Nutmeg Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Nutmeg Is Doing

Out of nutmeg? Reach for mace first. It’s the lacy red covering around the nutmeg seed, so it comes from the same fruit and tops every substitute list we found. The catch: sources can’t agree on which of the two is stronger, so the amount takes some care. Past mace, cinnamon, a pie spice blend or garam masala can cover, depending on what nutmeg is doing in your dish.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side, plus a cautious starting point.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

Only one of the ratios we found comes from a kitchen test: America’s Test Kitchen’s mace trials. The rest are merchants’ and writers’ rules of thumb that don’t say how they got there.

If nutmeg is the warm, sweet spice in baking or a custard

1. Mace

Mace is the dried aril, the lacy red covering around the nutmeg seed, so the two come from the same fruit. The Spice House describes mace as more piquant and a bit less sweet than nutmeg.¹

Sources disagree about which one is stronger. America’s Test Kitchen says mace is much stronger than nutmeg.² McCormick says the opposite: nutmeg has a slightly more intense flavor and fragrance than mace.³ The Spice House calls mace “a touch sharper.”¹

Ratio (Disputed):

America’s Test Kitchen also reports that the swap amounts recommended by the brands it checked ran from 1/4 teaspoon to nearly 7/8 teaspoon of mace per teaspoon of nutmeg.² It doesn’t name the brands.

Starting point: Use half as much mace as the nutmeg called for, since that’s the tested figure. Then taste, and add more, up to an equal amount, if the dish needs it.

2. Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice

Both blends already contain nutmeg. McCormick’s pumpkin pie spice lists cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice; its apple pie spice lists cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.⁵⁶ Cinnamon comes first on both labels, so expect the result to taste mostly of cinnamon. The Spice House names both blends as nutmeg substitutes but doesn’t give an amount.⁷

Pumpkin pie spice ratio (Attributed): Healthline says to use the same amount in most recipes.⁴

Apple pie spice ratio (Attributed): Healthline says to use half as much, so the cinnamon doesn’t take over.⁴

3. Cinnamon

Cinnamon gives you warmth and sweetness, but not nutmeg’s own smell. Use it where nutmeg is one of several baking spices, not the star.

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says to start with half as much cinnamon as the nutmeg called for, then taste and add more.⁷ Healthline also says half.⁴

4. Allspice

Allspice got its name because it tastes like a combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.⁸ It has a clove note that nutmeg doesn’t have.

Ratio (Attributed): Healthline says to use an equal amount.⁴ The Spice House lists allspice as a substitute without an amount.⁷

If nutmeg is a pinch in a cream sauce or savory dish

Nutmeg goes into scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots and creamed spinach, and into cabbage and other sulfur-rich vegetables. In these dishes nutmeg sits in the background, and a pale spice keeps a white sauce looking clean.

1. Mace

America’s Test Kitchen found that its half-as-much-mace ratio held up in a béchamel seasoned at the last minute, though a few tasters found the nutmeg version slightly more peppery.² Use the same Disputed figures and starting point as above.

2. Black pepper, or leave it out

For lasagna, The Spice House lists black pepper, pumpkin pie spice and mace as options.⁷ Pie spice is a poor fit for most savory food because of the cinnamon.

Ratio (Method): Add a pinch of white or black pepper to taste, or just skip the nutmeg. In a cheese or cream sauce it’s a supporting note, and the dish will still work.

If nutmeg is one spice among many

1. Garam masala

Garam masala recipes vary a lot by region and by cook. Saveur’s version grinds a whole nutmeg in with cardamom, black cumin, pepper, cloves and cinnamon,⁹ but plenty of blends have no nutmeg at all, so check the label. The Spice House lists masala among its substitutes.⁷

Ratio (Attributed): Healthline says to use an equal amount of garam masala.⁴ It brings cumin, pepper and cardamom along, so only use it where those suit the dish.

