Pumpkin Spice

PUMPKIN SPICE – a tasty blend of earthy flavors perfect for all your fall recipes or autumn festivities. A mix made with inexpensive ingredients you can easily find in your local farmer’s market. Enjoy the season with mild sweetness and a kick of deliciousness on any of your homemade dishes.

 

My friends recently asked me what dish to make to celebrate the start of fall. This is my common dilemma as a foodie. I can’t easily choose one from all the delicious dishes.

This is why I wanted to make pumpkin spice, the perfect mix to revamp any dish with the fall warmth. Pair your favorite dish with this homemade mix and give it just the right season’s feel.

What is Pumpkin Spice?

I love the fall season because of the cool crisp air, the longer nights, and the aroma of delicious dishes. A dish has a different hit when it’s seasonal, but what makes a meal perfect for autumn? Pumpkin spice!

The funny thing here is that people tend to think that it’s made of dried pumpkin! LOL! It got its name because it was originally intended to give the pumpkin pie additional flavor dimensions.

This was its main purpose for most of its early life. Its application diversified as people started to play around with the spice mixture which utterly led us to PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte). Its popularity during the fall season is mainly because of its relation to the pumpkin!

Pumpkin Spice Ingredients

Pumpkin spice or pumpkin pie spice is a mix of your favorite earthy flavors such as ginger, cinnamon, and, nutmeg. You can also taste a hint of cloves, and allspice. The mix creates the iconic taste profile perfect for autumn because of its finely blended warm flavors.

Ginger, Allspice, and Cloves

These three are intense spices popularly used for savory dishes to season meats or poultry. We consider allspice as an individual ingredient because of its unique taste profile although it is already a mixture of spices.

Cloves are extremely pungent with varying taste from sweet to hot. Ginger is a popular root used in many savory dishes and drinks such as this homemade ginger juice and notable for its zingy flavor.

Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Ahh! The smell of the holidays! The two ingredients provide the earthy and nutty flavors in our mixture while also giving a neutral sweetness. I just love the tandem of these two ingredients. Both flavors make it compatible with sweets and desserts.

How do I use Pumpkin Spice?

I know you’ve heard of Pumpkin Spices Latte (PSL) before and you’ve also loved it (I did too!). Then I wondered what other dishes can I make with this mix.  Here are some recipes you can use it on because it’s the season to pumpkin spice everything.

Try making first this Pumpkin Cake to celebrate the new season. The flavors of this mix will sure boost the moist cake itself while complimenting the sweet light creamy frosting.

You can also make Cinnamon Apple Cake which I highly recommend because of the cinnamon goodness from both recipes. You’ll be delighted how good the pumpkin spice blends with cake.

If you’re really into the season, you can make homemade eggnog with a hint of pumpkin spice. It’s not your regular PSL but it surely fits the holiday season and autumn chill.

And lastly, these Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes that would make your fall breakfast extra indulgent. (Full recipe coming up this Friday! So stay tuned.😉)

Storage Instructions

Pumpkin Spice will last for about 2 to 3 years when stored correctly away from moisture. All of the ingredients in our recipe are dried which helps its preservation. It would likely last that long because of the low moisture in its container.

Simply place it in an airtight container or a zip lock bag and keep it in a dry place. I suggest placing it at room temperature as cold air tends to have more moisture.

Spices and Mixes You Should Try

• Creole Cajun Seasoning
• Blackened Seasoning
• Sazon Seasoning
• Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

How to Make Pumpkin Spice

You might be tempted to just buy a pack of pumpkin spice in the market but hold your horses. Those pre-packed spice mix might contain different additives that might not be good for you. I suggest making your own! It’s easy and affordable, and anyone can do it!

Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl or jar and stir the flavors all together. You’ll know it’s ready when you see it all blended together without separation. The color should be a shade of dark pumpkin orange with a little brownish tone depending on your ingredients.