The 4 Best Substitutes for Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been a staple spice in hundreds of cuisines for thousands of years. If you've ever seen a cinnamon stick, it probably comes as no surprise that cinnamon comes from the bark of a genus of trees.

The two most common types are Ceylon and Vietnamese cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon, a.k.a. Vietnamese cinnamon, is probably what's in your spice cabinet right now. It's abundant, easy to grow, and cheaper to produce. Ceylon is often referred to as "true cinnamon" and is actually the milder of the two. It's much more expensive and not as common as Vietnamese cinnamon.

Reasons for Seeking a Cinnamon Substitute

Cinnamon is a common spice that most of us usually keep on hand. But even the most prepared cook runs out of things sometimes. If you're fresh out but still want to make that apple crisp, you'll need some cinnamon swaps.

Cinnamon is a common allergen in the spice world, so if you or someone in your family has a cinnamon allergy, these swaps can help you make your favorite recipes safely. Some pregnant or lactating people choose not to eat cinnamon in excess, so if you're avoiding it for this reason, swaps can really come in handy.

What Does Cinnamon Taste Like?

Cinnamon tastes like sweet fall treats. It tastes like apple crisp, pumpkin spice lattes, and gingerbread. But cinnamon also tastes like Indian garam masala, Greek pastitsio, and Moroccan tagine. Cinnamon is a versatile warming spice that feels warm and spicy on the palette. Behind the spice is a slightly sweet note with an earthy, woody flavor. Cinnamon is a bark, after all. It can be bitter in high concentrations, and when food is overloaded with cinnamon, it can feel chalky or gritty.

Get the recipe: Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Best Cinnamon Substitutes

Nutmeg

Besides cinnamon, nutmeg is the largest contributing flavor to what we recognize as fall and wintery sweet spice blends. Nutmeg has a nuttier taste than cinnamon but shares its warming nature and slight earthy tinge. Nutmeg is a perfect one-to-one swap for ground cinnamon in sweet baking recipes like Aunt Anne's Coffee Cake or Hungarian Cinnamon Swirl Bread, where cinnamon is the main spice, but there's room for reinterpretation. Nutmeg doesn't work well as a substitute for whole cinnamon sticks.

Cloves

Cinnamon and cloves are both warming spices that are used together often in dessert recipes. Cloves have an almost numbing astringency that's slightly different from cinnamon's warming spiciness. The compounds in cloves are more robust, so use half as much when using ground cloves instead of ground cinnamon.

Cloves love orange, so recipes like cinnamon streusel orange muffins are the perfect time to utilize this swap. Whole cloves can also be swapped for whole cinnamon sticks when the spices are steeped like in mulled wine. For every cinnamon stick, use a teaspoon of whole cloves.

Allspice

In savory recipes that call for cinnamon, like butternut squash soup, allspice is the best swap because it has a spicier savoriness that can easily stand in for cinnamon in a one-to-one swap. For meat, rubs often contain cinnamon and other spices to make savory spice blends for ribs or pulled pork. Cinnamon is paired with savory flavors and more traditionally savory spices in many cuisines worldwide. One of the most well-known is spice blends to make dishes like our heavily spiced Moroccan chicken.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you happen to have this spice blend kicking around in your cabinet, you're in luck. Most premade pumpkin pie spice is mostly cinnamon. This is the perfect swap in, well, pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. If you're working with a recipe that calls for the blend of spices found in your pumpkin pie spice, just add up the volume of all the spices called for and use that amount of premade pumpkin pie spice blend.

Choosing the Right Substitute for Your Needs

Cinnamon is not only delicious but many laud it for its health benefits. Some studies may support claims that cinnamon can have anti-inflammatory properties, improve circulation, and possibly help lower cholesterol. Some swaps won't measure up if you like eating cinnamon for its health benefits. Cloves have the most health benefits out of these swaps, so depending on what you're looking for, this might be your best bet.

Related:

• 25 Cinnamon Desserts to Keep You Cozy
• 15+ Cinnamon Cakes To Spice Up Your Baking Routine
• Dollywood Shared How To Make Their Famous Cinnamon Bread — Here's the Recipe