The ground seeds of green cardamom pods, intensely aromatic with a cool eucalyptus and citrus quality driven by cineole and terpinyl acetate.
What it does in a recipe: A high floral perfume used in both sweet and savoury cooking, from Scandinavian buns to Indian rice and coffee. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Green cardamom, Elaichi
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Spicescategory
Quick answer
Whole green cardamom pods
1 tsp ground cardamom = seeds from 10 to 12 green pods, ground
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4 ways to replace ground cardamom
Whole green cardamom pods
Closest match
1 tsp ground cardamom = seeds from 10 to 12 green pods, ground
Each pod holds a small cluster of seeds, and roughly a dozen pods worth of seed grinds down to a teaspoon of powder.
MethodCrush the pods, discard the papery husks, and grind only the black seeds. Whole bruised pods can go into a simmering liquid instead and be fished out.
Trade-offFar more fragrant than pre-ground cardamom, which loses its volatile oils faster than almost any other spice.
Allergen checkGaram masala is a manufactured blend and formulations differ; some contain wheat flour as a bulking agent and many are packed alongside allergens. Read the label before cooking gluten-free, and treat a serious allergy as a question for the producer.
Worth knowing
Ground cardamom goes stale unusually fast. Buying pods and grinding as needed is the single biggest quality improvement available in this part of the spice rack.
At a glance
Ground cardamom in summary
Ground cardamom at a glance: category, its job in a recipe, the diets it suits, the diets its substitutes can satisfy, and how many substitutes there are.
Can I use whole green cardamom pods instead of ground cardamom?
1 tsp ground cardamom = seeds from 10 to 12 green pods, ground. Each pod holds a small cluster of seeds, and roughly a dozen pods worth of seed grinds down to a teaspoon of powder. Far more fragrant than pre-ground cardamom, which loses its volatile oils faster than almost any other spice.
Can I use cinnamon and nutmeg instead of ground cardamom?
1 tsp ground cardamom = 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg. This does not reproduce cardamom's cineole note, but it covers the warm-aromatic role cardamom plays in a sweet dough or a spiced drink. Warm rather than cool and floral. Cardamom's distinctive high perfume is simply absent.
Can I use ground ginger and a pinch of cinnamon instead of ground cardamom?
1 tsp ground cardamom = 1/2 tsp ground ginger + 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. Ginger is cardamom's botanical cousin and shares part of its warm resinous base, with cinnamon rounding out the sweetness. Pungent where cardamom is perfumed. Acceptable in a chai-style blend, unconvincing in a Scandinavian bun.
Can I use garam masala instead of ground cardamom?
1 tsp ground cardamom = 1 tsp garam masala. Cardamom is a core component of most garam masala, so the flavour is present, sitting inside a broader warm-spice mix. Brings cumin, coriander and pepper with it, which suits a curry and rules out any sweet application.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.