Best Pumpkin Spice We Found in a Taste Test of 9 Pumpkin Pie Spice Blends

If you’ve been inside a supermarket lately, you’re well aware that pumpkin spice season is in full swing. At my usual grocery store, there are multiple endcaps dedicated to pumpkin spice coffee, popcorn, cereal, cookies, ice cream, you name it. And then tucked away in the baking supplies aisle, somewhere between the coriander and the cream of tartar, you’ll find the reason for the season, if you will—the actual pumpkin pie spice.

What is pumpkin pie spice?

In short, pumpkin spice is a blend of several warm spices. Those spices differ by brand, but you can count on cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger being in the mix, along with clove and allspice. People have been making pumpkin pies for centuries, but the spice blend wasn’t marketed as its own entity until McCormick starting selling it in the mid-1930s. In 2003, Starbucks introduced its pumpkin spice latte and the rest, as they say, is history.

What we were looking for in the best pumpkin pie spice

Freshness. When ground spices get old, they don’t expire, per se, but they do get weak. Some of the pumpkin spice we tried tasted like it could’ve been in someone’s pantry for a decade.
Balance…to an extent. Some of the blends we liked the most stood out because one spice was more prominent than the others without totally overpowering its counterparts. You should be able to taste all the spices, but some blends are more cinnamon forward or nutmeg forward—and that’s okay, too.

I performed this taste test by baking nine individual pumpkin pies and seeing which tasted best. Just kidding. We weren’t that obsessive, but we were rigorous—I tried these all solo on a spoon, as well as sprinkled on buttered bread. You’d imagine these all taste pretty similar, right? Nope. They’re all really unique. Here’s what we recommend you keep in the pantry for your next pie, latte, or other autumnal emergency.

Pumpkin Spice!

365 Organic Pumpkin Pie Spice

Whole Foods

Ingredients: organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic cloves, organic nutmeg

Clove is listed before nutmeg in this pumpkin spice blend from Whole Foods, and you can tell as soon as you taste it. As a person who grew up loving Clove chewing gum and, later, clove cigarettes, it works for me. I love that warm, numbing flavor and how it contributes a touch of sweetness without any sugar in the mix. It may be too poorly balanced for some people, but if you like a clove-forward pie or dessert, this is the stuff.

Credit: Merc / Whole Foods

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Pumpkin Spice!

Simply Organic Pumpkin Spice

Sprouts

Ingredients: organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic cloves

Most of the pumpkin spice mixes we tried have ginger listed second in the ingredients, but it’s much more impactful in this spice blend than any others. It has a nice, punchy, bright flavor that’s gonna work especially well in a pumpkin pie—orange gourds and ginger really pair perfectly. If you’re looking for the best pumpkin spice to bake with, I recommend this one.

Credit: Merc / Sprouts

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Pumpkin Spice!

Spice Islands Pumpkin Pie Spice

Walmart

Ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mace, cloves

I know that McCormick basically invented pumpkin pie spice, but their blend really struggles to make an impression. If you want something balanced but with a more robust flavor overall, try Spice Islands. It’s one of the only options that includes mace and I think that might be the difference. It’s bright and spicy, but not quite as straight-up gingery as the Simply Organic.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Pumpkin Spice

Morton & Basset

Amazon

Ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves

This is fall in a little glass jar. It’s crunchy leaves and flannel shirts and horror movies at the drive-in. This is what McCormick sets out to be, but Morton & Basset just does it better. All of the spices show up to the party and they all have a lot to say. It’s aggressive, but that just means you’ll actually taste it when you add it to pie or coffee or popcorn. Of all the blends we liked the most, this was the most balanced. It’s the best pumpkin spice to have on hand!

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

Sporks