Substitute for Cinnamon to elevate your dish taste

What Is Cinnamon?

It is a spice derived from the layer of bark on the cinnamon tree. The bark and the ground spice both have a warm sweetness and a slightly sour taste. The cinnamon stick is a favorite to get used with liquids like warm chocolate tea and mulled wine. In contrast to the mild scent of cinnamon sticks, the powder is more intense and spicy. You can often add Cinnamon powder to baked goods like coffee cake, muffins, banana bread, and cookies. Substitute for Cinnamon shared below are quite useful to use in making tasty dishes when your stock of cinnamon in kitchen is finished.

Cinnamon originated from the Ceylon cinnamon tree found in South Asia. It thrives in humid and lowland tropical zones, and it is harvested and dried inner bark for cooking or medicinal uses. Researchers have praised cinnamon’s benefits for health. It’s an antioxidant that reduces inflammation, helps prevent cancer, and can help protect against neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Alternatives and Substitutes for Cinnamon

If you’re not able to drive to the supermarket to buy a new container or jar of cinnamon, the following alternatives will ensure your recipe stays on the right track.

Pumpkin Spice

Although this spice is typically used to make fall-themed dishes, it’s an excellent mix to have if you need to substitute cinnamon. The pumpkin spice has cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. It is available at any supermarket throughout the year, which means it’s easy to find. If you suffer from an allergy, this mixture isn’t suitable and could trigger allergic reactions.

You can use Pumpkin spice in baking pumpkin pie, carrot cake cookies, pumpkin pie, making apple sauce, churros, or any seasonal drinks. You can use 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon for each of the cinnamon you add to the dish you are making. Pumpkin spice doesn’t have any connection to pumpkins. The spice mix for pumpkin usually contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and other warming and aromatic spices, which suggests that it could even be a better substitute for cinnamon in savory dishes like pumpkin risotto, rice platter, sea food platter, chili and curry recipes with non veg items and veggies etc.

It will bring something distinct to your food. The variety of spices can provide an even more flavorful, sweeter, and fragrant flavor. Products made with pumpkin spice are typically sweet, and they are a great source of sweets like coffee, desserts, cakes, and chocolate. So, if you’re searching for an easy method to add spice and sweetness to a dish, pre-made cinnamon spice is the best way to go. Pumpkin spice is easy to include lots of flavorful spices and complex flavors.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a spice that is seldom used by itself. However, as the name implies, it is often employed with cinnamon. It has quite a sweet and nutty taste, and however, it retains the aromatic and warming taste of cinnamon. Nutmeg is excellent in both savory and sweet dishes, and this is due to its peppery and nutty flavor. Nutmeg can be found in curries and other dishes—much the same way as cinnamon. Since cinnamon is a typical powder, you can use the same spice, nutmeg, instead of cinnamon.

Nutmeg is also excellent for desserts. Nutmeg is remarkably like cinnamon in its spice, and however, it’s different from cinnamon. Nutmeg has a more sharp and richer taste than cinnamon. It may need to add sweetness or sugar to your dish, which will help balance the spice of the nutmeg, which isn’t in the cinnamon. In contrast to clove and star anise pieces, you can not consume the nutmeg as a whole. Nutmeg is a seed that has been crushed. In its appearance, it’s easy to confuse nutmeg with walnut.

This spice is like cinnamon because it’s sweet and warm. Nutmeg is used in baking dishes like cookies, pies, French toasts and crepes and many more. Like the cinnamon spice, it could be overwhelming if used too much, so be mindful of the amount. To replace cinnamon, you can use the same amount of nutmeg; however, be aware that this one is brown and may alter the color of your product. Like cinnamon, nutmeg can be an antioxidant and is good at reducing inflammation.

Ginger 

The spice ginger is one frequently used in conjunction with cinnamon. However, it can also be used as a sole ingredient. If you want to use ginger to substitute cinnamon, it’s best to buy it dried and ground up. For this, you can replace the same amount of ground cinnamon with ground ginger. 

It has quite a different flavor from cinnamon. At the same time, cinnamon has a rich and smoky, sharp and sweet taste. Therefore, if you’re trying to substitute ginger for cinnamon in a precise manner, it’s an excellent idea to include cinnamon or other spices in addition.

It can be peeled and grated directly into the food. Ginger has a robust flavor, so you will only need a minimal amount compared to dried and ground ginger. Ginger is also perfect for you. Ginger tea can calm you down, help with nausea, and boost your immune system. Shots of ginger juice or the water of ginger have become popular recently.

People often down ginger shots every morning, waking you up and getting you ready for the day. It’s also a fantastic method to provide your body with plenty of antioxidants and energy you require.

Allspice

Allspice is among the top cinnamon substitutes since it has a similar flavor. Many people already have it in their kitchens. Allspice also has the same texture as cinnamon in its raw state. Like cinnamon, you can use allspice in its entirety; however, it’s in the form of tiny dried berries, not long pieces of bark.

The earthy, strong notes are the hallmarks of allspice. Similar to cinnamon, it has an astringent, sweet taste. Allspice is a part of the evergreen Pimenta dioica tree located in the West Indies. Many people say that its flavor is similar to cloves, cinnamon pepper, and nutmeg.

It’s easy to overdo it when mixing ingredients; however, if you’re using allspice as a substitute for cinnamon in the recipe, it’s best to make use of about 1/3 of the amount. It is best to start with a small amount of allspice. Taste and test the recipe by adding more until you’re happy with the cinnamon taste.

Alongside any recipe that calls for cinnamon, you can make use of the extra allspice for soups, marinades, sausages, and even pureed root vegetables. While you “wow” your guests with your inventive cinnamon recipe, you can also share interesting facts about allspice.

