Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend

After years of measuring out each individual spice every time I made maple pumpkin pie, I decided enough was enough! It was time to put together my own homemade pumpkin spice blend to make my life a little easier.

All the familiar ingredients are here, the ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice that give a gluten free pumpkin pie its quintessential flavor. But did you know you can use this spice blend in other bakes besides from scratch pumpkin pie? It adds delightful flavor to maple pumpkin muffins, oat flour pumpkin bread, and so much more. You can even stir it into a gluten free apple pie at Thanksgiving for an extra boost of fall flavor.

Just dump the individual spices into a bowl, whisk them together, and use! Stored in an airtight container, this pumpkin spice blend will keep in the pantry - if it doesn't get used up first.

Why You'll Love Making Pumpkin Spice Blend

Quick and easy, just as easy as grabbing a jar of spice mix at the store, this homemade pumpkin spice mix is:

• Economical. If you have spices, you can make homemade pumpkin spice blend! In five minutes or less you'll save the money it takes to purchase a bottle of premade mix.
• Adjustable. You can double or triple the recipe if you know you'll want a lot of mix, or even play around a bit with the type of spices.
• So versatile. Think beyond pie to cake, scones, muffins and more! You can even add a little sprinkle to your morning cup of coffee or latte for a bit of fall flavor.

Recipe Ingredients

Here's a look at what this mix needs to make. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Cinnamon - The warm, sweet base of the blend. I use ground cinnamon.
• Ginger - Adds a little spicy warmth and brightness.
• Nutmeg - Brings that distinctive warm, slightly nutty flavor we associate with classic pumpkin spice.
• Allspice - Adds depth with its warm, peppery flavor. Despite its name, allspice is a single spice, not a combination of spices.
• Cloves - A little goes a long way! Ground cloves add a bold, aromatic note that rounds out the blend.

Tips for Making Pumpkin Spice Blend

• Use fresh spices. Since this recipe is all about the flavor of the individual spices, make sure your ground spices are fresh and fragrant. Older spices can taste flat or dusty. Spices should be discarded within a year of purchase!
• Adjust the blend to taste. Prefer more cinnamon or a little less clove? Feel free to tweak the proportions to suit your taste.
• Spice substitutions. I am huge fan of cardamom and love to add it into this blend. Sometimes I'll substitute the ginger completely for cardamom, or use 1 tablespoon of ginger and 1 tablespoon of cardamom. You can experiment with other spice proportions as well. Sometimes I'll add a big pinch of ground black pepper!
• Make a bigger batch. This recipe is easy to double or triple, especially during pumpkin season when you'll likely be using it often.
• Label the jar. Add the date and the name of the blend to your jar so you know what you've made and when.
• Store it properly. Keep your pumpkin spice blend in an airtight jar or container in a cool, dry pantry. For the best flavor, use it within one year.

How to Use Pumpkin Spice Blend

Homemade spice blend is first and foremost meant to be used in pumpkin pie! But it is lovely in many of my other fall-forward bakes, including:

• Quick breads - Like gluten free pumpkin bread and gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
• Muffins & scones & breakfast stuff - Gluten free pumpkin scones will benefit from this spice mix, as will gluten free pumpkin muffins, gluten free pumpkin mini muffins, and gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Also gluten free pumpkin pancakes!
• Cookies - Try this mix in my gluten free pumpkin cookies or gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or add it to gluten free pumpkin blondies.
• Cakes - Add extra flavor to a pumpkin olive oil cake, gluten free apple cake, gluten free pumpkin sheet cake, or gluten free pumpkin loaf cake.

How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend

Place the blend in an airtight container (my favorite is a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid) and store it in the pantry at room temperature for up to 1 year.