Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe - Live Well Bake Often (2024)

FAQs

What spice is in pumpkin spice often? ›

It is generally a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice.

Pumpkin spice (a.k.a. pumpkin pie spice) is an aromatic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Sometimes allspice is included. You can buy the spice blend at the store or use ingredients you already have on hand to make DIY pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin pie spice is the same as pumpkin spice, just under different labeling. These two are interchangeable and feature the same base ingredients. The ratio of the ingredients may vary slightly from brand to brand.

To get 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have! If you have two of the above spices, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of whichever two spices you do have.

The major and common ingredient in pumpkin spice lattes include: cinnamic aldehydes for cinnamon, eugenol for clove or allspice, terpenes such as sabinene for nutmeg, and zingiberene for ginger. They may also contain vanillin and cyclotene for the burnt butter or maple notes to round off the flavor.

The spices in pumpkin spice have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help to reduce chronic inflammation. Boosts the immune system: Some of the spices in pumpkin spice, such as ginger and cloves, have immune-boosting properties. This means that they may help to protect your body from infection.

Typically, cinnamon makes up most of the spice ratio in pumpkin pie seasoning, making it a great substitute for plain cinnamon, especially if you're making sweets and baked goods. You can use pumpkin pie seasoning as a 1:1 replacement for cinnamon in recipes like cookies, cakes, and breads.

The pumpkin spice flavour profile has been around for centuries. The earliest-known “pumpkin spice” reference dates back to a British recipe from 1675 with pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Other recipes also contain ginger and/or all spice. The blend is used to flavour pumpkin pie, which is how it got its name.

From its antioxidant-rich components to its anti-inflammatory properties, pumpkin spice can contribute to overall well-being. Whether sprinkled into oatmeal, blended into smoothies, or added to savory dishes, this aromatic blend of spices has the potential to enhance your health and elevate your culinary experiences.

What makes pumpkin pie gritty? ›

As the egg proteins are heated, they begin to contract. Cook them hot enough, and they'll contract so much that they separate from each other into curds, giving your pie filling that grainy, wet texture. This recipe contains cream cheese in order to help the pie stay nice and smooth even if it's slightly overcooked.

Since it contains nutmeg and other similar spices, you can easily replace nutmeg with pumpkin pie spice in equal quantities in most recipes. Pumpkin pie spice is a spice blend made with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. It has a similar taste to that of nutmeg and can be swapped in at a 1:1 ratio.

Pumpkin pie spice usually contains allspice in combination with other warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You can use it in place of allspice in baked goods, or mix pumpkin pie spice with ground black pepper for savory recipes: Use this combo in chili, stew, or rubs that call for allspice.

If you have apple pie spice on hand, you're in luck. "If you have apple pie spice, use it in place of pumpkin pie spice, as they contain the same ingredients, except apple pie spice has a little cardamom," he explains, adding that cardamom tends to balance the tart of apples.

According to her, the company's pumpkin spice drinks taste different for two reasons—the syrup now contains "real pumpkin ingredient" and the syrup bottles' pumps have changed. "Apparently it's not the same, like, full pumps, so you're getting technically less [syrup]," Maria said.

Smell and Association

Those notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger trigger deeply rooted cozy memories of autumn. “Pumpkin spice aromas emerge in the fall in shops and cafes, coinciding with the arrival of colorful leaves, family gatherings, and back-to-school bustle.

It makes sense that allspice is often mistaken for a blend like Chinese five-spice or pumpkin spice—because the flavor profile is multidimensional, featuring notes of cloves, nutmeg, star anise, fennel, black pepper, and cinnamon. It's warming, with a peppery and savory backbone, says Schiff.

Allspice is the dried, unripened berry of the myrtle pepper tree, or pimento, which is native to Jamaica and much of Central America. The berries are briefly fermented, then sun-dried until brown. Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor.