National Pumpkin Spice Day: what is in pumpkin spice, and its history

October 1 is National Pumpkin Spice Day, which may be the most on-brand holiday of the season. If you have ever wondered what exactly is in the flavor that shows up on coffee menus, candles and cereal boxes each fall, here is the short answer.

Pumpkin spice is a blend of warm baking spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, and sometimes allspice. The name comes from pumpkin pie, which uses these spices. The blend itself usually contains no pumpkin at all. These spices have long been part of American fall baking, from pies to spice cakes.

The flavor became a phenomenon after Starbucks introduced its Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003. Other coffee shops, snack makers and home goods brands followed, and National Pumpkin Spice Day was first observed in 2015. RiverBender reports that pumpkin spice products brought in more than $500 million in U.S. sales in 2022.

If you enjoy the flavor, you can make your own blend with spices that may already be in your cabinet. Mix mostly ground cinnamon with smaller amounts of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves, and adjust to taste. A pinch works in oatmeal, pancake batter, yogurt, coffee grounds before brewing, or roasted sweet potatoes. A homemade blend lets you skip the added sugar in many flavored drinks.

Before you head to bed, check your spice rack. If you have cinnamon and at least one of the others, you have what you need for a pumpkin spice breakfast in a few hours.