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

Overall, pumpkin spice stands out because its unique blend of spices provides a broader range of digestive benefits. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 27 Oct. 2025

What if your fall clean-up could involve less raking and more pumpkin spice lattes? —Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025

Weird pumpkin spice products for sale this year. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025

The pumpkin spice craze is so popular that the start of the pumpkin spice season is a couple of months before the pumpkins themselves are even ready to harvest in October. —Shelley Mitchell, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 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