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    Home » Recipes » Dips, Sauces, Spreads, and Spices

    Make Your Own Pie Spices (Apple + Pumpkin)

    Published: Sep 16, 2016 · Modified: Sep 15, 2023 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    It's SO easy to make your own pie spices - both apple pie spice and pumpkin pie spice. The two mixes use almost the same spices (ones that are probably in your cabinet right now), and simplify the steps in your baking recipes. There's no need to buy premade pie spices again!

    Jars and lids of pumpkin pie spice (left) and apple pie spice (right).

    Today's post is something simple, something useful, and something maybe even a little...basic. I'm going to roll with it and own it, because apple pie spice and pumpkin pie spice are two spice blends that have made their way to the front row of my spice shelf.

    They cut down on all the scooping/measuring/repeating that comes along with adding each individual spice to a recipe, and are at the ready for adding new flavors to all kinds of cookies, cakes, muffins, and more.

    Plus, mix them up in little jars, slap a label on them, and they're ready to roll for fall gifting. What's easier than that?

    You'll find numerous variations on homemade apple pie and pumpkin pie spices out there, but I'm partial to the ratios of individual spices used here. Of course, feel free to tweak the ratios to fit your tastes if you know you're not the biggest fan of cloves, ginger, etc.

    Apple Pie Spice vs. Pumpkin Pie Spice

    Both feature warm and cozy flavors, so what's the difference?

    Apple pie and pumpkin pie spice blends share three spices in common: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

    From there, apple pie spice adds cardamom. Cardamom brings a pungent herbal and fruity note, and is popular in Scandinavian baking recipes.

    On the other hand pumpkin pie spice is rounded out with ground ginger and cloves. Ginger is a must in sweet canned pumpkin recipes, while cloves provide a punchy, sweet and spicy flavor.

    Apple Pie Spice

    Apple pie spices in piles on a cake stand.

    Of the four individual apple pie spices, cinnamon has the biggest piece of the pie (jokes!), with nutmeg coming in a distant second. Reason being is that nutmeg can be unforgiving, in that one pinch too much dominates the flavor in a baked good.

    Allspice is a fairly common baking spice, but a note about the cardamom. It will be the most expensive baking spice featured in either of these two pie spices, but keep your eye out for a sale. I resisted buying it for a long time but took the plunge when I happened upon a big sale. I'm glad I did! It really adds something special to apple recipes, especially crockpot apple pie filling and puff pastry apple turnovers.

    Pumpkin Pie Spice

    Pumpkin pie spices in piles on a cake stand.

    My pumpkin pie spice uses five ground spices - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Pumpkin pie spice gets a big burst of ginger, which is a mainstay in pumpkin pie and other pumpkin baked goods. I love the taste of ginger so there's a fair amount in here, but if you're less of a fan, you can decrease the quantity by one half or one whole teaspoon.

    Pumpkin pie spice also has cloves, which give it a warm and distinctive touch. Ground cloves do have a strong flavor and could potentially become overpowering, so I'd suggest not overdoing it on those.

    Recipes to Use Pie Spices

    Now comes the fun part - putting them to use! Here are some recipes that call for either apple or pumpkin pie spice.

    Pumpkin Spice Butter

    Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

    Pumpkin Bread with Maple Syrup

    Pumpkin Brownies

    Apple Pie Donuts by Maebells

    Cinnamon Apple Pie Granola by No Spoon Necessary

    Caramel Apple Pie Bars by Life Made Sweeter

    Candied Nut Cranberry-Apple Snack Mix by Whole and Heavenly Oven

    Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes by Live Well Bake Often

    Pumpkin Spice Latte Blondies by The Recipe Rebel

    Pumpkin Pie Cheesecakes with Bourbon Whipped Cream and Salted Caramel by Floating Kitchen

    If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!

    Ground spices and cinnamon sticks on a cake stand.

    Make Your Own Pie Spices (Apple + Pumpkin)

    It’s SO easy to make your own pie spices – both apple pie spice and pumpkin pie spice. The two mixes use almost the same spices (ones that are probably in your cabinet right now), and simplify the steps in your baking recipes. There’s no need to buy pre-made pie spices again!
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    Course: Spice Mixes
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    For the Apple Pie Spice:

    • 3 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

    For the Pumpkin Pie Spice:

    • 3 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
    • 2 ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 2 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cloves
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    Instructions

    • For either the apple or pumpkin pie spices, mix spices together in jar(s). Enjoy!
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
    « (Mostly) Slow Cooker Apple Pie
    Rosemary and Italian Sausage Tomato Sauce »
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    Comments

    1. Kelly says

      September 21, 2016 at 6:31 am

      Love these cozy homemade spices! So fun and perfect for fall! Thanks so much for including me too, Alyssa!! 🙂

      Reply
    2. marcie says

      September 18, 2016 at 10:28 pm

      I love making my own spice blends and have one coming out later this week! It's so nice being able to customize the spices just the way you want them -- these are perfect to have around to use all autumn long!

      Reply
    3. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

      September 17, 2016 at 8:21 am

      Great post! Making your own pie spices is where it's at! So easy and I love that you can customize them to your taste! Thank you so much for including my cinnamon apple pie granola! Cheers!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        September 17, 2016 at 9:36 pm

        I agree!! And for sure - it looks amazing. 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi! I’m Alyssa and welcome to my food blog. Here you can find a variety of food and drink recipes, running the gamut from better-for-you main dishes to holiday fare, and from lighter bites to some serious desserts. All with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure, too. ♥ Learn more →

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