Fall is the season for adding warm spice blends to almost everything we eat and drink. Every commercial eatery seems to have something with pumpkin pie spice. But what about apple pie spice? What’s the difference? Actually, there is a slight difference between the two versions. While both have a concentrated cinnamon flavor, apple has significantly more nutmeg flavor, while pumpkin pie spice seems a bit mixed on the combined ginger and nutmeg side. Making your own is as easy as (apple) pie! 😉
Apple Pie Spice Contains No Apples, What?!
Like with the lack of pumpkin in pumpkin pie spice there are no apples harmed in the making of an apple pie spice blend. 😊 Apple pie spice is simply a mix of warm fall or winter spices. It does NOT include apples. The reason the word “apple” is in the title is because the typical individual spices used to make up this blended version are all spices found in a typical American apple pie. Other than that, the ingredients and spice blend itself are totally unrelated with apples, the fruit. With that, there are many apple pie spice recipes and many apple pie recipes that use a combination of various warm fall spices. Regardless, if you find a combination of spices you like, stick with that brand, or make your own, so you have exactly what you want anytime a recipe calls for apple pie spice.
Difference Between Apple Pie Spice, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and Gingerbread Spice
The difference between Apple Pie Spice, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and Gingerbread Spice lies in the concentrated second ingredient. All these spices use cinnamon as their primary ingredient; however, the secondary ingredients are different. Pumpkin pie spice has a concentrated secondary ingredient combination of ginger and nutmeg. Gingerbread spice highlights ginger (as the title suggests) as the combined primary or secondary ingredient. While apple pie spice favors nutmeg as its secondary ingredient. That said, they are all interchangeable and can be used in the same amounts of the total spices (or cinnamon) in most any recipe.
Which spice should you use and when?
Obviously, you select the spice you need for the spice’s namesake. Meaning, use apple pie spice for apple pies, pumpkin pie spice for pumpkin pies, and gingerbread spice for gingerbread or gingerbread cookies. However, depending on the spice you want for your dish, you might choose the spice that has the preferred secondary flavor. If you’re not a fan of pumpkin pie spice, you might like gingerbread or apple pie spice instead, unless cinnamon is your nemesis, then none of them will work. 😊 You can use any of them in place of cinnamon called for in any dish, particularly cinnamon rolls or cinnamon raisin oatmeal cookies. If that’s the case, wouldn’t the dishes would be called spiced cinnamon rolls and spiced cinnamon raisin oatmeal cookies?😉
Most Basic Apple Pie Spice Blend
The most basic or main spices in apple pie spice are cinnamon and nutmeg. That’s it! You can add other common warm spices to spruce it up and fit your preferred tastes. An apple pie spice might include other spices like ginger and maybe allspice and/or cloves. I tend to gravitate towards spice depth, so I like a variety.
A Little About Cinnamon
There are two common types of cinnamon. They are Ceylon, known as “true cinnamon”, from Sri Lanka and Cassia from China and southeast Asia. I talked much about the differences between Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon in my post on making my Pumpkin Spice Blend, please refer to that post for the details. For this post, I will simply say that I prefer Ceylon cinnamon when I can find it, because it has that full on cinnamon flavor that we expect in cinnamon. I use that cinnamon in this recipe for Apple Pie Spice, but you can certainly use whatever cinnamon you have. With that, let’s check my apple pie spice blend!
Apple Pie Spice Blend Ingredients
The ingredients for making this apple pie spice blend are very simple and are found in most pantries. You can adjust the spices to fit what you already have or prefer to eat. For the ingredients in making this apple pie spice blend, you’ll need all ground spices. If you like to toast and ground your own, then go for it. If not, you can use already ground spices to include the following cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
Make the Spice Blend
Now that we’ve covered some specifics of apple pie spice, let’s get to the recipe!
“Mise en Place”
It’s best to have a “mis en place”, which is French, meaning to have all the ingredients measured out and ready to go. It makes it easier to keep track of them and the quantities as you go.
Add All Ingredients
To a small bowl, measure out and add 24 grams (3 tablespoons) of ground cinnamon, 7 grams (1 tablespoon) of ground nutmeg, 4 grams (2 teaspoons) of ground allspice, 3 grams (1½ teaspoons) of ground ginger, and 2 grams (1 teaspoon) of ground cloves.
Stir or Whisk to Combine All Ingredients
Use a spoon or small whisk to stir and break up any spices that may be in small masses like nutmeg and ginger. Stir well until combined. This recipe makes a little more than a ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons.
Transfer Mixed Spices to Sealed Container
Transfer the mixed spices to a spice jar or container that has a tight-fitting lid. You can use a spoon or small funnel to move over the spice blend. Once transferred, your spice blend is ready to be used in whatever capacity you see fit.
Suggestion for Storing Apple Pie Spice
You can store apple pie spice blend in a sealed container for up to a year or based on the shortest expiration date of the oldest individual spice. The blended spice mix stays fresh as long as their individual spices.
Suggested Uses for Apple Pie Spice
Add this apple pie spice as you would a commercial version in a 1:1 ratio in your favorite recipes that call for apple pie spice. Sprinkle it over your breakfast oatmeal, toast, eggnog, coffee, apple cider, mulled wine, or hot chocolate. Add it to spiced nuts, seeds, roasted fall vegetables and, of course, don’t forget to spice up your pancakes, waffles, or muffins. Why not replace the cinnamon in a 1 to 1 ratio in my Apple Cinnamon Buttery Biscuits with Apple Pie Spice? Now that’s an entry into the fall season! 😉
Simplified Apple Pie Spice Version for Sensitive Palates…
If you have kids (or big kids 😉) with sensitive taste buds, you may only want to include cinnamon and nutmeg. Really you only need 2-3 ingredients to have an apple pie spice. As long as you have cinnamon, you can add or subtract any of the other spices. You can easily adjust each spice by increasing or decreasing ½ teaspoon until you reach your desired flavor. Enjoy playing around to find the exact recipe that fits your needs.
Apple Pie Spice Final Thoughts
This spice blend, as expected, has a cinnamon foundation with the other spices rounding out that apple pie “feel”. Over the years, I have most certainly opted for making my own spice and herb blends. I truly find the option of making my own version most appealing because, I…
- make combinations that I love,
- use high quality ingredients,
- know exactly what is going into my spice jar,
- make it in 5 minutes or less,
- adjust secondary and tertiary spices based on the recipe I’m making,
- make any spice or herb combination whenever I need it and as much as I want (I ensure spices are readily available in my pantry at any given time).
If you tend to keep individual spices and herbs in your pantry, try making your own combinations to create that “perfect” flavor to elevate your bakes and dishes, especially during the holiday season. 😊
Check out my YouTube video on making this Apple Pie Spice Blend. “Simple Apple Pie Spice Blend: An Easy Homemade Mix For All Your Fall Dishes.”
Apple Pie Spice Blend
Ingredients
- 24 g (3 tbsp) ground cinnamon
- 7 g (1 tbsp) ground nutmeg
- 4 g (2 tsp) ground allspice
- 3 g (1½ tsp) ground ginger
- 2 g (1 tsp) ground cloves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir until combined using a small whisk or the back of a spoon to break up any small masses of spices.
- Scoop or use a small funnel to transfer the spices from the small bowl to a spice jar or container that has a tight lid. This recipe makes a little over a ¼ cup (4+ tbsp).
Video
Notes
You might be interested in some of these other recipes for homemade spice blends and mixes.
French Herbes de Provence Blend
Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix
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