Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice (With Ratios)

Get the ratio of spice amounts needed to make the perfect pumpkin spice, no matter how much you want to make.

Video: Ratios For Pumpkin Spice

What’s In Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Let’s break down this mystery spice blend that is perfect for fall baking projects. There are four common spices that make the blend – cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Some people (me!) throw in a bit of ground cloves. And some people (not me!) add mace. That’s it.

Wait, Is There Pumpkin In Pumpkin Spice?

No. Pumpkin pie spice is the mix of spices that are often found in pumpkin pie, but there is no actual pumpkin or pumpkin flavor in pumpkin spice.

Why Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice?

You can absolutely buy pumpkin pie spice at the grocery store. Nobody will judge you. Promise. But I think it’s better to make your own. Why?

1. It’s all about customization. If you don’t like nutmeg (a lot of people don’t), you don’t have to put any in. If you’re in love with cinnamon, you can add extra. Go for it and give it a try.
2. The other reason to make your own pumpkin pie spice is that you can make a small quantity. That way, you can use up what you made and not have it sitting in your cupboard mixed and unused for ages. If you have an old jar of pumpkin pie spice in your pantry, chances are it has lost a lot of flavor. To have maximum flavor, use fresh spices. And just make a small batch so you use it up while it’s still fresh.
3. Or, maybe, you just realized that you’ve run out of pumpkin pie spice and instead of heading to the store, you’re pretty sure you have the ingredients to mix up a quick batch.

I’m giving you my favorite Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe below, but feel free to adjust to your liking, and to use the ratios that I’m giving you below to make as much as you’d like.

RATIO of Spices in Pumpkin Pie Spice

As mentioned, I’m giving you the ratio of spices so that you can make whatever sized batch you want. I’m also letting you know about what you can optionally leave in or out for your own personal taste.

The Basic Ratio For Pumpkin Pie Spice is:

• 16 parts cinnamon
• 8 parts ginger
• 4 parts allspice
• 2 parts nutmeg
• 1 part cloves
• 1 part mace

Put another way, that’s half as much ginger as cinnamon, and then half as much allspice as ginger, and then half as much nutmeg as allspice, and then half the amount of cloves/mace as nutmeg. For example, if you do 4 teaspoons of cinnamon, then you’ll do 2 teaspoons of ginger, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon of mace.

What Can You Leave Out Of Pumpkin Pie Spice?

I mean, since you’re making this yourself, you can leave out anything. However, I find that the cinnamon and ginger are pretty necessary. And in fact, they can stand alone as pumpkin pie spice. I have absolutely mixed up that ratio of cinnamon and ginger (like 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ginger) and used just that as a substitute for pumpkin spice when in a crunch and it worked fine.

What that really means is that you can adjust the rest of the ingredients to your own taste or to what you have in your pantry. So go in with the cinnamon and ginger, and then consider the allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and mace to all be optional.

In fact, I typically leave out the allspice. Why? Because I tend to not buy allspice because it tastes like a blend of the other ingredients anyhow.

If you leave something out, don’t bother adjusting the other items. It will taste great as long as you have that cinnamon and ginger in there.

Using Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

You can use this for any recipe that calls for pumpkin spice, or any recipe that calls for cinnamon and some or all of the other ingredients. For instance, this Pumpkin Pie recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in amounts that equal 3 teaspoons, so you could instead use the same amount of this pumpkin pie spice mix. You can also use it in this Pumpkin Pie Bars recipe.

It’s also great for pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. Try it in your pancake or waffle mix for great fall flavor, or even in your oatmeal. It’s also perfect for baked or Air Fryer Apples. I really have been loving Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate too!

This post originally appeared in November 2015 and was revised and republished in September 2024.