Last Updated on March 27, 2023 by Toya
Check out the best mace substitute plus 9 other tried and true ways to substitute for mace in a pinch!
Mace is a warm, nutty, floral spice with a mild nutmeg flavor and an intensely floral aroma. Depending on where you get your mace from, or how long you’ve had it, you may also perceive peppery and lemon-like notes.
Mace is used to make baked goods like pumpkin pie, old-fashion donuts, and cakes as well as savory sauces, cream sauces, vegetables, curries, soups, etc.
If you’re making a recipe that calls for mace, the best option is always to use mace itself, especially if it is a prominent ingredient in the recipe.
However, if you don’t have, can’t make a grocery store run, or just don’t want to do so, here are a few options worth checking out.
What is the best way to substitute for mace seasoning?
The best substitutes for mace seasoning are:
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground allspice
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Apple pie spice
- Ground mixed spice
- Ground ginger
- Mace blades
- Whole nutmeg seeds
- Whole cinnamon sticks
None of the ingredients here will 100% replace the flavor of mace in your recipe, but they do make good substitutes in the absence of ground mace.
Common ways to substitute for ground mace
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed while mace is the arils or blades of the Myristica fragrans Houtt tree(1). Therefore, If you have no mace spice, but you can get your hands on nutmeg, this spice will make an excellent substitute for ground mace.
Nutmeg is also easier to find and will work just as well in almost all recipes that call for mace. Nutmeg works exceptionally well as a mace substitute for baking. Nutmeg is also a great way to substitute for mace in soup.
Substitute the mace called for in your recipe with an equal amount of nutmeg or a 1:1 conversion ratio. Also, check out some easy nutmeg substitutes here.
I absolutely love nutmeg and always try to keep it stocked. If you're thinking of getting some I recommend The Spice Way's ground nutmeg. It smells amazing and has that unique, spicy nutmeg flavor that you'll appreciate.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is very popular compared to mace, so if you can get it, you can easily replace mace in many recipes. It works well because it is warm, sweet, and spicy and also has some notes of citrus.
Use cinnamon as a sub for mace in recipes like soups, baked goods, teas, etc.
Cinnamon is a stronger, more pungent spice, and it will slightly change the flavor of your recipe, so start by using less.
Substitute the mace called for in your recipe with a quarter of the amount of cinnamon or a 1:¼ conversion ratio then make adjustments if you personally need more. Do not start with a 1:1 conversion otherwise, you may overpower your recipe.
If you need to, read more about cinnamon spice and its substitutes here.
Pumpkin pie spice
If you have it, pumpkin pie spice can be used to add that warm, sweet, spicy flavor to bread, puddings, muffins, and donuts. Therefore, pumpkin pie spice is an amazing substitute for mace in baking. It also works quite well as a mace spice substitute in hot beverages.
Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of ground allspice, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg and encompasses all those warm, sweet spice flavors well.
Apple pie spice is stronger, and it will change the flavor of your recipe by adding more complexity to it. So, start by using less, then adjust to your taste.
Apple pie spice
Apple pie spice is another ideal substitute for mace spice that is very easy to come by.
It’s made with ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom, and ground allspice.
Therefore, you should expect this spice mix to be a lot more robust than mace.
Nonetheless, in a pinch, a little bit of apple pie spice can be used to add a nice warm flavor to your baked goods, pies, cakes, puddings, and even some beverages.
Start by using less apple pie spice so as not to overpower your recipe.
Ground mixed spice
If you don’t have mace, substitute it with some ground mixed spice. Whether store-bought or homemade, ground mixed spice is usually made with spices like ground cinnamon, ground coriander seed, ground caraway, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground allspice, and ground mace.
I find that ground mixed spice is a better substitute for cinnamon since cinnamon is the dominant spice in the blend. However, I recommend it as a mace alternative because it incorporates the flavors of all the warm spices. Plus the addition of ground mace and nutmeg is a plus and can only benefit a recipe that calls for mace.
Start with less, then adjust to your liking. Ground mixed spice is great for all baked treats, including cakes, pies, bread, cookies, pancakes, puddings, and even fruit salads.
A medley of warm, sweet, aromatic spices that can be used to make all sorts of baked treats, fruit salads and more.
Ground allspice
If you have some available, ground allspice can work well as a ground mace substitute. Allspice tastes like a combination of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon with an extra hint of black pepper and it is stronger than mace.
This makes it a great mace substitute for cooking both sweet and savory recipes. But, it can change the taste of your recipes slightly. Therefore, start by using less allspice, then adjust as needed.
I like to use ¼ teaspoon of allspice to replace 1 teaspoon of mace if I’m out of mace.
Ground ginger
A great substitution for mace is ground ginger.
Ginger powder has a pungent, slightly sweet, peppery, warm flavor with hints of lemon.
Its flavor will become milder as it cooks which means that ginger can work nicely in many recipes that call for mace like curries, baked goods, etc.
Ginger will slightly change the flavor of your recipe, but this isn’t a bad thing, especially if you don’t like mace.
Substitution ratio: 1 teaspoon of ginger to 1 teaspoon of mace.
Mace blades substitute
Whole nutmeg
Whole nutmeg can be used in place of mace blades. Start with a little bit less, then adjust as needed.
Whole cinnamon sticks
Another great substitute for mace blades is whole cinnamon sticks.
While whole cinnamon sticks resemble the warm flavor notes of mace blades, it is different and it is stronger. Therefore, it will change your recipe.
To avoid overpowering your recipe, and changing the recipe too much, begin by using half the amount, then adjust to your taste.
Substituting ground mace for mace blades or vice versa
Finally, while many people don’t mention it, mace blades can be used as an excellent substitute for ground mace and vice versa.
Use them at a 1:3 conversion. Meaning, if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of ground mace, use 1 tablespoon of mace blades instead.
You can also just grind the mace blades to make your own mace powder and substitute this at a 1:1 ratio. A spice grinder or a mortar and pestle makes grinding the mace blades into a powder very easy.