The other day I decided to take a look at the “freshness” date on my pumpkin pie spice… Let’s just say that it probably hasn’t been fresh for quite some time. I swear I just bought that spice yesterday, but that’s not really possible unless yesterday was 2010. So, instead of buying a whole knew bottle that would live in the back of my pantry for the next three years, I decided to whip up my own batch of Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Originally posted 9-1-2013, updated 10-10-2020.
So whether you just want to make your homemade pumpkin pie spice fresh when you need it, or you can’t find the store bought version in your area, you can use this recipe and formula to make as much or as little as you need, when you need it.
Adjust the Batch Size
The recipe below makes about a half cup of pumpkin pie spice, which you can keep in a sealed tight container for about a year. To make a smaller quantity, just adjust the number in the “servings” box below and all the ingredients will automatically adjust, or just follow an approximate ratio of 8:2:2:2:1 (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, clove).
How to Use Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Thanks to the popularity of the notorious PSL (pumpkin spice latte), adding pumpkin pie spice to just about anything is game these days. Try adding your homemade pumpkin pie spice to:
- muffins
- pancakes
- smoothies
- oatmeal
- cookies
- granola
- coffee creamer
- sprinkle a little on your coffee grounds before brewing
- vanilla yogurt
- cream cheese
- homemade ice cream
- banana bread
Does Pumpkin Pie Spice Expire?
Like all dried herbs and spices, the potency of this spice mix will slowly degrade over time. The freshness of this homemade pumpkin pie spice is only as good as the oldest ingredient used, so make sure all your spices are nice and fresh before preparing this blend. Once combined, store the homemade pumpkin pie spice in an air-tight container, away from sunlight, for about one year.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Servings 7 TablespoonsIngredients
- 4 Tbsp ground cinnamon ($1.20)
- 3 tsp ground ginger ($0.30)
- 3 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.30)
- 3 tsp ground allspice ($0.30)
- 1 tsp ground cloves ($0.10)
Instructions
- Stir together all of the spices in a bowl until well combined. Store in an air-tight container away from direct sunlight for up to one year.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
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This was just what I needed. I didn’t have any cloves (or couldn’t find them in my spice cupboard, lol) but didn’t miss them in the blend. I’m using it to make your baked pumpkin pie oatmeal.
That’s okay! Use what you have on hand and it still works!
Now that I haven’t seen allspice around where I live, what can I use to make the pumpkin spice instead?
PS: LOVE your blog. Do you have any low sugar/low salt/low fat recipes?
I think if you just increase the other spices by a teaspoon it will still work well without the allspice. :)
Is it weird I’m making this in July? I’m working on a chia pudding recipe with pumpkin :)
Hahaha, not weird at all. I always think it’s sad that pumpkin gets pigeonholed into being an autumn only ingredient. ;)
From another food blog I read –
http://casualkitchen.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/ten-tips-to-save-money-on-spices-and.html
Daniel talks about how long you can keeps spices. It’s interesting, and I agree, and have used some scarily old spices myself.
October 15th To day I wanted to make some pumpkin bars but I was out of pumpkin spice. I went to look up how to make pumpkin pie spice and found your recipe. However I used the 8-2-2-2-1 measurement only I used teaspoons. It make about 3/4 of a baby food jar. Just the right amount to have on hand. My recipe only called for 1 teaspoon. Thanks Mary
Just wanted to say thank you for everything! I’ve been reading your blog a lot, and never had a chance to say thanks for your awesome recipes.
stumbled upon your blog yesterday….thanks for the great ideas and money conscious recipes. Can’t wait to make the root beer pulled pork!! Joanne
I highly recommend buying whole spices and grating them or grinding them to make blends, especially nutmeg. Whole nutmegs really hold their flavor for a long time if you put them in something airtight. I grate mine with a microplane. (For spices that need to be ground, I use a blade grinder I repurposed after we got a burr grinder for coffee.)
I use a recipe form another site when I make pumpkin pies…mine come completely from scratch down to the whole buy a pie pumpkin cook and use that it uses cardamom which IMO is a very under utilized spice. :)
I have seen mace and cardamon mentioned in some homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe blends.
i like making my own spice blends, but i don’t make my own pumpkin pie spice because i go through at least 4 per year so i’m not worried about it staying fresh. you should try adding a hint of lemon zest & black pepper- that’s what’s in trader joe’s blend, and it is AMAZING! that’s the only one i use. :)
Thank you!
I live in Norway and sadly the fall tradition isn´t very popular here. I´ve been looking everywhere after something containing pumpkin. Can´t find it anywhere.. And it´s impossible to get pumpkin pie/pumpkin spice syrup from the big coffee syrup brands like DaVinci, Monin or Stirling here. I´m going crazy! So thank you again, this is perfect! :) I´m also going to actually buy my own pumpkin and make a syrup myself :)
Nice! I paid like $5 for a tiny thing of pumpkin pie spice.. next time I’ll mix my own and then have extra spices left over!
Also make my own spice blends to maintain freshness. Do so much baking that I do a baking blend pretty much in line with your recipe, except I keep the ginger out. This is because ginger is the one spice that I don’t want in all the other baked items. Have found can just add when do anything with pumpkin and squashes – from pies to soups.
Sounds great! I love to make up my own spices and this one would be fun to keep on hand…thanks for the recipe!