Skip to main content

Embrace your inner basic bro: Learn how to make your own pumpkin spice

You don't have to deny It anymore — pumpkin spice is delicious

Look, no one’s proud of it. It’s something that’s associated with teenage girls and Ugg boots, or middle aged moms and Hobby Lobby. This time of year, every “Karen” in the country is walking around singing its praises and decorating every nook and cranny of her home accordingly with plastic gourds and faux foliage. But the sad truth is, pumpkin spice is delicious.

It just is, and there’s nothing we can do about it. So we say, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Throw on some flannel and embrace your inner basic bro. Stand up and declare your passion for pumpkin spice proudly. And we daresay, take it a step further by making your own blend at home. Because this time of year, adding this easy-to-make spice blend to just about anything will put you in a leaf-jumping, apple-picking, hay-riding kind of mood. And we’re here for it.

Just about every food and drink brand has hopped on the pumpkin spice bandwagon in the last few years. Of course, the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is the leader of the pack, selling millions of the popular drink every autumn. Brands like Nespresso and Swiss Miss have also cashed in on the trend. Our favorites are the more unusual pairings — Pumpkin Spice Oreos, anyone? Or how about cracking open a cold Pumpkin Spice Hard Seltzer courtesy of Bud Light? No matter how far these brands might be reaching, there seem to be customers who just can’t get enough of this popular spice in their favorite foods and drinks.

The good news is, with this simple recipe, you, too, will be able to give anything you desire a pumpkin spice kick. Simply sprinkle bit to your coffee beans for a bit of fall flavor in your brew. Dust a little on toast or pancakes on those chilly fall mornings. Add a bit to your vanilla milkshake if you’re still in the summer heat and just can’t wait for fall to start! And of course, use it in all of your favorite pumpkin spice recipes, like pies and cakes.

Pumpkin spice recipe

Ground cinnamon spice.
Pexels

This recipe is ridiculously easy to make. No cooking required — just mix a few things you probably already have in the cupboard, and bam. Homemade pumpkin spice. Pro tip: Make a big batch, find some cute jars, and give them away as gifts. Your charm meter just skyrocketed.

Maybe make a few extras, tag them with your number, and hand them out in front of Starbucks? Sounds like a brilliant plan to us.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:

  1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Store in a tightly sealed jar.

That’s it! Now you’re ready to put pumpkin spice on… well, just about anything!

Editors' Recommendations

Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
How to start your own home bar: the essential spirits
Home Bar

When you start getting into cocktails, drinking them is only half the fun -- making them is part of the appeal too. If you start making your own drinks at home, you'll soon find that you can often create better or more interesting drinks than what you're served in most bars. And even better, making drinks for other people is a great way to try out new combinations, learn about spirits, and make your friends and family happy too.

However, moving beyond the simple spirit plus mixer style of drinks which most people make at home and into the world of cocktails means that you'll need a wider array of spirits on hand than you might be used to. It can take some time and research to build up a well stocked bar, and choosing high quality spirits isn't a cheap endeavor. It's worth it, though, for the pleasure of being able to try out classic cocktail recipes and experiment with making up your own creations too.

Read more
The grasshopper drink is a retro blast from the past — this is how to make it
You'll want to make this boozy, minty cocktail
grasshopper cocktail

To quote Jonathan Swift, “Everything old is new again.” This is true when it comes to fashion from the 90s, vinyl records, and, of course, cocktails. While we love a great contemporary cocktail (like the Penicillin), nothing beats the classics.

We enjoy sipping a well-made Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Margarita, or Mojito early and often. But sometimes, we want to imbibe a classic drink that doesn’t get as much acclaim as the aforementioned mixed drinks. Today, it’s the beloved Grasshopper’s turn.
What is a Grasshopper?

Read more
How to make a buttery hollandaise sauce like a professional chef
Here's everything you need to know about this mother sauce
Eggs Benedict from Hash Kitchen

As Chef Joey Maggiore of the Arizona Brunch restaurant chain Hash Kitchen said, "Perfecting hollandaise is not necessarily the hardest, but it is a less forgiving sauce. You must pay attention to detail when making hollandaise so that you get the consistency and taste you need for the perfect sauce." Chef Maggiore couldn't be more spot on. Hollandaise is one of the five mother sauces, meaning, it's the base sauce for other, more complex sauces like béarnaise, choron, and maltaise sauces.

Before the technological age of blenders, the old-school method of making the perfect hollandaise sauce took some practice. But now, with technology, there are more foolproof ways to make the mother sauce. We'll cover all those methods, plus give you some of Chef Maggiore's tips and tricks on how to make hollandaise sauce. Also, stick around until the end for an easy hollandaise sauce recipe.
Hollandaise sauce ingredients

Read more