Do you love pumpkin spice? Make your own pumpkin spice at home and cozy up with this special blend of autumnal aromatic spices.

What is Pumpkin Spice?

It’s a combination of warm, aromatic spices, most commonly:

1. cinnamon
2. ginger
3. nutmeg
4. cloves

Traditionally, the spice blend is paired with pumpkin puree and used in culinary applications from coffee drinks to muffins to breads and more!

What Does Pumpkin Spice Taste Like?

The combination of spices evokes a sweet and warm aroma perfect for cooler weather. Cinnamon is the dominant flavor and it’s accentuated with a bit of spice from the ginger and subtle fragrant and earthiness from the nutmeg and cloves.

Why Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice?

1.) Availability: the window for pumpkin spice is small and sometimes, truth be told, it’s not easy to find it in all stores. Making your own means you’re not limited and restricted to availability. Plus, if you ever get a pumpkin spice craving in June (ahem…I have, lol!) then you don’t have to wait to enjoy an iced pumpkin spice latte or a pumpkin milkshake.

2.) Customizable: ever had a pumpkin spice blend that was too clove-heavy? Or with not enough cinnamon? Or with extra spices that you don’t like or that you’re allergic to? Making your own pumpkin spice means that you can customize it according to your personal tastebuds and dietary needs.

What Can I Do with Pumpkin Spice?

The possibilities are literally endless but here are a few ideas:

1. lattes and coffee drinks
2. milkshakes
3. smoothies
4. granola
5. yogurt parfaits
6. muffins
7. pies
8. cupcakes
9. soups
10. ….and more

Pumpkin Spice Abroad from an Experienced Expat

I’ve lived all over the world and experienced the culture shock of not having some of the same American comforts abroad. Some of them I learned to live without while other things, I just did some research and planning, and rolled up my sleeves and got in the kitchen to “figure out a way” to recreate some of the nostalgic foods that I craved.

Living in Turkey, I found a way to prepare not only many American foods (including soul food) but also many German dishes (both of which were challenging because they both traditional use pork products and I lived in countries where pork was not permissible. But even still, I learned how to prepare the dishes using other meats or completely vegan or vegetarian versions.

DIY Pumpkin Spice is a much easier approach to this. Domestically or abroad, these four spices, are pretty easy to find. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves are the warm spices that I use to create my DIY pumpkin spice. Some variations will also include a bit of cardamom, lemon peel, black pepper or other aromatic spices but essentially, these four core spices are what you need to replicate the pumpkin spice aroma, taste and look that we all know and love.

 

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