Move over cinnamon sugar, cardamom sugar is going to be your new favorite spiced sugar for your baking goods! Sweet and spicy with a hint of warmth, this is an easy and tasty finishing sugar for rolling your cookies in, dusting on top of baked treats, or using in my rough-puff rugelach. I’m showing you two methods to make it, either mixing ground cardamom with sugar or grinding up your own cardamom from the cardamom pods.

Cardamom sugar in a glass bowl over a pile of cardamom pods.

🌟 Why You’ll Love Cardamom Sugar

  • Amazing and unique flavor: Cardamom sugar is a comforting blend of cardamom and pure sugar, offering an aromatic and sweet-spicy flavor. I love the combination of warming spices with sweet sugar as the contrast adds dimension and extra taste sensation.
  • Ideal cinnamon sugar substitute: You can use this sugar in any of the ways you’d typically use cinnamon sugar. I find myself opting for cardamom sugar over cinnamon sugar 90% of the time.
  • Incredibly versatile: There are too many amazing ways to use this sugar in your holiday baking, which I’ll elaborate on later in the post!

🧾 Ingredients in This Recipe

Cardamom pods next to ground cardamom and white sugar.
  • Ground cardamom OR cardamom pods – You can use fresh, ground cardamom from a jar or you can grind your own cardamom seeds from the pods.
  • White sugar – Use white granulated sugar to mix with the cardamom spice. You don’t want the sugar crystals to be too big or the ground cardamom will fall to the bottom of your jar.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

👩‍🍳How to Make This Recipe

Using ground cardamom

This will give you a strong cardamom sugar with tiny bits of cardamom in it.

A pile of cardamom seeds next to a pile of cardamom husks.
  • If using fresh cardamom pods, remove them from the pod and add the seeds to a grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind until they make a smooth powder. If using ground cardamom, skip to the next step.
A small glass bowl filled with sugar and topped with ground cardamom next to a pile of cardamom husks.
  • Mix one part ground cardamom with 4 parts white sugar until it is completely combined and looks even. e.g. Mix 1 tablespoon of ground cardamom with 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 cup: 4 cups, etc.

Store the sugar in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place, and it will last for 6 months to a year. The airtight container helps prevent moisture and air from getting to the sugar and affecting its freshness. If you notice that the sugar is starting to clump or lose its smell, it may be a sign that it’s no longer fresh. Discard it when the cardamom scent fades or if the sugar moistens.

🥗 Creative Ways to Use Cardamom Sugar

Sweet

  • Sprinkle on pastries: Add this sugar to pie crusts, scones, or even coffee cakes before baking for a sweet, crunchy bite.
  • Use in cookies: Mix it into cookie dough or roll your cookie dough balls in the cardamom sugar to give them a spiced twist. These cardamom ghee cookies would be perfect!
  • Make cardamom rolls instead of cinnamon rolls: Replace regular sugar with cardamom sugar in your cinnamon roll filling.
  • In coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Stir it into hot beverages like coffee or tea for a sweet touch.
  • Oatmeal: Sprinkle on top of oatmeal, porridge, or yogurt for a burst of flavor.
  • Pancakes, waffles, or French toast: Dust over pancakes, waffles, or on my challah french toast.
  • Ice cream topping: Sprinkle it on your favorite ice cream for a quick dessert upgrade.
Cardamom and sugar mixed together in a glass bowl with a metal spoon.

🍡 More Sweet Recipes

From finishing sugar to show-stopping baked goods, I have all the sweet recipes you could dream of.

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Cardamom sugar in a glass bowl over a pile of cardamom pods.
Author: Candice Walker

Cardamom Sugar

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Sweet and spicy with a hint of warmth, cardamom sugar is an easy substitute for any recipe calling for cinnamon sugar.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Persian
Diet: Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 5
Calories: 41kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ground cardamom or approx. 30 cardamom pods
  • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

  • If using fresh cardamom pods, crack open the husk to remove the seeds from the pod and add the seeds to a grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind until they make a smooth powder. If using ground cardamom, skip to the next step.
  • Mix one tablespoon ground cardamom with 4 tablespoons white sugar until it is evenly combined.

Notes

If using cardamom pods, you can crack open the husk using a knife or poke them open with a fork.
This recipe uses a 1 part ground cardamom : 4 part granulated sugar 1:4 ratio. You can make 1 tablespoon : 4 tablespoons, 1 cup : 4 cups, etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 0.3mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

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