Pumpkin Spice MAKES Everything Nice!
The mix of spices that gives us the taste of Fall, but we can use year around
It’s fall and it’s Pumpkin Season! I love seeing the decorations everywhere, and the huge pumpkins at the grocery stores. The temperature drops, fresh air comes in the morning, and have the most beautiful sunsets in the evening. Fall is my favorite season!
Pumpkin everything is also one of the reasons I love fall. I used to be a “pumpkin fanatic” and buy anything pumpkin-flavored, ice cream being my absolute favorite! But I’m no longer getting misled by sugary foods with a tiny dash of spices and none of the pumpkin. Now I want more from my food, and making things at home is one way to have it just like I want it.
What is in the Pumpkin Spice blend? Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, mostly–there is a version without allspice and another with a pint of black pepper. Mix the right amount of each, and you’ll have fall in your hands.
You can buy it ready to use at any grocery store, you can find bulk options like this one on Amazon or make your own at home. Here is a recipe from the Allrecipes blog that I modified by adding allspice if you want to try it.
Pumpkin Spice
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice (my suggestion)
How to do it:
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, whisking thoroughly. Ground ginger tends to form clumps, so whisk it well to break them up.
Transfer the spice blend into an airtight jar of your choice.
Store the mixture at room temperature in a cool, dry spot, like a pantry, cupboard, or drawer.
This homemade pumpkin spice will stay fresh as long as the individual spices do, usually about 1–2 years if stored in a sealed container. For best results, check the expiration date of each spice.
Once you have your pumpkin spice, don’t save it only for the usual fall dishes, you can sprinkle this amazing brown powder in fruits like apples and pears, bringing a special taste to vegetable stew and even chicken and fish. Be daring!
Making our own pumpkin spice gives us the option to add more of what we like in it, making it more ‘picante’ or favoring cinnamon, but it’s of course optional.
Now, when it comes to the lattes, I had to work on creating my own PSL. I didn’t want any syrup, tons of sugar, condensed milk, and who knows what else goes in it. So, without looking online for directions, I brewed some coffee and went into full experiment lab mode.
A try at homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
What I wanted was a less-sweet version of the latte of the season. The last time I had the “original” one, the sugar spike was so high that I felt guilty finishing the whole drink, and we shouldn’t feel guilty about what we drink or eat.
My first try was a big fail!
Trying to make it “extra healthy” by adding pumpkin pure to it, I mixed 2 tbs (tablespoon) of pumpkin pure, 1/4 tsp (teaspoon) of pumpkin spice, and two 1/4 tsp of agave, and mixed them up. In the blender cup, I added 1/2 cup of coffee, 1 cup of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream (read the label to avoid the ones with high corn syrup), and the pumpkin pure mix. Hit the blender for 30 seconds or so and it was time to taste.
I have bad and good news.
The good news: the pumpkin pure didn’t give the drink an undesirable texture like I thought it would.
The bad news: it tasted just like coffee. There was no sign of the spices or pumpkin flavors whatsoever.
But did I give up? Oh no no! Today was another day and I still had coffee left over. So I tried again with a few changes. Spoiler alert: it worked! I did conquer a less sweet fall-tasting coffee drink. I will add a bit more of the spices next time just to make it resemble a PSL a bit more, but here it goes:
My very own PSL 🎃
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp of pumpkin spice
1 tsp of Laird (it’s a coconut-based coffee cream)
1 cup of brewed coffee
1 cup of coconut milk (the one we find with the milk, not the ones in cans)
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
Making it: put it all in a blender (I use Nutribullet) for 30 seconds and you have it!
It tasted like fall, it had the taste of the spices and was sweet enough for my liking. I don’t add sugar to my coffee, so last night’s try was too sweet with the agave and ice cream. If you like it sweet, add your sweetener to your liking.
Just one last thing: I can’t follow recipes! Every time I’m making something I adjust or modify it. Recipes for me are more like a guideline. Next time, I’ll probably use pumpkin ice cream instead of vanilla, or I might give Laird’s Pumpkin Spice Creamer a try. I’ll keep you posted on Notes. 😉
✨🔍
When I was writing for this piece I got curious about the spices, how are they cultivated, what the plants they come from look like, and of course their nutrition facts and health benefits. I went on and on, to even contemplate a trip to a cinnamon farm in Sri Lanka that offers a tour of their whole process. It would be too long and time-consuming to share it all here, so I invite you to feed your curiosity as it comes. I’ll leave just a starting point below.
Quick facts about the spices
1. Cinnamon
Place of origin: Sri Lanka.
Health Benefit: Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants, and may help with blood sugar control.
Fun Fact: In ancient Egypt, cinnamon was so highly prized that it was considered more valuable than gold! It was used in embalming processes and as a status symbol.
2. Ginger
Place of Origin: Southeast Asia, particularly India and China.
Health Benefit: Known for soothing digestive issues, the relief of mucus, and reducing inflammation.
Fun Fact: Ginger is actually a rhizome (an underground stem), not a root! It’s been used for over 5,000 years and was one of the first spices exported from Asia to Europe during the spice trade.
3. Nutmeg
Place of Origin: Banda Islands, Indonesia.
Health Benefit: Nutmeg supports digestion and can even help with sleep.
Fun Fact: In the 1600s, nutmeg was so precious that wars were fought over it! The Dutch and the British even signed treaties to control nutmeg-producing islands in Indonesia.
4. Cloves
Place of Origin: Maluku Islands, Indonesia.
Health Benefit: They’re antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and a powerful help with oral health. Try chewing one for an instant good breath kick.
Fun Fact: Ancient Chinese courtiers would chew cloves to freshen their breath before speaking to the emperor. Talk about respect!
5. Allspice
Place of Origin: Caribbean, especially Jamaica.
Health Benefit: Allspice aids digestion and is packed with eugenol, which has antiseptic properties.
Fun Fact: Despite its name, allspice is not a blend of spices. It’s one single berry from the pimento tree, but it smells like a mix of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, which is how it got its name.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading! 😊
This is Easy & Breezy, a newsletter that is curious about food and easy ways to incorporate good nutrition and healthy habits. Made with love by an amateur cook who likes to write and eat.
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