I love it most in pumpkin cookies, pumpkin snickerdoodles, & pumpkin cake! Ah, pumpkin spice season. Pumpkin spice has gone from an occasional ingredient used primarily in Thanksgiving pumpkin pies to becoming the unofficial flavor of autumn. August rolls around and the grocery store shelves are suddenly lined with pumpkin spice-flavored everything. Whether or not you’re into pumpkin spice-flavored cereal or hummus, pumpkin pie spice is a great ingredient to have in your kitchen for fall baking.
Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice
While you can buy the pre-made stuff from the grocery store, it’s super easy—and more cost-effective—to whisk up a batch of pumpkin pie spice at home. And stored in a little jar topped with one of these cute labels, this spice blend makes a great gift! Everyone has loved it in my popular brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies.
Ingredients You Need for Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend that’s usually made up of 4–5 different ground spices. Another thing to love about making your own blend: you’re in control of the mixture, so if you really like a certain spice, you can add more, or if you don’t like one, you can use less or even leave it out. Unlike many other homemade and store-bought versions, I also add a pinch of my secret ingredient, the same one I use in my pumpkin pie. Each of these spices adds a warming flavor to foods, and mixed together in the right proportions, they’re as cozy as your favorite fuzzy slippers. This sounds weird, but I always add a touch of freshly ground black pepper to my pumpkin pie filling. I got this tip from the genius kitchen crew over at King Arthur Baking and I am forever grateful. No one will even know it’s there except for you! And they will all be wondering what makes your pumpkin-spiced treats so much better than any they’ve tried before. Just a little pinch: The directions are very straightforward: simply measure and whisk together all the different spices, and store in an airtight container. I can hardly call this a recipe!
My Top Success Tip
Or should I call it my top PSA (pumpkin spice announcement)? Before you start, make sure to check the freshness of your ground spices. Check the expiration dates, and give them all a good sniff—spices lose their potency over time and if they’re not adding flavor to your food, then you’re basically just adding dust to it!
How Long Can I Store Pumpkin Pie Spice?
This homemade pumpkin pie spice mixture will last in a tightly sealed container until the individual spices’ expiration dates, which is typically 1–2 years. Buy them all at once to ensure equal freshness and store in a dry place at room temperature, like in a cupboard, pantry, or drawer.
Uses for Your Pumpkin Pie Spice
This spice blend is wonderful on anything you might typically top with cinnamon, like your coffee or oatmeal. Stir a pinch into yogurt or mix with a bit of sugar and turn basic cinnamon toast into something a little more fall-flavorful! **Click this link for the PDF: Sally’s Baking Recipes Pumpkin Pie Spice Labels Directions: Print out the labels on sticker adhesive paper, then cut out the circles. Peel off the labels and stick on your jars. The labels are obviously optional, but they’re a nice addition if you plan to gift the pumpkin spice to others. (Note that you’ll have a crease in the round sticker if the side of your jar isn’t perfectly flat. Looks great on the flat lid, though.)
The pictured 3 ounce jars with swing tops are no longer available, but here is a similar set. It conveniently includes a funnel and labels, too! And here is a set that doesn’t have colors. The jar with the wooden lid that you see in my photos is no longer available, but here is basically the same spice jar set. I love them. It’s really easy to fit a teaspoon in there! Optional: a small funnel is helpful for pouring the spice mix into the jars.
I love adding 1 and 1/2 teaspoons to my sugar cookies dough (in the step when you add the baking powder) and 1/2 teaspoon to cream cheese frosting. It’s also fantastic with homemade honey butter to enjoy atop all your favorite fall treats. And you can use today’s homemade blend as a 1:1 substitution in any recipe that calls for pumpkin pie spice. If a recipe calls for ground cinnamon AND some or all of the other spices used in this mixture, you can total the amount and use this pumpkin pie spice instead. For example, my pumpkin bread uses 2 and 3/4 teaspoons total of spices, so you can use 2 and 3/4 teaspoons of today’s spice. Here are just some of my recipes that use it:
Pumpkin Cookies & Pumpkin Muffins (both pictured above) Mini Pumpkin Pies Pumpkin Bars Homemade Pumpkin Roll Pumpkin Scones (seen in video below) Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies & Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins Pumpkin Cupcakes & Pumpkin Cake Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins Pumpkin Granola Pumpkin Waffles or Pumpkin Pancakes Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie Pumpkin Coffee Creamer
