Is Your Pumpkin Spice Made Out of Real Pumpkin?

One of my favorite Halloween movies, and it's more than that by the way, its the Adams Family. It's a classic movie with so many quotable lines and hilarity. When Wednesday and Pugsley are selling lemonade, or whatever that was, they were approached by a Girl Scout selling Girl Scout Cookies. The Girl Scout asks if their lemonade was made out of real lemons and offers to trade cookies for lemonade. Wednesday, in her signature deadpan voice, asks "are they made of out real Girl Scouts." 

This is a common question we get during Fall Drink Season: is your Pumpkin Spice made out of real pumpkin? The short answer? No.

What’s Actually in Pumpkin Spice?

Pumpkin spice is less about pumpkins and more about the spices we traditionally use when baking pumpkin pie. The blend usually includes:

• Cinnamon – warm, sweet, and comforting
• Nutmeg – earthy and slightly nutty
• Cloves – bold, aromatic, and just a little mysterious
• Ginger – sharp and zesty, giving balance to the sweetness
• Allspice – the finishing touch that brings it all together

Notice something? Not a pumpkin in sight. The pumpkin pie flavor we love isn’t from the squash itself, but from these fragrant spices that surround it.

Why Pumpkin Spice Works So Well with Coffee

Coffee already has complex, toasty flavors—think chocolate, caramel, roasted nuts, sometimes even fruity notes. When you mix in pumpkin spice, the warm spices amplify coffee’s natural depth. Cinnamon smooths bitterness, cloves and nutmeg add richness, and ginger brightens everything up. The result? A cup that tastes like autumn in liquid form.

It’s basically the perfect storm of cozy comfort, with just enough bite to keep things interesting—something Wednesday would secretly appreciate, even if she’d never admit it out loud.

The Allure of Fall in a Cup

Pumpkin spice has become a seasonal ritual. For some, it marks the start of crisp mornings, sweaters, and falling leaves. For others—like Wednesday—it’s an odd cultural obsession worth mocking. But whether you sip it ironically or wholeheartedly, there’s no denying the way it transforms coffee into something special.

So, next time someone asks, “Is pumpkin spice really made of pumpkin?” you can channel your inner Wednesday Addams and answer:
“No. It’s made of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. But don’t worry—it’s still dark and delicious.”