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Cardamom

Spices & seasonings · Whole spices

Cardamom

Green cardamom pods with sticky black seeds and a sweet, floral, eucalyptus-like aroma.

Also called: green cardamom, cardamom pods, elaichi, kakule, hel

A kind of spices

156 recipes with it

Read the full spice guide: flavour, history and how to use it

Photo: Silar, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

Green cardamom comes as small, pale green, papery pods holding clusters of sticky black seeds. The aroma is intensely floral, citrusy and slightly minty. Pods are bruised and used whole in rice, curries and chai, or the seeds are crushed for sweets. Black cardamom is a different, larger, smoky pod.

Elettaria cardamomum

How it’s used

  • Whole pods in biryani, pulao and korma
  • Crushed into chai and coffee
  • Kheer, halwa and Scandinavian buns
  • Garam masala
  • Arabic coffee (qahwa)

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, floral, warm, a little minty.
When cooked
Bruise pods before using so the seeds release their oils; whole pods are not eaten.
Sold as
whole, ground
Cooking uses
Used for tempering (tadka), Mainly a seasoning, Suitable for baking

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Keep pods in an airtight jar; they hold their aroma far longer than ground cardamom.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
311 kcal
Protein
10.76 g
Carbohydrate
68.47 g
Fat
6.7 g
Fibre
28 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Spices, cardamom.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with cardamom

See all 156

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