Cooking with spices is fabulous, that is, until you don’t have the spice you want or need. If you’re mid-way through a recipe and realize you’re missing a key spice, you can often substitute other spices in its place and get a similar flavor.
Here’s a list of common spices and the substitutions that will replicate their flavor.
No more abandoned recipes or groveling to your neighbor about needing a ½ teaspoon of a seldom-used spice.
For a comprehensive list of popular spice questions posed by readers check out our resources section.
| Spice | Substitution |
|---|---|
| Allspice | cinnamon, cassia, dash of nutmeg, mace or a dash of cloves |
| Aniseed | fennel seed or anise extract |
| Cardamom | ginger |
| Chili powder | dash of bottled hot pepper sauce plus oregano and cumin |
| Cinnamon | nutmeg or allspice (use ¼ the amount) |
| Cloves | cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger |
| Cumin | chili powder |
| Ginger | allspice, cinnamon, mace or nutmeg |
| 1 teaspoon fresh chopped ginger | ¼ teaspoon ground ginger |
| Mace | allspice, cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg |
| 1 tablespoon prepared mustard | 1 teaspoon ground mustard (in cooked dishes) |
| 1 tablespoon prepared mustard | ½ teaspoon ground mustard plus 2 teaspoons vinegar (in cold or uncooked dishes) |
| Nutmeg | cinnamon, ginger or mace |
| Saffron | dash of turmeric |
| 1 teaspoon apple pie spice | ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg plus ⅛ teaspoon allspice |
| 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice | ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon ground ginger plus ⅛ teaspoon EACH ground cloves and ground nutmeg |
9 Comments
“Great post! I think I might print this out and put it on my fridge.”
—Stephanie - Wasabimon, over 2 years ago
“This is a great chart that everyone who cooks and doesn't remember to stock up on spices needs to have.
Thank you.”
—Jill, The Veggie Queen, over 2 years ago
“This is so helpful. Thank you!”
—Tesia - FlavorDiva.com, over 2 years ago
“What a useful post! Whenever I try and cook anything a bit different (admittedly from a recipe book!) I invariably don't have the right spices to hand. With this info I'll at least have an idea what to use instead. Thanks.”
—TobyH, over 2 years ago
“Thank you for the suggestions! I never seem to know what to do with spices and this is a great substitution list. I need to stock up my spice rack!!”
—Kirsten, over 2 years ago
“this is a HUGE help! thank you so much! no more buying $5 bottles of a spice i'll never use again. thank you!”
—aleasa, about 1 year ago
“thank you so much for this site!!!!!!!!!!! This is the second time a dish i was preparing call for cumin and i did not have any. Thanks for the FYI”
—pam,2010, about 1 year ago
“JUST discovered your site - WONDERFUL! Thanks!”
—Mickie, 28 days ago
“Straight into the food section of my favourites! I shall be spreading the word about this great site.
Many thanks from UK”
—Tony, 17 days ago