Pumpkin Pie Spice

Use 3 teaspoons in a 9-inch pumpkin pie, or 1 to 2 tsp. in a batch of cookies, muffins, bread, or pumpkin rolls. Whisk ¼ tsp. into your coffee grounds before brewing, or into whipped cream along with the sugar, which is the fastest way to make a store-bought pie taste homemade. Then keep going: it is lovely on roasted squash and sweet potatoes, and a spoonful in chili adds a warmth nobody can quite place.

This spice blend is at the heart of one of my most beloved recipes, Grandma Menard’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. A classier version of the original, light and fluffed with egg whites, finished with a cloud of whipped cream dolloped atop. It’s a pie as beautiful as she was. For an extra touch, add a dash of ground ginger to the graham cracker crust and top the pie with pieces of crystallized ginger. Every time I make it, I’m reminded of holidays growing up and the way one slice could quiet a whole room.

Every fall we ship this blend to brewers who put it straight into the tank. Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora has built their Pumpkin Spice Bligh's Barleywine on it for years, Timberyard in East Brookfield uses it in their Spider Gates pumpkin brown ale alongside pumpkins from a farm down the road, and Launch Pad ages a pumpkin old ale with it in whiskey barrels for six months. A brewery cannot afford an inconsistent spice, and that is the same jar we sell you.

Pumpkin spice is about four hundred years older than the trend. It traces back to "speculaaskruiden," a Dutch blend from the 1600s, and turned up in the first known American cookbook in 1796, where Amelia Simmons called for mace, nutmeg, and ginger in a pumpkin pie. For more, go Behind the Seasoning: Pumpkin Pie Spice.

What is in Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Ours combines two kinds of cinnamon, Saigon and Indonesian, with ginger, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and cloves. Most of those warm baking spices also appear in our Baking Spice. The cloves are what give pumpkin pie spice its signature flavor and set it apart.

Is there pumpkin in pumpkin pie spice?

No. There is no pumpkin in it and no sugar either. The name describes where the blend is used, not what is in it, because these warm spices pair so naturally with pumpkin that the two became inseparable.

Is pumpkin pie spice the same as pumpkin spice?

Yes. The two names describe the same blend and are used interchangeably.

How much Pumpkin Pie Spice do I use for pumpkin pie?

Add about 3 tsp. per 9-inch pumpkin pie. For cookies, muffins, or quick breads, start with 1 to 2 tsp. per batch.

What can I substitute for Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Our Baking Spice gets you closest, since it shares most of the same spices. Add a pinch of ground cloves and you have a working substitute.

Is pumpkin pie spice sweet?

It smells sweet but contains no sugar at all, which is why it works in savory cooking as well as baking. A half teaspoon in a pot of chili or tossed with roasted squash adds warmth without making anything taste like dessert.

What else can I use it for?

Whisk 1/4 tsp. into your coffee grounds before brewing for a pumpkin spice latte at home, or into whipped cream along with the sugar. Add it to waffle or pancake batter for a fall breakfast, or toss it with toasted pecans, butter, and sugar for candied nuts. It is also excellent on roasted sweet potatoes and carrots.

What is the difference between Oktoberfest and pumpkin beer?

The traditional beer of Oktoberfest is Marzen, a German lager with no pumpkin or spice in it. Pumpkin beer is typically brewed with both real pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, and several breweries use ours. More on that in Behind the Seasoning: Pumpkin Pie Spice.