Substitute for Cinnamon

Cinnamon gives food a sweet, woody warmth from cinnamaldehyde, the compound that dominates its bark oil. No other common spice is built around that compound, so a straight single-spice swap always tastes different. The nearest options are blends that are already mostly cinnamon, or the other kind of cinnamon if the jar in the cupboard is cassia and the recipe wanted Ceylon, or the reverse.

Baking

For muffins, crumbles, cinnamon toast and apple desserts, apple pie spice is the closest swap, since extension recipes put cinnamon at about half the blend. Pumpkin pie spice works the same way with a sharper ginger edge. Both go into the dry ingredients at the same amount, with no change to liquid or leavening.

Where cinnamon is the filling, as in cinnamon rolls or babka, a blend tastes muddier than the real thing. A small amount of nutmeg gives warmth to custards and egg-rich batters, but it reads as nutmeg, not cinnamon.

Savory cooking

Greek pastitsio, Cincinnati chili, Moroccan tagines and Persian stews use cinnamon as a low background warmth with meat. Allspice at half the amount fills that role. A short piece of cinnamon stick in a braise can be replaced by two whole cloves or one whole allspice berry, removed before serving.

Cassia or Ceylon

Recipes rarely say which cinnamon they mean. American baking recipes generally assume cassia; Mexican, Sri Lankan and some British recipes may assume Ceylon. Cassia is stronger, so use a little less when replacing Ceylon in delicate dishes like custard or horchata, and a little more Ceylon when the recipe was built on cassia’s punch.

When not to substitute

Cinnamon-sugar coatings, cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodles and horchata taste of cinnamon above everything else. A blend changes them into a different spiced pastry. In those, wait until there is cinnamon in the house.

For people who eat large amounts of cinnamon daily, such as in oatmeal or supplements, the swap worth making is cassia to Ceylon: the BfR advises low-coumarin Ceylon for regular heavy use.

Common mistakes

• Swapping allspice or nutmeg one-for-one. Both are more pungent; a full teaspoon of either overwhelms a cake.
• Leaving a stick in the pot. Long simmering extracts bitterness and woody tannins; remove sticks once the liquid tastes right.
• Grinding sticks coarsely for dough. Bark splinters stay gritty in a soft crumb; sift the powder.
• Assuming all cinnamon is the same strength. Cassia from different origins varies widely, so taste a pinch of a new jar before using a full measure.