Pumpkin spice is one the most essential fall ingredients to make your pumpkin pie recipe stand out. However, sometimes you may find yourself without pumpkin pie spice so it’s good to know how to make an alternative homemade pumpkin spice blend from scratch.
From Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin spice oatmeal, pumpkin spice is called for in the most popular pumpkin recipes.
What’s Pumpkin Pie Spice Made Of?
It’s a deliciously aromatic blend of warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. The beauty of the pumpkin spice recipe is that you can make it to your taste and reduce any flavors that you might not like or may allergic to.
And if you don’t have all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute it by using any of the ingredients below. You won’t get the full effect of the pumpkin spice recipe, but you’ll get pretty close.
Pumpkin Spice Ingredients
Cinnamon- This is the most important spice in the pumpkin spice blend and the recipe won’t be the same without it. In my opinion, cinnamon is the foundation for this pumpkin pie spice mixture.
Ginger- Ginger is a root but it is one of the ingredients for pumpkin spice. It has a lot of health benefits and it’s also great for curries, if you like making them. Ground ginger is readily available on Amazon.
Nutmeg- This has a very distinctive flavor. You can buy it whole and and ground it as needed, or you can buy powdered nutmeg on Amazon.
Cloves– this is a versatile spice that can be used to season pot roasts, add flavor to hot beverages and bring spicy warmth to cookies and cakes.
Allspice- This is a spice made from the dried berries of a plant known as pimento. It’s not a very common pantry item but once you have it, you can make a realistic pumpkin spice blend that tastes just like the real thing.
You might be wondering if allspice is the same as pumpkin spice. It is not the same, but it does add the distinctive flavor that pumpkin pie spice has.
If you don’t have allspice, you might wonder ‘what is a substitute for allspice?’
DIY Pumpkin Spice Recipe
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Mix these spices together in a small bowl and store the mixture in a clean small jar or a small container.
Now that you have a batch of homemade pumpkin pie spice, you can check out these pumpkin recipes.
To fully get ready for fall pumpkin recipes, ensure you make a batch of DIY pumpkin puree.