This Gingerbread Spice Mix is the perfect spice blend for the holiday season! It comes together in no time and you can add it to desserts, baked goods, sweet breakfast dishes, drinks, and more! It also makes a great DIY Christmas gift!
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Why This Recipe Works
The perfect holiday blend - If you're planning to bake gingerbread cookies for Christmas, you need this spice mix! You can always use store-bought but nothing beats homemade. This spicy ginger blend is an American classic but if you want to try something new, give this Christmas Spice Blend a try! It has all the same spices but no ginger! It's the Czech version of this popular spice and I highly recommend it.
Lots of uses - Aside from making cookies with it, you can use it to make other baked goods like breads, muffins, cupcakes, or even brownies! Add it to oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, or smoothies. It's also delicious in drinks like lattes, hot chocolate, or even cocktails!
A great gift - If you're planning to make edible gifts this holiday season, this gingerbread spice is perfect for that! It's super easy to make and won't go bad. You can make a big batch and divide it into small jars to have gifts for multiple people!
Ingredients
- Cinnamon - Ceylon Cinnamon is always my go-to but any cinnamon works. You can add more to balance out the spiciness of the ginger more.
- Ginger - It wouldn't be gingerbread without ginger! You can add more or less based on your preference. I like to add slightly less than cinnamon but you can do equal amounts for a stronger ginger flavor.
- Allspice - A classic that can't be missing in any gingerbread spice mix!
- Cloves - Cloves go hand in hand with allspice and also can't be missing in this recipe!
- Nutmeg - Less is definitely more with nutmeg. Don't add too much or it will overpower the rest of the flavors.
- Other spices - The ingredients of gingerbread spice vary from recipe to recipe and brand to brand. I like to also add cardamom, star anise, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds if I have them. These spices are optional but highly recommended, especially cardamom and star anise! They are what makes this spice different from pumpkin spice!
Variations and Substitutions
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add all the spices into a bowl or a jar and stir everything together until well combined and mixed together.
- Store in an airtight jar at room temperature in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
Serving Suggestions
- In baking - You can add it to your banana bread, cookies, muffins, or cupcakes. Try it in this Gingerbread Banana Bread or these Gluten-Free Czech Gingerbread Cookies!
- Breakfast - Add it to this Chocolate Gingerbread Oatmeal, this Gingerbread Granola, or this Gingerbread Quinoa Porridge. You can also add it to your pancake or waffle batter when you add flour.
- Syrup - Make some delicious Gingerbread Simple Syrup for your lattes and cocktails!
- Drinks - If you don't want to make syrup, you can just add this spice to your drinks instead. It's delicious in Hot Chocolate or a cocktail like this Creamy Espresso Martini.
Storing
Store the spice mix in an airtight jar or a container at room temperature for 3-6 months. It's best stored in a cool and dry place away from heat but there's no need to keep it in the fridge. You'll know the spice is getting old and stale when both the scent and the flavor are much weaker.
FAQs
I don't have a specific one I'd recommend, I definitely encourage you to make your own at home, it's super easy! If you need to use store-bought, always make sure to go with spice that doesn't have any added sugar, fillers, or preservatives.
Yes, for the best flavor, grounding up your spices yourself right before you make this spice mix will yield the best flavor. That being said, I don't have the measurements for whole spices so you'll have to ground up approximately how much you'll need and measure it out once the spices are ground up.
I don't recommend it. It keeps best at room temperature.
Pumpkin spice is more cinnamon forward while gingerbread has a stronger ginger flavor. It also often has other spices like cardamom, star anise, or coriander.
Other Homemade Spices
Not all of these are Christmas-themed but they all have being homemade in common! Making your own seasoning blends is easier than you might think! The three below are a good start if you're just getting into making your own spices.
- Christmas Spice Blend (All the flavors of gingerbread spice but no ginger!)
- Chai Spice Mix
- Za'atar Spice Blend
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Spice Mix
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
- Category: Spices
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Gingerbread Spice Mix is the perfect spice blend for the holiday season! Add it to desserts, sweet breakfast dishes, drinks, and more!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp ground star anise
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
- ½ tsp ground fennel (optional)
Instructions
- Add all the spices into a bowl or a jar and stir everything together until well combined and mixed together.
- Store in an airtight jar at room temperature in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
Notes
Spices don’t really expire but they will lose their flavor overtime. You’ll know the spice isn’t fresh anymore and should be tossed when it’s not as fragrant and flavorful as it used to be.
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Jess says
I always buy this spice on Amazon but it's so much better homemade!