Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Cinnamon

Spices & seasonings · Whole spices

Cinnamon

Sweet, woody bark spice sold as sticks or ground; used in sweets, spice blends and savoury rice and meat dishes.

Also called: ground cinnamon, dalchini, tarçın, canela

A kind of spices

223 recipes with it

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

Photo: Simon A. Eugster, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of trees in the Cinnamomum genus. True (Ceylon) cinnamon has thin, papery, layered quills and a delicate taste; cassia is thicker, darker, harder and more pungent, and is what is often sold as cinnamon. It comes as sticks (whole) or ground powder, which are used quite differently.

Cinnamomum verum / C. cassia

How it’s used

  • Whole sticks fried in ghee for biryani and pulao
  • Ground in cakes, cinnamon rolls and porridge
  • Garam masala and baharat
  • Moroccan tagines and Mexican hot chocolate
  • Mulled drinks and chai

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, warm, woody.
Sold as
whole, ground
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning, Suitable for baking, Used for tempering (tadka)

Varieties

  • Ceylon (true) cinnamon
  • Cassia (Chinese, Indonesian, Saigon)

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight jar away from light; sticks keep their aroma much longer than the powder.

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
247 kcal
Protein
3.99 g
Carbohydrate
80.59 g
Fat
1.24 g
Fibre
53.1 g
Sugars
2.17 g

USDA FoodData Central: Spices, cinnamon, ground.

Substitutes

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

  • Allspice — In baking, use about half as much; tastes more clove-like.

Related ingredients

Recipes with cinnamon

See all 223

211 more

More whole spices