Allspice is also referred to in other names like Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, and pimento. Allspice isn’t a seed or a root, but a berry, unlike other alternatives on this list. Allspice is created by drying and grinding the unripe fruit from the Pimenta plant.

It is most often located, just like cinnamon, dried out and then ground. It can also be purchased dried in its original shape. This allows you to replace ground cinnamon with ground allspice. It can be used as a reusable flavoring agent in the same manner as cloves, cinnamon sticks, or star anise.

Cardamom

It’s an odd addition. However, if you’ve gone through other choices, you’ll be amazed at the variety of cinnamon dishes. There’s a good possibility that you’ve eaten the spice in certain meals without ever knowing that it was there. It is most likely to be used in chilis and curries.

With these meals in mind, cinnamon appears to be a more predictable alternative. Cardamom isn’t precisely the same flavor like cinnamon, but it has the same warmth and aroma. It is an ideal ingredient to add to curries. Cardamom is usually sold in pods, which means they can be powerful when consumed whole. If you are planning to include them in dishes, like curry dishes, it’s probably a great idea to try to pull them out, if you can. However, the pods are small, making this difficult.

You may get a taste of the equivalent of one or two. Cardamom pods can be spicy and warm, just like cinnamon, but they have an acrid flavor. This is why it’s not the most enjoyable taste when eaten straight. Incredibly, cardamom is also able to be used in desserts. Because it’s not sold ground, it isn’t utilized exactly as cinnamon. It’s unlikely that you’ll be using cardamom pods for flavoring French Toast or ice cream.

However, suppose you’re searching for a substitute for cinnamon that makes the perfect warm and spicy dessert. In that case, it is a must to experiment with cardamom. Like cinnamon, cardamom does not offer the same meaning for the season as cinnamon has for fall and Christmas. However, making a warm cake is a beautiful spice for the winter or fall seasons.

You can combine cardamom with apples and pear. Similar to other seasonal spices. However, you can use cardamom in cooking during summer. It is also an excellent addition to other seasonal fruits like peaches. Cardamom isn’t precisely the same as cinnamon. However, it’s just as versatile, and it’s versatile enough for various food items.

Cassia

Also known as “Chinese Cinnamon, ” Cassia is closely related to the more well-known and traditional. It can also be purchased in the form of bark as cinnamon bark, and it may appear like the cinnamon bark rolls. However, it is often sold in tiny pieces of bark, and it is more like the bark that you find on other trees, like the oak. Cassia can be sold as a ground. This is an excellent alternative if you cannot locate any cinnamon; however, you require a similar option.

Mace

Mace is frequently regarded as an ancestor of nutmeg since it has the same taste. However, it is more concentrated than nutmeg and has black pepper’s aroma. Mace is excellent in sweet dishes, such as sweet potato, carrot cake casseroles, cakes, cookies, as well as in a few drinks.

Keep in mind that mace is a lot more sour than cinnamon, and you might want to add a sweetener. Mace is also an opaque powder that’s very concentrated, which may change the flavor of your meal.

Reasons to replace Cinnamon

Although not familiar, there are reasons for people to want to substitute ground cinnamon with sticks of Cinnamon at times:

• Allergies: Certain people have an apparent allergy to Cinnamon. This causes them to break out in hives and can cause their trachea to close. In this instance, any cinnamon-based product is not recommended.
• Low blood sugar: People with diabetes typically take medication to reduce their blood sugar levels. However, eating Cinnamon could cause the same effect, which can be harmful.
• Interactions: Cinnamon could also interact with prescription medications. This is why some people prefer to avoid it so as not to harm their treatment. Cinnamon can be in contact with antibiotics, blood thinners, cardiovascular medication, and diabetes medications.

Uses of Cinnamon

As we’ve mentioned before, Cinnamon is a hugely sought-after ingredient in various dishes across the globe. Use Cinnamon in both savory and sweet dishes. However, in the US, the most popular use for Cinnamon is frequently used in desserts, particularly during the winter months and during Christmas time to use in variety of desserts and other intense dishes to improve the overall flavor.

people tend to add it in chili recipes, gravy recipes, chili chicken, gravy lamb recipes, rice platters etc. in sweet dishes it is popularly used in apple pie, carrot cakes, cinnamon jam rolls, cinnamon tea with jaggery, cinnamon coffee, rice puddings in cooker, pan cakes, fruit salsa salad, fruit muffins mix with dry fruits like raisins and walnuts, hot choco drink, hot chocolate cakes and much more

you can also make vegetable broth and soups with it added in them to get relief in fever, cold and similar types of issues.

This is a brief overview of the most common ways Cinnamon is used and the available substitutes. Make sure you continue reading or scroll down to read our detailed guide on all kinds of substitutes for Cinnamon.

Frequently asked questions about cinnamon

What is the benefit of cinnamon for you?

Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants that are an essential component of the diet. They help neutralize free radicals and prevent them from destroying cells in the body. Cinnamaldehyde also contains antibacterial properties that could help slow the growth of cancerous cells.

Does cinnamon improve fertility?

Taking cinnamon supplements can aid in re-starting the menstrual cycles of women who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is a typical reason for female infertility.

What can cinnamon cure?

Certain people take cinnamon supplements to help treat digestion issues such as diabetes, lack of appetite, and many other problems. It is also used in traditional medicine to treat bronchitis.

What do I have to use when I don’t have any cinnamon sticks?

If you don’t own cinnamon sticks, you can substitute powdered cinnamon and adjust to increase the intensity. The other choices listed in this article are fantastic alternatives to cinnamon sticks.