This Homemade Apple Pie Spice blends cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom into a warm 5-spice mix, ready in just 2 minutes with pantry staples.
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This is the jar I keep filled year-round so I’m never digging through five different spice containers just to make a batch of baked apples.
Buying a jar of pre-made apple pie spice is fine, but it’s usually more expensive than mixing your own, and some blends bulk up the jar with fillers or anti-caking agents you don’t really need. Making it yourself takes about as long as finding the jar in your pantry would anyway.
Most apple pie spice recipes use cloves as the fifth spice alongside cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. This version swaps in cardamom instead, which gives it a slightly different, sweeter flavor than the sharper flavor cloves bring.
If you like keeping homemade spice blends on hand, my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice is the other one I always have in rotation come fall. This apple pie spice blend is also what I use in my Protein Apple Coffee Cake, so it’s worth having a jar ready before you bake that one.
Jump to:
- What Does Apple Pie Spice Taste Like?
- Why You Will Love Homemade Apple Pie Spice
- Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Homemade Apple Pie Spice
- Recipe Success Tips
- Ways to Use Apple Pie Spice
- How to Store Apple Pie Spice
- Is Apple Pie Spice Healthy?
- Pricing Info
- FAQs
- Other Homemade Ingredients
- Recipe
What Does Apple Pie Spice Taste Like?
Warm and cinnamon-forward, with a little heat from the ginger and a floral, slightly citrusy note from the cardamom standing in for the more common clove. Nutmeg and allspice round it out with that classic baked-apple warmth.
Why You Will Love Homemade Apple Pie Spice
- Ready in 2 minutes: just stir and store.
- Just 5 spices: nothing hard to track down.
- Keeps for a year: make one batch and use it all season.
- Cheaper than store-bought: a fraction of the cost of a pre-made jar.
- No fillers or anti-caking agents: just the spices themselves.
Ingredients
- No cardamom on hand? simply leave it out — the blend still works well with just cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. It’s easy to make apple pie spice without cardamom!
- Ground cinnamon: the dominant flavor in the blend.
- Ground ginger: adds warmth and a little spice.
- Allspice: rounds out the flavor with notes of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg all at once.
- Nutmeg: classic baked-good warmth.
- Ground cardamom: the twist that sets this blend apart from a standard clove-based version.
Substitutions & Variations
- Classic version: swap the cardamom for ¼ teaspoon ground cloves if you’d rather have the more traditional flavor.
- Stronger cinnamon flavor: add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon if you want it to lead even more.
- Bigger batch: double or triple the recipe to keep a larger jar stocked for the season.
- In a pinch for pumpkin pie spice: this blend can stand in for pumpkin pie spice in a recipe, though the flavor will lean a little more toward apple than pumpkin.
How to Make Homemade Apple Pie Spice
- Step 1: Combine all five spices in a small bowl, breaking up any clumps in the ginger with the back of a spoon as you stir.
- Step 2: Transfer the mixture into a spice jar using a funnel, then seal it tightly and store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
Recipe Success Tips
- Break up the ginger clumps: ground ginger tends to clump more than the other spices, so give it extra attention while mixing.
- Use a funnel: it keeps the transfer into a jar clean and mess-free.
- Keep it airtight: a tightly sealed jar helps the blend hold its flavor for the full year.
- Label and date the jar: a quick label helps you keep track of freshness, especially if you make multiple spice blends.
- Use a resuable jar: these are what I use and they’ve been working perfectly for years!
Ways to Use Apple Pie Spice
This is the exact blend I use in my Protein Apple Coffee Cake, and it’s just as good stirred into oatmeal, sprinkled over roasted sweet potatoes, or used in place of plain cinnamon in any apple pie, crisp, or crumble.
A pinch in your coffee or sprinkled on top of an apple crisp macchiatio adds a cozy, spiced flavor too.
How to Store Apple Pie Spice
Store the blend in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year. Keeping it away from heat and direct light helps it hold onto its flavor for the full storage window.
Is Apple Pie Spice Healthy?
Yes — as a spice blend, this is naturally low in calories at just 6 calories per teaspoon, and it’s a great way to add warmth and flavor to a dish without reaching for extra sugar.
Total nutritional content per tsp is:
- Calories: 6 calories
- Carbohydrates: 2 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Total Fat: 0 grams
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fiber: 1 gram
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- ¼ cup ground cinnamon: $0.60
- 2 tsp ground ginger: $0.15
- 1 tsp allspice: $0.05
- ½ tsp nutmeg $0.08
- ½ tsp ground cardamom: $0.38
This recipe costs about $1.26 total, or $0.08 per teaspoon. That’s noticeably cheaper than a pre-made jar of apple pie spice from the store, which can run $5-10 for a similar amount.
FAQs
Combine warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in the right ratios, then store the mix in an airtight jar. This recipe uses cardamom as the fifth spice instead of the more common cloves.
Cinnamon is the backbone of most apple pie flavor, with ginger, nutmeg, and allspice adding depth. A small amount of cloves or cardamom rounds it out with a more complex, layered warmth.
A mix of cinnamon and a smaller amount of nutmeg and ginger can work in a pinch if you’re out of a pre-made blend. It won’t be quite as layered in flavor, but it gets you close for most recipes.
Other Homemade Ingredients
Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below! I would really appreciate your feedback!
Recipe
Homemade Apple Pie Spice
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp allspice
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Stir together all the spices, making sure to break up the clumps of ground ginger.
- Funnel into a spice jar and store for up to 1 year in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you end up making this and loving it, take a photo and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your versions of my recipes! And feel free to rate it down below in the comment section. I would really appreciate it!
xoxo Megan
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