Ways to Use the Pumpkin Spice Mix Besides a Latte

Pumpkin spice latte
Photo by Heidi Kaden on Unsplash

As fall rolls around, everyone’s favorite flavor is making its yearly comeback—pumpkin spice. We know it most from Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but in recent years it seems to be infiltrating everything from candles to body wash to every kind of food. Not long after the PSL gained popularity, many people were shocked to learn that Starbucks didn’t really put pumpkin in it, and they have since added real pumpkin to their syrup as have many “pumpkin spice” products. However, pumpkin spice isn’t really supposed to have pumpkin in it—it’s the spice mix used to flavor pumpkin pie. It’s an awesome spice mix, and here are some dishes you can make with it. Each of these will be yummy with or without actual pumpkin.

Pancakes

It sounds a bit random, but pumpkin spice pancakes are simply delicious. The flavors pair perfectly with maple syrup, another fall staple. The spices in the batter will also toast lightly on the griddle, making for the perfect smell in your kitchen as well.

Loaf Cake

As a type of squash, pumpkin loans itself perfectly to loaf cakes like pound cake or pumpkin bread. A spiced loaf cake such as a coffee cake or pound cake is also a perfect use for pumpkin pie spice.

Cinnamon Roles

In addition to baked and fried doughs, the yeasted dough is also a delicious place to sprinkle pumpkin spice mix. Since it already has a cinnamon filling, other spices can easily be added to the filling as well as a bit of pumpkin puree if you like for a delicious treat.