Last Updated on July 30, 2023 by Toya
Check out the best cloves substitute plus 9 other amazing ways to substitute for cloves in a pinch with spices in your kitchen!
Cloves are a warm, aromatic spice made from the immature flower buds of the evergreen clove tree also known as Syzygium aromaticum.
Cloves have a spicy, sweet, woody, slightly bitter, and nutty flavor and are very popular in baking, seasonal beverages, hams, sauces, teas, spice rubs, pickling or in recipes for pickling spice, and even in vegetables.
If you’re making a recipe that calls for cloves, the best option is always to wait until you have cloves before making that recipe, especially if cloves are a featured ingredient in that recipe.
Otherwise, there are some good alternatives for cloves that can work in a pinch and I’ll share them below.
Cloves are sold as whole dried flower buds and as a ground-up spice. Therefore, this post will focus on both ground cloves substitutes and whole cloves substitutes.
What are the best substitutes for cloves?
The best substitutes for cloves are:
- Whole cloves
- Allspice
- Mace
- Nutmeg
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Cardamon
- Cinnamon
- Apple pie spice
- Allspice berries
Common ways to substitute for ground cloves
Whole cloves
If you have them, whole cloves are the perfect whole cloves substitute. Whole cloves aren’t as versatile as ground cloves so it’s best if you use a spice grinder to grind the cloves into a powder.
Also, no matter how well it is stored, some of the essential oils in store-bought ground cloves will vaporize after a while causing them to lose some of their flavor. However, when you grind whole cloves yourself right before use, it offers the best flavor to your recipes! Generally, a 1:1 substitute for store-bought ground cloves to homemade ground cloves is ideal.
However, if you do not have a spice grinder – first of all grab a cheap spice grinder on Amazon. I recommend this handy spice grinder since it’s affordable and long-lasting.
Secondly, whole cloves can be used in a recipe that calls for ground cloves. Generally, if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, replace it with 1 ¼ teaspoon of whole cloves.
Allspice
If you don’t have cloves on hand but have allspice, then it can work just as well. Allspice is a spice derived from the berries of Pimenta dioica. Allspice can work as a good substitute for cloves because these two spices have similar flavors.
In fact, allspice has a flavor reminiscent of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon so it is more complex, but it adds similar warmth to recipes like stews, soups, pumpkin pies, pastries, curries, etc.
Ground allspice should be used on a 1-for-1 substitute for ground cloves. This means if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, replace it with 1 teaspoon of allspice. (Also read the best allspice alternatives here or learn how to make homemade allspice using 3 common spices!)
Mace
Mace is a warm spice that also works as a substitute for cloves. Mace has different flavor notes when compared to cloves, but in a pinch, you can use mace as a ground cloves alternative to adding warmth and spice to recipes like pumpkin pie, sauces, soups, vegetables, and baked goods.
Mace is an especially great sub for cloves if cloves is not a prominent flavor component of the dish.
Start by using a bit less. You can always use equal measures later on if you find the recipe needs it. (Also, read the best mace substitutes here!)
Nutmeg
If you can get your hands on some nutmeg, then you can use ground nutmeg to substitute cloves. Nutmeg can easily add warmth and spice to a lot of the same recipes cloves are used in like pies, soups, baked foods, and even sauces.
Start by using a bit less. You can always add equal measures if the recipe needs it. (Read more about easy nutmeg substitutes here!)
What’s more, nutmeg combined with other spices like cinnamon and cardamom can be used as a clove replacement in a pinch.
Pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger. Pumpkin pie spice offers a warm spicy and sweet flavor that works well in many sweet and savory recipes that usually call for cloves. What’s more, since pumpkin pie spice contains cloves in the mixture, it is an easy way to get those clove flavors into a dish (along with some other complex flavors) if you don’t have a jar of cloves on hand!
Want to make your own pumpkin spice blend? Check out my recipe for pumpkin pie spice without allspice here.
Cardamom
Cardamon makes an excellent ground cloves substitute when used in combination with other spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or even mace. Make a mixture with equal parts of each then use this as a 1 for 1 substitute for cloves.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, together with nutmeg is a great way to replace cloves in a pinch. Since all of those spices are used together in many dishes anyway, you’ll get the warm, sweet-spicy flavors you’re looking for quite easily. (Also, read more about other spices like cinnamon here!)
Apple pie spice
Apple pie spice is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and allspice. While apple pie spice mixes do not include any cloves, this spice mix makes a good alternative to cloves since it uses many of the spices that are typically used together with cloves to invoke warmth, spice, and sweetness to both savory and sweet dishes.
Substitute for whole cloves
If you’re looking for a great whole cloves substitute look no further.
Ground cloves
In a pinch, use some ground cloves to replace whole cloves in a recipe like ham for instance. Most ham recipes are made by insetting whole cloves all over the ham, then baking. If you only have ground cloves on hand, you can choose to use them to make a glazed ham with ground cloves. The flavors of cloves will be infused into the ham just as effectively as if you use whole cloves.
Conversion: 1 teaspoon of whole cloves = ¾ teaspoon of ground cloves
Whole allspice berries
Whole allspice berries have a flavor that reminds you of a combination of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. This makes allspice berries a great sub for whole cloves since it has notes of clove spice.