Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Name: Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 1 teaspoon ground cloves

by Danielle Rye on Sep 7, 2021 (updated Oct 7, 2024) 60 comments »

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5 from 27 ratings

Learn how to make pumpkin pie spice in less than 5 minutes with just a few common spices. Perfect for fall cookies, breads, pies, and so much more!

Pumpkin pie spice mixed together on a white plate. A brown spoon rests on top of the spices.

Can I let you in on a big secret? You can make almost any spice blend you find at the grocery store yourself simply by using the individual spices you already have in your pantry.

Oh, and it’s usually cheaper to make your own spice blends, to boot.

For that reason, I prefer making my own pumpkin pie spice substitute rather than buying it at the store. I always have the individual spices on hand, and I like having the ability to scale the batch up or down depending on my needs.

The pumpkin pie spice recipe I’m sharing with you today requires just five basic common spices and takes all of a few minutes to whisk together.

Ingredients for This Recipe

When making any kind of spice blend, it’s important that all of the individual spices are still good. Give them a sniff, and if any have lost their scent or smell off, throw them out and buy a replacement.

Here’s an overview of what is in this recipe:

Ground cinnamon
Ground ginger
Ground nutmeg
Ground allspice
Ground cloves

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice

To make this recipe, add the spices to a bowl and whisk until combined. You can use a spoon or small whisk to do this.

Once they’re well combined, you can store the homemade spice blend in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.

How Much Pumpkin Pie Spice to Use

The amount you will want to use will vary depending on the recipe. If a recipe calls for just pumpkin pie spice, you can use this recipe as a 1:1 substitute.

If a pumpkin dessert or baked good calls for a blend of cinnamon and other spices, but you want to use pumpkin pie spice instead, you can total up the amount of spices and replace it with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.

For example, in my homemade pumpkin pie recipe I would recommend using about 2 and 1/2 teaspoons. For a recipe like my homemade pumpkin bread, I would use 1 and 1/2 to 2 teaspoons. It also depends on how much spice you prefer.

Storage Instructions

You may store the homemade pumpkin spice in an airtight container at room temperature. As long as the ground spices you used were still fresh, your homemade spice blend will last up to three years.

Recipe Tips

Note that ground allspice is made from a certain type of dried berry. It’s not a blend of spices.
You’re welcome to tweak the ingredient ratios after you’ve tried the homemade spice blend. I think the recipe is perfect as is, but you may prefer more or less cinnamon, nutmeg, and so forth.
This homemade spice isn’t just for pie! You can add this blend to your morning cup of coffee, quick breads, bread puddings, and more.
This recipe will make about 5 tablespoons. You can either cut the recipe in half to make less or double it if you plan to make quite a few pumpkin desserts this fall.

Recipes That Use Pumpkin Pie Spice!

Video Tutorial