Green cardamom
KAR-duh-mum
Elettaria cardamomum
Floral, citrusy, sweet, cooling, aromatic.
What it is
Green cardamom is the dried seed pod of Elettaria cardamomum, a plant in the ginger family grown mainly in southern India and Guatemala. Each papery green pod holds small black seeds that carry an intense, complex aroma: floral and citrusy, sweet and cooling all at once. It is one of the most expensive spices by weight after saffron and vanilla, and a little carries a long way. Cardamom flavors Indian sweets and chai, Middle Eastern coffee, and Scandinavian baking. It should not be confused with black cardamom, a larger smoky pod that is a different spice with a different job.
Compare head to head
What it pairs with
Goes wrong with: delicate dishes where it would dominate.
Common in Indian, Middle Eastern, Moroccan cooking.
Whole vs ground
Whole pods keep the volatile oils sealed in and are best for steeping or for grinding fresh. Pre-ground cardamom is one of the fastest spices to lose its perfume, so grind from pods when you can.
How to handle it
Lightly crush whole pods to crack them, then add to rice, braises, or simmering milk and remove before serving. For baking, grind the small black seeds and discard the husk.
Storage
Store whole pods airtight and dark; they hold aroma for a year. Ground cardamom is best within a couple of months.
Buying note
Buy plump, green, unsplit pods that smell strongly when pressed. Pale or brown pods have lost their oils. Whole pods always beat pre-ground for freshness.
Classic dishes
masala chai, biryani, Arabic coffee, Scandinavian cardamom buns.
Out of green cardamom? Substitutes
No substitute is exact. These are the closest by flavor behavior, with the ratio to start from and how the result will differ.
| Use instead | Ratio | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| cinnamon plus a tiny pinch of ground clove | use a quarter as much, to taste | warm and sweet but missing the floral-citrus lift |
One odd thing
In parts of the Gulf, a few cardamom pods are added straight to the coffee pot, and offering cardamom coffee to a guest is a long-standing gesture of hospitality.