Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend

posted by Megan on Oct 12, 2022 0 comments »

A dash of black pepper makes this pumpkin pie spice blend extra special, making it perfect for the best fall flavored baked goods!

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Yes, black pepper!

All the traditional elements in pumpkin pie spice are hot and spicy by nature. It doesn’t seem that way when you take a bite of pie, though. When the pie (or any baked good) spends time in the oven, the spice mix is mellowed a bit. Mostly from being diluted in the filling, but also from the heat. Adding the fresh black pepper preserves the bold flavor and freshness in those spices, even right out of the oven!

Use fresh spices

When making this blend ahead of time in bulk, be sure to use fresh spices. If the bottles in your pantry have been there for awhile and you can’t remember when you bought them, get new ones.

If this is on the fly, it doesn’t matter since you won’t be storing it long term!

How to substitute

A good rule of thumb is that in most baked recipes, you can safely substitute pumpkin pie spice blend as a 1:1 replacement for the measurement of cinnamon. When you sub in the pumpkin pie spice, make sure to omit the other spices in the recipe, apart from the salt (i.e. nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc.)

If you’re missing one or more spices…

Then you can just make do with what you have! As long as you have cinnamon and black pepper, you can make an abbreviated version of this pumpkin pie spice blend. While your baked good will taste just slightly different, the result will still be delicious.

To make 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, combine 3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon with 1/4 tsp of ginger, nutmeg, cloves or allspice. Add a grind or pinch of black pepper.

If you have a couple of spices in addition to cinnamon, decrease the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp, and add 1/4 tsp each of the other two spices you have on hand. Add a grind or pinch of black pepper.

What if I don’t have cinnamon?

It happens! Divide the required measurement of pumpkin pie spice blend in half, and substitute with either ginger or allspice, or a mix of both. So if the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, add 1/2 tablespoon of either ginger or allspice or a mix of both. As long as the mix adds up to the 1/2 tablespoon (or whatever measurement you need.)