What is pumpkin spice – and why is it everywhere?

Once associated mainly with American pumpkin pie, the warming spice blend now appears in coffee shops, bakeries and supermarket aisles across Ireland and Northern Ireland. You can find it stirred into lattes, baked into cakes, sprinkled over porridge and added to everything from chocolates to scented candles.

Despite its name, pumpkin spice doesn’t necessarily contain any pumpkin.

The term usually refers to a mixture of warming spices traditionally used to flavour pumpkin pie. Cinnamon tends to be the main ingredient, accompanied by ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Some blends also include allspice, mace or cardamom.

The result is sweet, fragrant and gently spicy rather than hot. It’s also versatile. Pumpkin spice works well with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, apples, pears, maple syrup and caramel, as well as pumpkin and other winter squashes.

Ready-mixed pumpkin pie spices appeared commercially in the United States during the 1930s. McCormick introduced its version in 1934 as a convenient alternative to buying several individual spice jars, and its current blend contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

The spices themselves are nothing new. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves have been used in sweet baking for generations.

What changed was the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte.

Starbucks began developing an autumn coffee drink in early 2003. According to the company, its team experimented by tasting pumpkin pie alongside espresso to identify the flavours that worked best with coffee. The Pumpkin Spice Latte was launched later that year and went on to become one of the brand’s most recognisable seasonal drinks.

Interestingly, the original recipe focused on the spices associated with pumpkin pie rather than the pumpkin itself. Pumpkin purée was added to the recipe in 2015.

More than two decades after its launch, the drink continues to mark the unofficial beginning of autumn.

Pumpkin spice may have American roots, but cafés in Ireland and Northern Ireland have fully embraced the trend.

Alongside international coffee chains, independent cafés and homegrown businesses have introduced their own versions of the pumpkin spice latte.

The flavour has also spread beyond coffee. Pumpkin-spiced cakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies and cheesecakes appear on seasonal menus, while retailers have extended the idea into home fragrances, bath products and other limited-edition autumn releases.

For many people, pumpkin spice is now less about pumpkin and more about creating a particular mood: warm, cosy and comforting.

Smell plays a powerful role in our experience of food. The scent of cinnamon or freshly baked spices can remind us of cakes, hot drinks, family kitchens and celebrations.

Pumpkin spice brings several of these familiar aromas together in one blend. Add warm milk, coffee or something freshly baked, and the result feels comforting on a cold or rainy day.

Its limited availability also adds to its appeal. Unlike coffee or chocolate, which we consume throughout the year, pumpkin spice is marketed as something to enjoy for only a few weeks. Its return becomes an annual ritual.

It also arrives at the right moment. After summer, many of us are ready for warming food, richer flavours and quieter evenings at home. Ordering the first pumpkin spice latte of the season can feel like giving yourself permission to embrace autumn.

You don’t need an espresso machine - or even a pumpkin - to enjoy the flavour at home. Try adding a small pinch of pumpkin spice to:

Stir the spice through oats with grated apple, raisins or a spoonful of pumpkin purée. Finish with toasted nuts and a little maple syrup or honey.

Add half a teaspoon to pancake batter or whisk it into the egg mixture for French toast. Serve with cooked apples, yoghurt or crème fraîche.

Pumpkin spice works well with dark or milk chocolate. Add a pinch while heating the milk, then top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Use the blend in carrot cake, banana bread, apple muffins or a simple sponge. It can also be added to cream-cheese icing or buttercream.

Pumpkin spice doesn’t have to be limited to sweet dishes. Mix a small amount with olive oil, salt and a little chilli before coating pumpkin, squash, carrots or sweet potatoes.

Combine the spice with melted butter and a little brown sugar, then toss it through freshly popped corn for an easy autumn film-night snack.

Add a pinch to ground coffee before brewing, stir it into a latte or sprinkle it over cappuccino foam. Start with a small amount - a little goes a long way.

A homemade blend takes only a few minutes and can be kept in a sealed jar throughout autumn.

You will need:

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground allspice

Mix everything together and store in a clean, airtight jar away from direct sunlight.

Use approximately ¼ teaspoon in a mug of coffee or hot chocolate, or one to two teaspoons in a cake, traybake or batch of muffins. You can adjust the mixture to suit your taste by adding more cinnamon for sweetness or extra ginger for a stronger kick.

Absolutely. The spice blend can be used without pumpkin, but the two are natural partners. Pumpkin has a mild, slightly sweet flavour, which means it benefits from bold seasonings.

Try combining pumpkin purée with the spice mixture in muffins, pancakes, cheesecake, soup or a homemade latte. Roasted pumpkin can also be blended with milk, coffee, vanilla and a little maple syrup for a drink that tastes more like pumpkin than many shop-bought versions.

When carving pumpkins, be aware that the large decorative varieties can be watery and fibrous. Smaller culinary pumpkins and squashes generally produce better results in cooking.