7 Creative Substitutes for Cinnamon

Nutmeg is a species of tropical evergreen Myristica fragrans, Indonesia’s East Indies, Sri Lanka, and West Indies (1).

Nutmeg is the best alternative to cinnamon because of its pleasing taste and variety. It has a warm, slightly nutty flavor and is sometimes combined with cinnamon in recipes like pumpkin pie.

In addition to its rich flavor, the potential medicinal properties of nutmeg are also highly valued. In fact, people have used nutmeg in traditional medical systems for thousands of years to treat diseases such as digestive problems and arthritis (2).

This may be due to the high content of nutmeg, which is rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds such as ferulic acid, caffeic acid and terpenes ().1).

At most grocery stores, nutmeg can be found in whole or ground form.

Many culinary websites suggest using half or a quarter of the amount of nutmeg that the recipe suggests for cinnamon.

All Spice is another option for anyone looking for an alternative to cinnamon. Often mistaken for a spice blend, all-spices are actually dried unripe berries. Pimentadio squid Trees native to Central America, southern Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea (3).

It tastes like a combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and peppercorn, so it was given the English name “All Spice”.

It is a concentrated source of beneficial plant compounds, including the phenolic compound eugenol, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and pain-relieving properties in test tube and rodent studies. ((3, Four).

It tastes like cinnamon, so you can use all-spices to replace cinnamon in most recipes.

However, all spices are more powerful than cinnamon, so you should only use one-quarter or one-third of the amount of all-spices suggested for cinnamon in the recipe.

Born in Asia, ginger has become one of the most commonly used spices in the world.

It is the main flavor agent for Thai, Indian and Chinese foods and is used to flavor both sweet and delicious dishes, from curries to cakes.

Ginger has a strong impact on human health, mainly due to the high content of medicinal substances such as the phenolic compounds gingerol and shogaol ()Five).

Many studies have shown that consuming ginger by eating it in your diet or by taking high doses of supplements may benefit health in many ways. rice field.

Studies have shown that it can help reduce inflammation markers and hyperglycemia, and relieve nausea and headaches (“6).

Like cinnamon, ginger brings a warm taste to the dish. When you are in a pinch, you can use it as a cinnamon substitute.

The recipe can use powdered ginger as a 1: 1 alternative to cinnamon.

The seasoning for pumpkin pie is a blend of spices. Often includes ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Some pumpkin pie seasonings also include all spices.

Even if the brand created these blends for pumpkin pie flavoring, they can be used in most recipes that require cinnamon.

Cinnamon usually makes up the majority of the spice ratio in pumpkin pie seasonings and is an excellent alternative to plain cinnamon, especially when making sweets and baked goods.

Pumpkin pie seasonings can be used in recipes for cookies, cakes, breads, etc. instead of 1: 1 cinnamon. Keep in mind that it tastes a little different from plain cinnamon due to the combination of cinnamon and other spices.

Cardamom is a spice with a sweet and spicy taste. It is used in both savory and sweet dishes such as curries and cakes.

Cardamom, sometimes referred to as the “queen of spices,” is an important spice in India and the Middle East and has long been used as a cooking spice and as a natural remedy for diseases including dental and digestive problems. rice field(7, 8).

Cardamom contains a variety of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, including essential oils, carotenoids, and flavonoids (“7).

Some studies have shown that taking high doses of cardamon supplements may help reduce markers of inflammation and oxidative stress such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in certain populations. It suggests that there is sex.

This may be due to high concentrations of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in cardamom (9).

Most recipes can use ground cardamom as a 1: 1 alternative to cinnamon.

Syzygium aromaticum It is a tropical evergreen tree that grows naturally in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The fragrant flowers of this tree are cloves (Ten).

Studies show that cloves contain plant compounds with strong antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These include sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, and phenolic compounds (Ten).

Cloves are not only used for cooking and preserving food, but have been used as a natural remedy for herbal medicine and Ayurvedic medicine for over 2,000 years (11 11).

Cloves are sweet but have a slightly bitter taste, so this spice is usually mixed with other spices such as ginger and nutmeg.

Cloves can be used as a substitute for cinnamon, but when used with other spices, they produce a pleasant flavor. For example, try using a mixture of half cloves and half ginger instead of cinnamon in recipes such as baked goods.

Mace is a spice that comes from the same fruit of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans).

While the seed core of the fruit Myristica fragrans Is called nutmeg, The dried meat surrounding the nutmeg seeds is mace (12).

It has a taste similar to nutmeg, but is sweeter and more peppery than nutmeg, and is said to be less strong.

Some recipe developers have suggested using both nutmeg and mace instead of recipe cinnamon. However, if that’s all, you can only use mace.

Most recipe websites suggest using less mace than cinnamon. For example, try using a quarter or half of the amount of mace that the recipe suggests for cinnamon.

Yes. If you need cinnamon ground in the recipe and you only have cinnamon sticks, or vice versa, you can use one instead of the other.

Make ground cinnamon using cinnamon sticks

If you have cinnamon sticks but no ground cinnamon, you can actually make your own ground cinnamon in minutes.

All you need is a few cinnamon sticks and a coffee grinder or fast blender. Place a few cinnamon sticks in a grinder or blender and pulse at high speed until fine powder.

Be careful not to blend for long periods of time as the cinnamon may be cooked and taste different.

If you don’t have a blender or coffee grinder, there are other easy ways to make ground cinnamon from cinnamon sticks.

The first option is to grate the small shavings of the cinnamon sticks using a small zester. This is great if you need to grind a little cinnamon into a dish such as a cake or pudding, as it can be time consuming.

You can also put the cinnamon sticks in a heavy plastic storage bag and hit the cinnamon sticks with a heavy object such as a meat tenderizer to make a fine powder.

Keep in mind that this method can result in coarser output than when using a blender or coffee grinder.

Use ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks

If your recipe requires cinnamon sticks, but only ground cinnamon, you can use the ground version instead.

Most recipe developers recommend using 1/2 teaspoon (about 1.4 grams) of cinnamon for all cinnamon sticks required by the recipe.

This method works with recipes such as spice cider, hot wine, and pudding.

Note that ground cinnamon adds a stronger cinnamon flavor than injecting the recipe with a cinnamon stick. So slowly add the ground cinnamon and try the recipe in the meantime to avoid overwhelming the cinnamon flavor.

Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices used in cooking and baking.

It adds a warm and spicy flavor to sweet and tasty recipes, so it can be frustrating to find that you’re running out of cinnamon while you’re preparing the food you need.

However, there are some spices that many people keep in their kitchens that can be used in place of cinnamon in a pinch.

Spices such as nutmeg, pimenta dioica, and ginger do not mimic the exact taste of cinnamon, but share some of the flavor profile of cinnamon.

If you’re creating your favorite recipe just to make sure you’re deficient in cinnamon, try using one of these options instead.