You can use cinnamon instead of allspice at a ratio of 1:1. Cinnamon can replace allspice at a 1:1 ratio, and the dish turns sweeter and simpler for it. Allspice tastes like a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, so cinnamon gives you one third of the flavour and the dish loses the other two thirds, which matters more in some recipes than in others.

All amounts in this guide are approximate. Taste as you go, adjust to your dish, and verify with a kitchen scale where weighing matters, because a spoonful can vary with how full it is and how finely the ingredient is ground.

The ratio, in a table

The table below scales the swap from the smallest amount to a full batch. The rule never changes: 1:1.

Allspice called for Cinnamon to use Notes
1/4 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp cinnamon Start here for a first try
1/2 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice 1 tsp cinnamon The most common amount
1 tbsp allspice 1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp allspice 2 tbsp cinnamon Taste before adding more

Worked examples

A Jamaican jerk marinade

A jerk marinade recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of allspice, the defining spice of Jamaican cooking. Use 1 tablespoon of cinnamon instead, mixed with the chillies, garlic and thyme. The marinade turns sweeter and less complex, because allspice gives jerk its warm, peppery depth, and cinnamon alone cannot give that. It is still a good marinade, especially with a pinch of nutmeg added, but it is not jerk, and the chicken will taste like a spiced roast rather than a Jamaican grill.

A spiced apple cake

A spiced apple cake recipe asks for 1 teaspoon of allspice in the batter. Swap in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, sifted into the flour the same way. The cake turns sweeter and more familiar, with the warm flavour that most people associate with apple cake. It loses the complexity that allspice gives, but apple and cinnamon are a classic pair, so the cake tastes complete and no one will miss the allspice.

A batch of gingerbread men

A gingerbread recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of allspice alongside the ginger and cinnamon. Use 1/2 teaspoon of extra cinnamon instead, bringing the total cinnamon to the recipe's full amount plus a half teaspoon. The biscuits turn sweeter and less complex, but gingerbread is already a blend of spices, so the loss is small. The biscuits still taste like gingerbread, and the children will not notice the difference.

What changes in the result

The flavour turns sweeter and simpler, because allspice is a complex spice that tastes like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together, while cinnamon gives only the sweet, woody third of that blend. A cake made with cinnamon alone tastes cleaner and more familiar; a cake made with allspice tastes deeper and more mysterious. The colour lightens slightly, and the aroma turns sweeter. The texture does not change. The dish loses complexity, which matters most in recipes where allspice is the star, such as jerk seasoning, and matters least in a spiced cake, where cinnamon is already present.

When not to substitute

Do not swap a hot spice for a sweet one (or the reverse) without tasting — the dish changes completely. If the recipe depends on allspice for its defining flavour or structure, do not make the swap at all. Buy the missing ingredient instead, because a substitution that changes the dish into something else is not a substitution worth making.

Where it works best, and where it does not

Cinnamon shines as an allspice substitute in spiced cakes, apple dishes, gingerbread and any recipe where cinnamon is already present, because the loss of complexity is small. It is at its best in sweet baking, where cinnamon belongs anyway. It fails in jerk seasoning, in Caribbean cooking and in any dish where allspice is the defining flavour, because the dish loses its identity without it. For those dishes, use a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves, which comes much closer to allspice than cinnamon alone.

How to use it well

Use the same amount, 1:1, and add it at the same point as the allspice. If the recipe is one where allspice is important, add a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves alongside the cinnamon, which rebuilds the allspice flavour: roughly equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg with a smaller amount of cloves. Taste before serving, and if the dish tastes too sweet, add a pinch of black pepper, which restores some of the warmth that allspice would have given. Store ground cinnamon in a sealed jar away from light, and replace it yearly.

A last tip for this swap

One more thing worth knowing: when cinnamon replaces allspice in a jerk-style marinade, add a pinch of ground nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves alongside it, which rebuilds the allspice flavour that cinnamon alone cannot give. Mix the spices into the chillies, garlic and thyme, and leave the meat in the marinade overnight, because the spices need time to penetrate. The chicken will not taste like true jerk, but it will taste like a good spiced grill, and the marinade will be far closer than cinnamon alone.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use cinnamon instead of allspice?

Yes, at a 1:1 ratio, in spiced cakes, apple dishes and gingerbread. Cinnamon gives the sweet, woody third of allspice's flavour, but not the nutmeg and clove notes, so the dish will taste simpler. Do not use it in jerk seasoning or Caribbean dishes where allspice is the star; use a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves there instead.

How much cinnamon replaces allspice?

The same amount, 1:1. A recipe calling for 1 teaspoon of allspice needs 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a recipe calling for 1 tablespoon of allspice needs 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. If the dish needs the full allspice flavour, add a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cloves alongside the cinnamon.

What does allspice taste like?

Like a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, which is why it got its name. It is warm, sweet and slightly peppery, with a complexity that no single spice matches. It is the defining spice of Jamaican cooking, and it appears in Caribbean, Middle Eastern and European baking. A single allspice berry, ground, gives the flavour of three spices at once.

Can I make allspice from cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves?

Yes, near enough. Mix equal parts ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg with half as much ground cloves, and you have a blend that tastes very close to allspice. It is not identical, because allspice has its own character, but it is far closer than cinnamon alone. Use the blend 1:1 wherever the recipe calls for allspice.

Is allspice the same as mixed spice?

No. Allspice is a single spice, the dried berry of a Jamaican tree, while mixed spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and sometimes coriander, used in British baking. Mixed spice can replace allspice 1:1 in a cake, because it contains allspice, but allspice cannot replace mixed spice, because it is only one of its parts.

Related links