2. Ginger

Ground ginger shares nutmeg’s warmth and not much else.

Ratio (Attributed): Healthline says to use an equal amount of ginger.⁴

3. Cloves

Cloves are strong-smelling, and hot and pungent in taste. Go easy.

Ratio (Attributed): Healthline says to use half as much.⁴

If you have whole nutmeg but the recipe says ground

This is less a substitute than a conversion, and it’s your best option if there’s a whole nutmeg in the cupboard.

Ratio (Computed): McCormick’s conversion is 1/2 whole nutmeg = 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg.¹⁰ That’s a volume figure for grating, not a measure of strength, and freshly grated nutmeg may taste stronger than an older jar of ground. Grate a little at a time and taste.

A note on safety

Recipe amounts of nutmeg are safe. The National Capital Poison Center says nutmeg isn’t dangerous when used as recommended, but too much can cause hallucinations, and it advises keeping both nutmeg and mace out of children’s reach.¹¹ Poison centers give different figures for what “too much” means:

Missouri puts one whole nutmeg at 6 to 7 g.¹³ The Tennessee Poison Center names myristicin and elemicin as the main compounds of concern.¹² If that’s why you’re avoiding nutmeg, mace won’t get you around it: its oil carries a higher share of the same aromatic ethers.¹⁴ More on too much nutmeg.

What isn’t known

• Sources disagree on whether mace or nutmeg is stronger, so even which way to adjust is unsettled.
• None of the sources we found says how much nutmeg is in a commercial pie spice or garam masala.

Related

• Nutmeg, mace and mace vs. nutmeg
• Mace substitutes, allspice substitutes, cinnamon substitutes
• Cinnamon vs. nutmeg, allspice vs. nutmeg, nutmeg vs. cloves
• Pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, garam masala, ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon
• Fresh vs. ground nutmeg, cooking with nutmeg, nutmeg uses, how to store nutmeg

Footnotes

1. “Mace Spice Explained”, The Spice House, 2024. thespicehouse.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. “Substutions for Mace”, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. McCormick Kitchens, “What is Mace: Uses, Substitutes and Recipes”, McCormick, 2025. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩ ↩²

4. Katey Davidson, “8 Great Substitutes for Nutmeg”, Healthline, 2019. healthline.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

5. McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice product page, McCormick & Company. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩

6. McCormick Apple Pie Spice product page, McCormick & Company. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩

7. “Nutmeg Substitute”, The Spice House, 2018. thespicehouse.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. “Allspice”, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩

9. “Garam Masala”, Saveur, 2014. saveur.com · Publication ↩

10. McCormick Kitchens, “How to Grind Your Own Spices”, McCormick, 2025. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩

11. Rose Ann Gould Soloway, “Kitchen surprises and cautions”, National Capital Poison Center. poison.org · Reference work ↩

12. Nena Bowman, “Nutmeg, a Potentially Uninvited Holiday Guest?”, Tennessee Poison Center, 2020. vumc.org · Reference work ↩ ↩²

13. “Nutmeg Abuse”, Missouri Poison Center, 2022 (updated 2026). missouripoisoncenter.org · Reference work ↩ ↩²

14. Production, handling and processing of nutmeg and mace, Section VI: Composition and constituents, FAO. fao.org · Reference work ↩

Also drawn on

• Production, handling and processing of nutmeg and mace and their culinary uses, Section III: Post harvest handling, FAO. fao.org
• Production, handling and processing of nutmeg and mace and their culinary uses, Introduction, FAO. fao.org
• How to make garam masala (GBC Kitchen, updated 14 Feb 2025), Great British Chefs. greatbritishchefs.com
• Clove (Britannica Editors, revised by Anoushka Pant, updated 4 Sep 2026), Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com
• McCormick Ground Nutmeg, 1.1 oz (product page), McCormick. mccormick.com
• Production, handling and processing of nutmeg and mace and their culinary uses, Section VII: Utilization of products, FAO. fao.org