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Glass jar of homemade pumpkin spice with a wooden spoon, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and cloves.
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Homemade Pumpkin Spice

A cinnamon-led blend of five ground spices for baking, oatmeal, and warm drinks. Learn how to make your own pumpkin spice in five minutes, with clear batch sizes and storage notes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 15 teaspoons
Course: Seasoning
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Equipment

  • US measuring spoons
  • Small dry mixing bowl
  • Whisk or fork
  • Clean, completely dry airtight jar, about 4 fluid ounces capacity
  • Small funnel, optional

Method
 

  1. Check the spices and dry the equipment Use fragrant ground spices. Make sure the mixing bowl, measuring spoons, storage jar, and inside of the lid are completely dry.
  2. Measure Measure 3 level tablespoons cinnamon into the bowl, then add the ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in their listed teaspoon amounts. Do not pack the spices into the spoons.
  3. Whisk evenly Break up small dry clumps with the back of a spoon, then whisk slowly until the mixture has an even color. Scrape the bottom and sides so no pockets of ginger or other spices remain.
  4. Transfer and label Spoon into an airtight jar, leaving room for a gentle shake. A jar with about 4 fluid ounces of capacity is a practical size. Label with the blend name, all five ingredients, mixing date, and earliest best-before date from the starting spices. Shake the closed jar before measuring; use the amount of dry pumpkin pie spice specified in the recipe you are making.

Notes

Yield and timing: About 5 tablespoons, or 15 teaspoons; prep 5 minutes, no cooking. The 15-teaspoon yield describes measuring units, not meal servings. All quantities use level US measuring spoons.
Substitution: Use the same measured amount when a recipe calls for dry pumpkin pie spice, allowing for flavor differences between blends. If that recipe also lists extra cinnamon, retain the extra cinnamon. Sally's Baking explains this substitution. Do not replace pumpkin purée, canned pie filling, syrup, or a sweetened drink mix with this dry blend.
Gentler cloves: For a future batch, reduce cloves to 1/2 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. If omitting either allspice or cloves, the yield becomes about 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. These adjustments change the flavor; they are not separately kitchen-tested versions.
Batch sizes: Half batch: 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon each ginger and nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves. Double batch: 6 tablespoons cinnamon, 4 teaspoons each ginger and nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons each allspice and cloves.
Storage: Store tightly closed in a cool, dry cupboard away from heat, light, and steam; use a dry spoon. Mixing old spices does not renew their flavor. Aim to use the small batch within 3–6 months for good flavor, sooner if the starting spices are old. This is a quality target, not a tested expiration date; UF/IFAS recommends replacing opened spices after about six months for best quality. Discard a damp, moldy, infested, or otherwise contaminated blend.
Using the blend: Start with about 1/8 teaspoon in a bowl of cooked oatmeal or 3/4–1 cup plain yogurt, then taste and adjust. Ground spices can leave particles in drinks. Keep fresh ginger, pumpkin, liquid vanilla, and sweeteners out of the dry storage jar.