It's super easy to make your own apple pie spice blend. This easy-to-make apple pie spice substitute recipe is perfect for everything from apple pie to oatmeal cookies, homemade granola to muffins, and so much more!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
One of the best things about blending your own spice blends is that you can customize and personalize the individual spice ingredients to favor the flavors you like best. This Autumn warming spice blend is simply delightful on both sweet and savory dishes also!
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- What Is In Apple Pie Spice?
- Uses For Apple Pie Spices
- Apple Pie Spice Blend Ingredients
- How To Make An Apple Pie Spice Substitute
- Serving Suggestions
- Related Recipes
- Substitutions and Variations
- Equipment
- Storage and Reheating
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Food Safety
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- Connect with Smells Like Delish!
- 📖 Recipe
What Is In Apple Pie Spice?
Store bought Apple pie spice is a blend of the following spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. This blend of spices creates a complex warming spice combination that is popular in the Fall, and with both savory and sweet recipes.
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
Traditionally, this spice blend also uses ginger, cloves, and sometimes even a little cardamom. The blend varies by region of the world. I've included instructions on jazzing up this basic three spice blend to also include ginger and cloves also!
Uses For Apple Pie Spices
This substitute apple pie spice blend combines warm, sweet and earthy spices together to create a ready to use blend that's superior to store bought. Perfectly suited for so much more than pies, this apple pie spice mix recipe will enhance your favorite dishes and fill your home with enticing aromas.
There are so many additional ways to use this homemade Apple Pie Spice blend.
- Homemade apple pie spice is often fresher and has a more intense flavor than store bought.
- Jazz up your morning coffee with a sprinkle of this Apple Pie Spice blend.
- Use it in our Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate recipe.
- Perfect for our Puff Pastry Apple Roses.
- Use as a substitute when you don't have any Pumpkin Pie Spice blend available.
- Sprinkle some on your yogurt, Unsweetened Applesauce, or with our Almond Vanilla Granola!
- Use when making our Cinnamon Pie, or Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie.
- Adds amazing flavor to any barbecue sauce, especially our Kentucky Bourbon Barbecue Sauce recipe or your Smoked Baked Beans.
- Use it in place of cinnamon when making Cinnamon Sugar for cinnamon toast, or when making Cinnamon Sugar French Toast.
Apple Pie Spice Blend Ingredients
The typical McCormick's jar of Apple Pie Spice Blend is make of cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice.
Allspice is a really unique berry that evokes the entire warm spice spectrum of flavors: cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cassia, or cinnamon. That's why Allspice is so popular in rice pilaf, barbecue sauces, and various 'jerk' styles of cooking.
To make this apple pie spice recipe you will need the following three spices:
- Cinnamon - Ground. Try to source Ceylon cinnamon, as is the 'true' cinnamon, is sweeter, and has no bitter after taste as the common Cassia.
- Nutmeg - Ground, and fresh ground if possible.
- Allspice - Ground.
- Ginger - Ground. Optional, for a more complex blend.
- Cloves - Ground.Optional, for a more complex blend.
- Cardamom - Ground. Optional, for a more complex blend.
PRO TIP: Cassia is often marketed as Saigon Cinnamon, as it got a bad rap a few years ago when spice companies were caught selling cheaper Cassia as true Ceylon Cinnamon. Cassia is awesome in savory dishes like jerk, barbecue, and roasting.
For baking though, you want real, true cinnamon, which is Ceylon Cinnamon.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make An Apple Pie Spice Substitute
Make this homemade Apple Pie Spice blend when you need a substitute for the store bought version. You probably already have the individual spices in your spice rack also!
Measure Out The Spices
- Measure out each spice into it's own small bowl.
Blend The Spices Together
- Mix all the spices together so they are blended well.
How To Jazz Up Apple Pie Spice
This apple pie spice substitute recipe replicates the McCormick Apple Pie Spice blend, which only uses cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
The addition of cardamom, ginger, and cloves jazzes up this warming spice blend for Apple pies even more. It's outstanding as an addition to our Longhorn's Rice Pilaf recipe.
- Add the ginger, cloves, and cardamom, one at a time so you can see how each alter the taste of your spice blend.
PRO TIP: Keep notes as you go if you increase any of the spices to get what you like best. If mixing up a large quantity, run the spice blend through a wire sieve to make ensure there's no lumps of spice pockets in your blend.
Store In Jars
- Fill small 4 oz Mason jars, or spice jars with your spice blend and store in a cool, dark pantry or cupboard.
Serving Suggestions
The warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are a perfect match for sweet, tart apples, making this spice blend so popular with sweet and savory recipes.
Use this warm spice blend when making our TikTok Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Rugelach, as well as our Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust. It's also delicious sprinkled on savory Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few delicious variations using this recipe as a base:
- If you want a stronger flavor, you can double or triple the amount of any individual spices in the blend. For example, increase the cinnamon, or decreasing the nutmeg will make make the blend more 'cinnamon-y'.
- You can also add a tiny amount of ground mace, especially if using the blend with a savory recipe. Mace is the outer aril wrapping on the Nutmeg.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this dish.
- Nitrile Gloves
- Disposable Face Mask
- Rounded Ball Canning Jars, 8 oz
- Quilted Mason Jars, small 4 oz
- Spice Jars and Label Set
Storage and Reheating
Store this spice blend in an airtight container like glass Mason jars, or spice jars. Keep in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.
Tips for Success
- To make a larger batch of spice blend, simply double or triple the recipe.
- Wear a face mask when making a large batch, as the spices are so light and powdery that you will start sneezing.
- You can substitute with this spice blend in any recipe that calls for cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice mix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple pie spice is a combination of ground spices, including Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice. Allspice is a single spice coming as the berry of the Pimenta dioica plant. Apple Pie spice and Allspice have different flavor profiles, properties, and usages in cooking.
Pumpkin Pie Spice includes a combination of the same ingredients that are used to make Apple Pie Spices, but with the addition of Ginger and Cloves. Pumpkin Pie spices are a little warmer and spicier, but the two spice blends can often be used interchangeably.
The spice blend is fresher and you can customize it to be exactly as you like!
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
Connect with Smells Like Delish!
📖 Recipe
Apple Pie Spice Substitute
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoon cinnamon ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon nutmeg ground
- 3 tablespoon allspice ground
- 1 tablespoon ginger ground, optional
- 1 tablespoon cloves ground, optional
- 1 tablespoon cardamom ground, optional
Instructions
- Measure out each spice into it's own small bowl.
- Mix all the Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice together so they are blended well.6 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoon nutmeg, 3 tablespoon allspice
- If jazzing up the recipe with the optional spices: Add the Ginger, Cloves, and Cardamom, one at a time so you can see how each alter the taste of your spice blend. PRO TIP: Keep notes as you go if you increase any of the spices to get what you like best. If mixing up a large quantity, run the spice blend through a wire sieve to make ensure there's no lumps of spice pockets in your blend.1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon cloves, 1 tablespoon cardamom
- Fill small 4 oz Mason jars, or spice jars with your spice blend and store in a cool, dark pantry or cupboard for up to 12 months.
Notes
- To make a larger batch of spice blend, simply double or triple the recipe.
- Wear a face mask when making a large batch, as the spices are so light and powdery that you will start sneezing.
- You can substitute with this spice blend in any recipe that calls for cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice mix.
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