Substitutes for Cloves: Allspice First, and What to Do When You Need Whole Cloves

Out of cloves? Ground allspice is the closest match, because it shares the compound behind most of cloves’ strength, and two sources swap it one for one. Cinnamon with a little nutmeg works too, and so does pumpkin pie spice, as long as the label lists cloves or allspice. Which swap works best also depends on whether your recipe uses ground cloves in a batter or whole cloves steeped in a liquid. In a mulled cider or a studded ham, ground cloves don’t do the same job.

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.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

The clove ratios we found come from a merchant and a food writer, and neither says where its numbers came from.

Why allspice is the closest match

Allspice shares eugenol, the compound that dominates cloves. Britannica says allspice got its name because it tastes like a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.¹ Cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom get their aroma from different compounds.

If cloves are a warm spice in baking or a sauce

1. Ground allspice

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says to use allspice and cloves at a 1:1 ratio, because allspice has the same peppery notes.² A Couple Cooks also calls ground allspice a 1-for-1 substitute for ground cloves.³ Two sources agree, but neither says how they set the ratio.

2. Cinnamon and nutmeg together

The Spice House says a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg recreates the essence of cloves, with cinnamon balancing the bite of the nutmeg.² A Couple Cooks lists the pair as the next choice after allspice.³ Neither spice has much eugenol, so you’ll get a general warm-spice note, not a clove flavor.

Ratio (Method): Cloves are the stronger spice, so start with a combined amount a little below the cloves called for, about two parts cinnamon to one part nutmeg, and taste.

3. Pumpkin pie spice (check the label)

A Couple Cooks says pumpkin pie spice already contains cloves and suggests starting with an equal amount.³ That depends on the brand. McCormick’s pumpkin pie spice lists cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice, with no cloves.⁴ The Spice House makes the same point: pumpkin pie spice may not contain cloves, so make sure the mix includes allspice.²

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to start with an equal amount and adjust to taste.³ Use it only if the label lists cloves or allspice.

If cloves are warming a curry

Great British Chefs lists cloves among the spices commonly used in garam masala.⁵ If your recipe uses a few cloves alongside other whole or ground spices, The Spice House suggests curry powder, or its own mix of ground cumin and allspice.

Ratio (Attributed, blend): The Spice House recommends 4 parts ground cumin to 1 part allspice as a substitute for cloves and garam masala in curries.² It doesn’t say how much of the mix to use per clove, so add a pinch at a time and taste as the curry simmers.

If the recipe calls for whole cloves

Whole cloves get pushed into a ham or an orange, or simmered in mulled cider and then removed. A Couple Cooks says most recipes that call for whole cloves really need them: mulled cider made with ground cloves turns grainy, and you can’t replace cloves poked into oranges or meat with ground.³ If you have whole cloves and the recipe calls for ground, or the reverse, use a conversion.

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House and A Couple Cooks both say to use 3/4 teaspoon of ground cloves for every 1 teaspoon of whole cloves.²³ McCormick counts it another way: 3 whole cloves equal 1/4 teaspoon ground.⁶ The two rules use different units, and no source we found says how many cloves fill a teaspoon, so there’s no way to check one against the other.

You can’t fish ground cloves out of a liquid. In a mulled drink, a tea ball or a coffee filter tied with string keeps them contained. Whole allspice berries can stand in for whole cloves in a steeped liquid (about the same number, then taste).

If you have nothing suitable

When cloves are one of several spices, the dish will usually still work without them. Where cloves are the lead flavor, as in a clove-studded ham, nothing really replaces the whole spice.

What isn’t known

• No source gives the number of whole cloves in a teaspoon, so the McCormick count and the 3/4-teaspoon rule can’t be reconciled.
• You’ll often read that nutmeg is the best clove substitute and can be swapped 1:1. We couldn’t trace that, and nutmeg’s aroma comes from different compounds.
• No source we reviewed gives a ratio for cardamom in place of cloves.

Related

• Cloves, ground vs whole cloves, cooking with cloves, too much clove
• Allspice vs cloves, nutmeg vs cloves, cloves vs cinnamon, cardamom vs cloves, cloves vs star anise
• Allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala
• Allspice substitutes, nutmeg substitutes, pumpkin pie spice substitutes