Whether you are whipping up a sweet dessert or a savory dinner, allspice is the best ingredient for the job. But what happens when you open the pantry door only to find an empty bag?
If you are looking for an excellent allspice substitute, you are in the right place. This article will provide you with eight different spices you can use as an allspice alternative.
Now, let’s take a deep dive into each of these spices and how you can use them instead of allspice berries.
What are Allspice Berries?
Allspice (or the Jamaican Pepper) is a berry found in the West Indies and Central America. The name “allspice” is a little misleading for many, with the idea that the product is a bunch of species combined.
Most people use the powdered version. But you can put the berry itself into many dishes for a fantastic The dried allspice berry often adds a robust and warm taste to every recipe it touches..flavor.
So, How Does Allspice Taste?
Allspice offers a sweet yet savory flavor, with a slew of other tastes mixed in. This ingredient has a similar profile to nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
Allspice berries have an intense flavor that can’t be beat. Be that as it may, you can still find ingredients to use when allspice isn’t available.
So, what tastes similar to allspice? While doing a little research, we found eight excellent substitutes for allspice. All of which offer unique flavors that can do wonders in various recipes.
8 Allspice Berry Substitutes
1. Ground Allspice is the Best Option
It’s self explanatory why ground allspice is the best substitute for allspice berries.
Ground allspice is, in fact, the actual berry dried out and ground up into a powder form. Nutmeg is a fabulous option; it offers the same great flavors but is easier to work with and store.
How to substitute ground:
- Use ½ TBSP in place of 6 whole allspice berries
2. Nutmeg is Another Great Substitute for Allspice Berries
If you don’t have allspice berries and need something with an earthy, warm flavor, nutmeg is an option.
Nutmeg is a seed from the tropical Nutmeg tree. Once you grind the seeds, it becomes a strong, distinctive spice. The recipe will have an intense aroma and a slightly sweet taste.
How to substitute nutmeg for allspice berries:
- Use ½ the amount of nutmeg for the total amount of allspice berries (six berries or ½ TBSP of ground allspice.)
Learn more: Top 9 Great Alternatives To Nutmeg
3. Cinnamon Works Great in Baked Goods
Cinnamon is the product of a South East Asian tree after peeling, drying, and rolling the bark. It is often used for its strong aromatic benefits as well as a flavor additive.
Cinnamon provides a similar sweet flavor as allspice berries and tastes terrific. Unlike allspice, cinnamon does not offer the same peppery flavor. You can add a little black pepper to the recipe to correct this.
How to substitute cinnamon for allspice berries:
- Most recipes can use the same amount of allspice berry as cinnamon. (1TBSP for six whole allspice berries.)
4. Ground Clove
Cloves are the leaves of an Indonesian tropical tree. After you dry the leaves, you can grind them up into a powder and produce a warm aroma and unique flavor in many dishes.
You can use ground cloves in almost any dessert to get a very similar taste to allspice. What you won’t get is the peppery undertone.
How to substitute ground cloves for allspice berries:
- Use ¾ TBSP of ground cloves for six whole allspice berries. (If you don’t get the outcome you were looking for, you can add a little more in the end.)
Learn more: The Best Cloves Substitute for Sweet and Savory Dishes
5. Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of common spices. It frequently comes in a combination of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Some brands also use allspice in their recipe.
Pumpkin pie spice is a perfect flavor mixture in pumpkin pie. But it can also work well with other dishes to provide an interesting taste.
While pumpkin pie spice is a good substitute for allspice berries, it lacks a peppery flavor. You can replicate this using black pepper.
How to substitute pumpkin pie spice for allspice berries:
- Use ½ TBSP of pumpkin pie spice for six whole allspice berries.
6. Star Anise Works Well in Stews and Curries
Star Anise is a seed pod from an evergreen shrub in Southwest China. This ingredient provides a sweet, mild licorice flavor with a warm spicy undertone. It also has a similar strong fragrance.
As an allspice substitute, you should use star anis in dishes such as stews, soups, and curries. Use this option in dishes where the strong smell and flavor won’t overpower the other ingredients.
How to substitute Star Anise for allspice berries:
- Due to its overpowering taste, you want to add ¼ Star Anise in place of 6 whole allspice berries.
Learn more: Top 10 Star Anise Substitutes You Can Try
7. Apple Pie Spice is a Warm and Sweet Option
Like pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice is a mixture of spices to create a unique and bold flavor in many recipes.
Most brands of apple pie spice use a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Allspice is a common element in this ingredient, so it only makes sense to use it whenever you run out of the real deal.
How to substitute apple pie spice for allspice berries:
- Use equal parts apple pie spice to Allspice berries. Use ½ TBSP of apple pie spice for six whole allspice berries.
8. 5 Spice Powder is an Excellent Option
Five spice powder is a combination of 5 Chinese inspired spices. It can add flavor to various recipes and provides a similar flavor profile as allspice. These spices include pepper, star anise, fennel, cloves, and cinnamon.
Five spice powder is often considered the Chinese version of allspice. For that reason, it is an excellent substitute in many recipes. The most common ways to use five spice powder is as a rub or marinade or to flavor roasted poult, fish, and other meat.
How to substitute five spice powder for allspice berries:
- Use equal parts five spice powder for allspice berries. Use ½ TBSP 5 spice powder for six whole allspice berries.
Up Next: The Best Chinese 5 Spice Powder Substitutes List!
How to Use Allspice Berries
Many people use allspice berries to add a sweet, unique taste to many recipes. It is often added in its whole form. It is more common to add this specific ingredient to dishes that include water, such as:
- Gravy
- Brine
- Soups
- Stock
- Stew
- Sauces
- Drinks
When using allspice while baking, you will find it more common to go for the ground version.
If you are looking for fabulous recipes that use allspice berries, consider one of the options below.
Our Favorite Allspice Berry Recipes to Try
- Holiday Cranberry Sauce: Are you interested in a delicious holiday side dish? If so, click here for this allspice berry cranberry sauce.
- Pickled Red Onions: Are you looking for something delicious to try with leftover onions? Click here for a fabulous allspice berry pickle recipe.
- Incredible Turkey Brine: If you are looking for a fantastic way to moisten your turkey try this brine. Click here for a unique turkey brine made with whole allspice berries.
- Authentic Cincinnati Chili: Who doesn’t love a great chili recipe? Click here for chili that needs whole allspice berries.
- Mulling Spiced Vodka: What better way to warm up during the holidays than with a fantastic vodka? Click here for a delicious allspice vodka recipe you are going to love.
These are only a few fantastic recipes we found using allspice berries. You can find recipes like this and more simply searching the web.
Remember, just because you don’t have allspice berries on hand doesn’t mean you can enjoy these recipes. Use one of the substitutes for allspice berries we provided above in place of the berries.
If you don’t want to use a recipe, you can experiment with allspice berries on your own. There are many unique creations out there waiting on discovery.
FAQs
Conclusion
Allspice berries are an excellent ingredient for many dishes. If you don’t have allspice berries, but your recipe calls for it, use one of the options listed below.
These substitutes for allspice berries include: Ground allspice, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ground Clove, Pumpkin pie spice, Star Anis, Apple pie spice and Five spice powder.
All substitutes are great ways to get a similar flavor you might already have on hand.
