re stuck with their ratio. Make your own and you’re not.

How Much Pumpkin Pie Spice Do I Use?

It depends on what you’re making. Here are the amounts that come up the most.

1 teaspoon – The most common amount for a single recipe, like a batch of cookies, a loaf of pumpkin bread or a mug of spiced hot chocolate. Swap it one for one with store-bought.

2 teaspoons – Good for medium batches, like a dozen cookies or a small loaf cake. Also a good starting point for spiced drinks. Taste and adjust from there.

1 tablespoon – For bigger recipes, like a full pumpkin pie, a big batch of muffins or a layer cake. That’s 3 teaspoons.

Per pie – Most classic pumpkin pie recipes call for 1 to 2 teaspoons. Start with 1 and add more if you want it stronger.

In drinks – Start with ¼ to ½ teaspoon per mug. It hits harder in liquid than in baked goods.

How To Make 1 Teaspoon, 2 Teaspoons or 1 Tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice

When a recipe only calls for a little, skip the big jar and mix just what you need.

To make 1 teaspoon: ¾ teaspoon cinnamon plus a pinch each of ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.

To make 2 teaspoons: 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg, and a pinch each of cloves and allspice.

To make 1 tablespoon: 2¼ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon each of ginger and nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon each of cloves and allspice.

Use it the same as store-bought, one for one.

Pumpkin Pie Spice vs Apple Pie Spice, What’s the Difference?

They share the same warm base of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The difference is in what gets added. My pumpkin pie spice gets cloves, a little allspice and no cardamom. My apple pie spice skips the cloves and goes heavier on allspice, with cardamom in the mix.

Cloves give pumpkin pie that deep, slightly medicinal warmth you’d know anywhere.

You can swap one for the other in most recipes. If you’re using apple pie spice in place of pumpkin pie spice, add a small pinch of cloves to get closer. Going the other way, pumpkin pie spice makes the apple version a little more intense. Usually in a good way.

Can You Substitute Allspice for Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Not directly, and not the other way around either. Allspice is a single spice, the dried berry of the Pimenta dioica plant. It tastes like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg rolled into one, but it’s one ingredient in pumpkin pie spice, not a stand-in for the whole blend.

If you have allspice but no pumpkin pie spice, use half the amount the recipe calls for, plus a pinch of cinnamon and ginger if you have them. It’ll be close, just stronger and flatter.

If you have pumpkin pie spice but no allspice, use it, but cut the amount back, since the other spices in the blend will change the flavor.

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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.

Ingredient Notes

Ground cinnamon – The backbone of the blend and still the biggest amount in the jar. I use Saigon cinnamon instead of regular grocery store cinnamon. Regular cinnamon tastes bitter to me. Saigon has a deeper, sweeter, more intense flavor without the bitterness, and it makes a noticeable difference in baked goods. It’s worth finding.

Ground ginger – Adds a warm, slightly spicy note that balances the cinnamon. Ground ginger is stronger than fresh, so if you’re sensitive to it, start with half and work up. It’s what keeps this from tasting like plain cinnamon sugar.

Ground cloves – The strongest spice in the jar and the one that makes it pumpkin pie spice instead of apple pie spice. A little goes a long way. Don’t skip them. Don’t overdo them either.

Ground nutmeg – Warm, a little sweet and a little nutty, and it rounds out the sharper spices. Freshly grated is noticeably better than pre-ground if you have a whole nutmeg and a microplane. Use up what’s in your pantry first, then upgrade when you run out.

Ground allspice – Adds depth. Despite the name, allspice is a single spice, not a blend, and it tastes like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg rolled into one. I’m not a fan, so I keep it low. If you love it, add more. If you don’t have it, use a little extra cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in equal small amounts.

Black pepper (optional) – King Arthur Baking puts an optional pinch of black pepper in their pumpkin pie, and I’m with them. It adds a little heat that makes the blend taste more interesting, not peppery. Try it at least once.

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How To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

How to Use Pumpkin Pie Spice

In baked goods: Use 1 teaspoon in place of store-bought in cookies, cakes, muffins, quick breads, pies and bars.

In drinks: Stir ¼ to ½ teaspoon into hot chocolate, coffee, lattes or cider. Start with less than you think, because it’s stronger in liquid.

On sweet potatoes: Sprinkle it over roasted or mashed sweet potatoes for a side dish that’s basically dessert. Skip the marshmallows and let the spice do the work.

In oatmeal and yogurt: Stir a pinch into oatmeal or yogurt with a drizzle of honey. Instant fall breakfast. Don’t forget the pumpkin pecan waffles too!

In whipped cream: Add ¼ teaspoon to heavy cream before whipping. Put it on pie, hot chocolate and basically everything else in the fall.

As a spice swap: Use it anywhere a recipe calls for some combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. One teaspoon covers all of them.

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Storage

Store it in an airtight glass jar at room temperature, somewhere cool and dry, away from heat and light. It lasts up to six months.

If you only have a few recipes to make this season, make a small batch so the spices stay fresher. And check the dates on your individual spices before you mix. Old nutmeg and ginger lose their punch fast and make the whole jar taste flat.

Label it with the date so you know when it’s time for a fresh batch next fall.

Variations

Make it more gingery – Double the ginger for a spicier blend. Great in cookies and anything gingerbread-ish.

Make it less cinnamony – Reduce the cinnamon by half if you find heavy cinnamon blends overwhelming. The other spices will come through more clearly and the blend will taste more complex and less one dimensional.

Add black pepper – A small pinch adds a subtle heat. King Arthur Baking puts an optional pinch in their pumpkin pie, so pie is the place to try it.

Make it with fresh nutmeg – Grate a whole nutmeg right into the blend with a microplane. The difference between fresh and pre-ground is big.

Make pumpkin spice sugar – Mix 2 tablespoons of the blend with ½ cup granulated sugar. Rim a mug with it, sprinkle it on toast, dust it on donuts or stir it into coffee.

Use it as a chai spice swap – Pumpkin pie spice and chai spice share cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Use it in place of chai spice and add a pinch of cardamom if you have it.

Recipes Using This Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Pumpkin Dip – it goes right into the dip
• French Toast Casserole – swap it in for the cinnamon for a fall version
• Booty Dip – the Thanksgiving version
• Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole – add some for a boost of flavor
• Candied Pecans – add a little for a fall twist

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Looking for more ways to flavor your favorite meals? Check out our full collection of Homemade Spice Mixes and Seasoning Blends.

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Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Old spices are the fastest way to a flat blend.
• Use Saigon cinnamon if you can find it. The flavor difference over regular cinnamon is significant and worth the upgrade.
• Freshly grated nutmeg is noticeably better than pre-ground if you have a whole nutmeg and a microplane.
• Make small batches if you only have a few fall recipes to make so the spices stay fresher longer.
• Try the optional black pepper at least once. It adds a subtle complexity that makes the blend taste more interesting than the standard five spice version.
• Store at room temperature not in the refrigerator. Moisture from the fridge causes clumping and shortens the shelf life.

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This homemade pumpkin pie spice is the easiest way to make every fall recipe taste better. And once you switch to Saigon cinnamon, you won’t go back to the regular stuff. Make a jar before baking season kicks off and you’re set from the first pumpkin dip of the fall to the last apple turnover of the year.

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{Originally published 9/29/15 – photos and notes updated 10/13/26}

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