Freshly Ground Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

Once a flavor mixture that was reserved for a specific time of year, these days pumpkin pie spice can be found year-round and everywhere. Delicious and fragrant, this USA-created spice blend is no longer used solely for flavoring pumpkin pies during Fall; it's much-loved taste can be found in everything from cookies, to pretzels, breakfast cereals, and even yogurt. Popularized by Starbucks through the introduction of its cult-classic pumpkin spice latte, this spice blend is now a kitchen cupboard staple for any family or food enthusiast and can be found in most supermarkets. But have you ever considered making your own?

This delicious and popular spice blend is usually comprised of a few relatively easy-to-come-by spices, and this version created by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye uses cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ground ginger. To create a spice mix with even more flavor and vibrancy, the spices are bought whole and then ground together for freshness. This small extra step only takes minutes but results in a much more potent spice blend, and is well worth the effort. 

To make this freshly ground pumpkin pie spice, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will need cassia bark, whole nutmeg, allspice berries, cloves, and ground ginger.

If you are unable to source cassia bark, Ceylon cinnamon quills can also be used for this recipe, but will produce a more mild, delicate flavor for your pumpkin pie spice blend. Although Ceylon cinnamon is considered to be "true" cinnamon, cassia cinnamon is the spice responsible for the cinnamon flavor that most of us know and love. It has more of a kick to it, and is the taste we most often associate with cinnamon rolls or cinnamon candies, and that is why this recipe favors cassia bark to create that classic Fall flavor.

There are competing methods for grinding whole spices; some people swear by using a mortar and pestle, believing that it is the best way to create spice mixes. However, for convenience's sake (and to save our arms from aching) we think that a spice grinder is a great, compact piece of equipment to own if you have the space. You can also use a coffee grinder for this purpose, just make sure to clean it out throughly afterwards unless you particularly enjoy your coffee flavored with pumpkin pie spice!

To create this freshly ground pumpkin pie spice blend place the cassia bark, the nutmeg, the allspice berries, and the cloves into the grinding compartment. Place the lid on and then press the button, and allow the machine to work its magic. Stop when the spices have been ground to a fine powder; depending on your machine, this should take between 15 to 30 seconds.

No true pumpkin spice blend is complete without ginger, so to finish off this mixture, transfer the newly ground spice powder to a small bowl. Add the ground ginger to the bowl, and then mix the ingredients together until the ginger is thoroughly combined.

Once your freshly ground pumpkin pie spice blend is complete, you can use it straight away or transfer it to an airtight container ready for use. It's important to store spices correctly to help them maintain their quality and freshness, and you'll want to use your blend before long to enjoy it at its absolute best. Make sure to store this pumpkin pie spice blend in a glass container away from sunlight.