Out of Allspice? Here Are the Best Substitutes

It’s a kitchen nightmare when you’re halfway through baking your favorite pumpkin bread and realize you’re out of allspice. Despite its name, allspice isn’t a spice blend, but a single spice derived from a berry. While you can’t exactly mix up your own allspice, there are several common spices in your cupboard that can stand in as worthy replacements.

What Exactly Is Allspice?

Allspice gets its name from its aromatic scent, which blends hints of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Surprisingly, it’s not a spice mix but rather the dried berry of a tropical tree. Once harvested, the unripe berries are fermented, dried, and then ready for use in either whole or ground form.

Allspice often works in the background of spice mixes, helping to create the signature flavors of blends like pumpkin pie spice, chai, or jerk chicken. Like whole peppercorns, whole allspice berries are typically used to infuse flavor into dishes, then removed before serving. Ground allspice, on the other hand, is used just like other warm spices such as cinnamon or cloves.

What Is the Flavor of Allspice?

Allspice is a key ingredient in spiced flavor profiles, often paired with other warming spices. It has a flavor profile similar to cinnamon, offering warmth with a subtle spicy kick and earthy undertones, making it especially popular in fall and winter dishes.

While allspice is often associated with the familiar trio of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, it also shines in savory dishes. It’s a key element in Jamaican jerk seasoning and frequently appears in garam masala, sausage blends, ham glazes, and pickling brines. Just a pinch can bring warmth and complexity to savory recipes, pairing beautifully with hearty fall ingredients like butternut squash, sage, rosemary, fennel, and celeriac. Whole allspice berries are also used to infuse flavor into apple cider, mulled wine, meat brines, and sauces.

Top Allspice Substitutes

Cloves

Cloves and allspice are commonly found together in recipes due to their similar flavor profiles. While cloves have a more intense, pungent flavor with a numbing quality, they share the earthy warmth of allspice. Cloves are sharper, so if substituting, use half the amount of cloves as allspice. Whole cloves can also replace whole allspice berries in recipes that require steeping, such as mulled wine or pickling brines.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg and allspice share a mild, warming flavor, making them easy to swap. Freshly grated nutmeg is a great alternative to allspice in savory dishes like sausage, as it provides a similar earthy depth. This substitution also works in sweet recipes, as nutmeg, cloves, and allspice often pair together. For ground versions, simply substitute equal amounts of ground nutmeg for ground allspice.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is often the best substitute for allspice in sweet recipes, particularly when allspice is part of a spice mix used in treats like pumpkin bread, apple cider, or apple crisp. Since cinnamon is a pantry staple, it’s a go-to replacement. Although cinnamon is milder than allspice, use one heaping teaspoon of ground cinnamon for each teaspoon of ground allspice for the best balance of flavor.

Peppercorns

For savory dishes where allspice is used whole, such as pickling brines or certain marinades, black peppercorns are a great alternative. Simply swap an equal amount of whole black peppercorns for whole allspice berries.