pumpkin spice

noun

variants or less commonly pumpkin pie spice

: a mixture of usually cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and often allspice that is commonly used in pumpkin pie

Pumpkin spice is everywhere, and at this point you simply give in to the pounds you'll potentially gain from all the glorious spreads during the holidays.

—Chris Scott

By mixing in a few simple ingredients with pumpkin—think vanilla yogurt, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and a sprinkling of graham cracker—you create a velvety pumpkin pie experience in a matter of seconds.

—Erika Chayes Wida

—often used before another noun

It's that time of year again—holiday decorations festoon the lampposts and store windows, the smell of pumpkin spice lattes pervades the air, and the chill of winter has settled in …

—Lee Hutchinson

With sweet potato pie, the same pumpkin pie spice blend … is used along with the pre-baked crust.

—WSOCTV.com

Examples of pumpkin spice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fill a shaker with ice and add the pumpkin spice liqueur, Baileys, vodka, and vanilla extract. —Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025

The last month of fall is bringing a lot of clarity to our lives — so grab one more pumpkin spice latte for the road and get reflective. —Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 20 Nov. 2025

From pumpkin spice to apple pie, vanilla is a quintessential ingredient in seasonal and holiday baking. —JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025

While pumpkin pie spice tends to be very cinnamon-forward, cinnamon takes more of a back seat in Spicewalla’s chai masala, which packs more heat than pumpkin spice thanks to the pepper and cloves included in the mix. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pumpkin spice

• imprecise
• sacrifice
• advice
• allspice
• concise
• device
• entice
• excise
• fordyce
• precise
• suffice
• dice