Cooking
Substitute for Allspice
No allspice? Mix ½ tsp cinnamon with ½ tsp ground cloves for each teaspoon, soften it with nutmeg for cakes, or use cloves alone at a quarter in savory rubs.
- vegetarian
- vegan
- gluten free
Quick answer
Out of allspice? The most versatile swaps:
- 1
Cinnamon + ground cloves
½ tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp cloves for 1 tsp ground allspice
- 2
Cinnamon + cloves + nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp cloves + ¼ tsp nutmeg for 1 tsp ground allspice
- 3
Ground cloves alone
¼ tsp for 1 tsp ground allspice
Allspice gives a dish one warm, faintly numbing note that tastes like clove, with sweetness behind it and a slight pepperiness. That clove character comes from eugenol, the aroma compound allspice shares with cloves, so every good substitute starts with cloves and then adds the sweetness of cinnamon. How much clove to use depends on whether the recipe is savory or sweet.
Savory cooking
Jerk marinades, Jamaican patties, Cincinnati chili, Swedish meatballs and Middle Eastern rice dishes use allspice as a deep, savory warmth. Here the cinnamon and clove mix works well at the extension-chart amounts. If cinnamon would be odd, as in a tomato sauce or a beef braise, cloves alone at a quarter of the amount plus a pinch of black pepper keep the warmth without adding sweetness. Toast the ground spices in the cooking fat for 30 seconds before adding liquid, which takes the raw, dusty edge off cloves.
Baking
Spice cakes, pumpkin pie and fruit breads want allspice as a background note, and a full half teaspoon of cloves can taste medicinal in a mild batter. The three-spice mix with nutmeg is gentler. Pumpkin pie spice is the one-jar option; it brings ginger along, which most fall baking welcomes anyway.
Pickles, brines and infusions
Pickling spice, corned beef, mulled wine and stocks steep whole berries. Ground spice clouds a clear brine and settles as sludge, so use whole cloves with black peppercorns, or a mix of whole cloves and a broken cinnamon stick, and strain them out.
When not to substitute
Jerk chicken and Jamaican escovitch depend on allspice (called pimento in Jamaica) as the main spice, not an accent. A clove-and-cinnamon blend gets close, but if the dish is the point, buying a small bag of whole berries is the better answer; they keep their aroma for a long time.
Common mistakes
- Replacing allspice with an equal amount of cloves. Cloves are much stronger, and a teaspoon numbs the tongue and turns a sauce bitter.
- Using only cinnamon. Without clove, the dish loses the note that made it taste of allspice.
- Putting ground spice in a clear brine. It muddies the liquid and coats the vegetables in grit.
- Reaching for pumpkin pie spice in savory food. The ginger and nutmeg read as dessert in meat and beans.
All 5 substitutes at a glance
| Substitute | Ratio | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon + ground cloves BakingCooking | ½ tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp cloves for 1 tsp ground allspice | jerk marinade, gingerbread, Cincinnati chili, pickling brine | The mix given by several university extension charts. Cloves carry the same eugenol that dominates allspice; cinnamon fills in the sweet side. It lands a little more clove-forward than the berry, which suits savory food better than delicate cakes. |
| Cinnamon + cloves + nutmeg Baking | ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp cloves + ¼ tsp nutmeg for 1 tsp ground allspice | spice cake, pumpkin pie, fruit bread, oatmeal cookies | Halving the clove and adding nutmeg gives a rounder, less medicinal blend for sweet doughs. A starting point rather than a published ratio: taste the batter and add a pinch more clove if it reads flat. |
| Ground cloves alone Cooking | ¼ tsp for 1 tsp ground allspice | meat rubs, braised beef, tomato sauces, bean stews | Cloves are far more concentrated in eugenol than allspice, so a quarter of the volume supplies the same warm, numbing note. Add a pinch of black pepper to replace allspice's peppery edge. |
| Pumpkin pie spice Baking | 1:1 | muffins, quick breads, squash pie, spiced syrups | Mostly cinnamon with ginger, nutmeg and a little allspice or clove, so it tastes milder and more gingery than allspice. Fine in sweet baking; the ginger is out of place in jerk or pickles. |
| Whole cloves + black peppercorns Cooking | 1 clove + 1 peppercorn for 2 whole allspice berries | pickling, corned beef, stock, mulled wine | For recipes that steep whole berries and remove them. A clove is stronger than an allspice berry, and the peppercorn copies the berry's mild heat. An approximate swap; fish them out with the other aromatics. |
Substitute calculator
How much allspice does your recipe call for?
- Cinnamon + ground cloves½ tsp ground cinnamon + ½ tsp ground cloves
- Cinnamon + cloves + nutmeg½ tsp ground cinnamon + ¼ tsp ground cloves + ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves alone¼ tsp ground cloves
- Pumpkin pie spice1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Whole cloves + black peppercorns1 clove + 1 peppercorn for 2 whole allspice berries
Amounts are rounded to practical kitchen measures. Swaps without a fixed ratio, or that can't be measured in the unit you picked, show their ratio instead.
Topics: allspicespiceseasoningbakingCaribbean All cooking guides
Frequently asked questions
Is allspice a blend of spices?
No. Allspice is the dried unripe berry of a single tree, Pimenta dioica, native to the Caribbean and Central America. Its name comes from tasting like clove, cinnamon and nutmeg at once, which is why mixes of those three replace it.
How do I use whole allspice berries if the recipe calls for ground?
Grind them in a spice grinder or mortar and measure the powder; whole berries vary in size, so counting is unreliable. Freshly ground allspice is more aromatic than an old jar, so start slightly under the stated amount.
What can I use instead of allspice in jerk seasoning?
Use the cinnamon and clove mix, leaning on the clove, and add a little black pepper. Allspice is the backbone of jerk, so the result is close but not identical. Avoid pumpkin pie spice here; its ginger and sweetness pull the marinade toward dessert.
Can I swap allspice for cinnamon one-to-one?
Cinnamon alone lacks the clove note that defines allspice, so the dish ends up sweeter and flatter. Add at least a pinch of ground cloves with it.
Sources
- Ingredient Substitutions, Nebraska Extension, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Ingredient Substitutions and Equivalents, Mississippi State University Extension
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