British Mixed Spice Recipe (2024)

By Georgina Hartley • Published September 30, 2022 • Updated March 30, 2023

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Mixed Spice is a famous British spice blend which features in many traditional recipes. However, you may never have thought to blend your own and I sincerely recommend you do so. This homemade British Mixed Spice Recipe uses a mix of easy to find spices and it tastes so much more vibrant and fresh than the Mixed Spice you buy from the supermarket.

You will often find Mixed Spice crops up in many a British recipe, especially around the holidays when this warm spice blend features across festive and cosy bakes from Christmas Cakes to Hot Cross Buns or Eccles Cakes. Although we don’t draw the line at including it in savoury recipes too and it tastes delicious in this Homemade Green Ketchup recipe.

This mixed spice recipe isn’t only aimed at my lovely readers in the United States who are often telling me they can’t find it in their local grocery store. I also recommend my fellow Brits to make this spice recipe themselves. It is so easy to whip up in under 5 minutes and uses common every day spices that I’m sure will already be in your larder. This homemade spice blend tastes so much fresher and more vibrant than any you can buy.

What can I substitute for mixed spice?

The spice blend in this recipe is a perfect substitution for a shop bought Mixed Spice and can be used in your favourite baking recipe. It makes enough for about 35g which is about the amount you need to get you through the season when you’ll be wanting to use this cake spice in all your favourite bakes.

What flavour is mixed spice?

This is an aromatic blend of warm spices which includes cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, ginger and cloves . It is commonly used in rich and deeply flavourful British baking like mince pies, fruit cakes or christmas plum pudding

Is allspice the same as mixed spice?

No, these are completely different. Allspice (also known as myrtle pepper) is a single origin spice which is dried and ground from the allspice berry. Mixed Spice is a blend of several different spices.

The taste of allspice is intense, rich and fruity. You might find allspice included with other spices in a recipe as allspice alone can be very overpowering. Mixed Spice has a broader flavour with the complex blend of different spices.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• This pudding spice is so much more aromatic than a shop bought blend and tastes fresher and joyously vibrant.
• There are so many Mixed Spice uses in british cooking. You can enjoy it in all your favourite baking recipes from Christmas Puddings to Mincemeat to Simnel Cake.
• It gives a lovely spice to hot drinks, try it sprinkled over your hot chocolate or cappuccino.
• It makes a special homemade gift, particularly for keen bakers who may not think to blend their own.

What is in Mixed Spice?

The dominant spices are ground cinnamon and coriander which features across all mixed spice recipes. Then usually follows a typical blend of spices including ground nutmeg, ginger or cloves.

However, you can also find blends which include caraway seeds, dill seeds, allspice or star anise. However I tend to stick to an easy blend which is a mix of spices I usually have to hand in my larder and doesn’t need a special spice grinder to make:

• Cinnamon
• Coriander
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Cloves

How to make it

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

It’s the easiest recipe in town. Just place all your spices in a jar and give a really good shake. Then shake again. The give one more shake to make sure those spices are evenly blended.

Tips for best results

• Use new spices to make the blend if you can. Spices lose their freshness quickly so if you want your Mixed Spice to really pop then use the newest spices you can.
• For ease I am happy to use pre-ground spices that you can quickly shake up in a jar. However, if you want to go a step further for even better flavour then you can grind up the whole spices like whole nutmegs or coriander seed yourself in a spice grinder.
• Shake up your spices in a sealed jar that has a bit of headroom so there is space for the spices to mingle and combine properly.
• I recommend using an old spice jar to store it in, but make sure you use a glass jar that has been used for similar spice flavours (like an old cinnamon jar) as the flavours do tend to linger even after a good wash.
• You can use this mixed spice in place of your usual gingerbread spice blend for the best tasting Sticky Ginger Cake.

How long does it keep for?

This spice blend will stay fresh for up to 2 years if you store in an airtight jar. I recommend you don’t keep dry spices any longer than that as you don’t want stale spices that taste dusty.

How to store

Keep your spice blend in an airtight container. If you use a spice rack then make sure it is out of direct sunlight and in a cool dry place.

If you love homemade spices mixes then you may also like this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Blends which is lovely in all your Autumnal bakes.

Recipes using Mixed Spice

• Almond and Mincemeat Christmas Sponge
• Green Tomato Ketchup
• Traditional Gluten-Free Christmas Pudding
• Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns
• Gluten-Free Simnel Cake
• Gluten-Free Spotted Dick
• Easter Welsh Cakes
• Gluten-Free Eccles Cakes
• Chocolate Chip Clementine Christmas Pudding
• Gluten-Free Mincemeat Muffins
• Victorian Meat Mincemeat
• Gluten-Free Christmas Cake
• Golden Beetroot Carrot Cake

Add don’t forget how delicious it is to add a bit of spice to your hot drinks too – hot chocolate, coffee, eggnog, hot toddies, even your tea!

I urge you to give this British Mixed Spice Recipe a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.