What Are Allspice berries and How Can I Use Them?

If allspice berries have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 37 recipes to try them in.

What are allspice berries?

Allspice berries are the dried, unripe fruit of a Caribbean evergreen tree called Pimenta dioica. One small berry tastes like clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg at once, which is exactly where the English name comes from.

The berries are about the size of a peppercorn, reddish brown and hard as a pebble. You'll also see them sold as "Jamaica pepper" or "pimento," since Jamaica grows most of the world's crop and its warm climate gives the berries their deepest flavor.

How to Use Whole Allspice Berries

Whole berries do two jobs. They infuse a liquid slowly, or you grind them fresh for a far brighter hit than the pre-ground jar.

Drop a few whole into anything that simmers or steeps and then gets strained or eaten around. That's the move in a pot of Wassail Cider, where the berries mull with cinnamon and orange.

It's the same idea in pickling brines like Austrian Quick Pickled Red Onions and English Pickled Eggs, where the berries perfume the vinegar over days. Whole berries also give the brine for corned beef its backbone.

For anything that won't simmer long enough to soften them, grind the berries instead. A few seconds in a spice mill or a coffee grinder kept for spices turns them to a fragrant powder.

Freshly ground allspice is the backbone of Caribbean jerk. It drives the spice in Jamaican Jerked Chicken alongside the savory warmth of a Rosemary & Allspice Rub.

Cooking and Pairing

Allspice swings both sweet and savory, which is the whole reason to keep it around. On the baking side it deepens pumpkin pie, gingerbread, spice cake, and fruitcake, working in the same register as cinnamon and clove but with a rounder, slightly peppery edge.

On the savory side it anchors Caribbean and Latin cooking, Middle Eastern rice and meat dishes, and Northern European pickles and braises. It loves dark meats and game, warm vegetables like beets and squash, and tomato-based sauces. It even turns up in a Berbere Spice Mix.

The common mistake is treating it like cinnamon and pouring it in. Allspice is more pungent than it smells, and a heavy hand turns a dish medicinal fast. Start with about ¼ teaspoon ground in a dish for four and build from there.

Because clove is its loudest note, go easy whenever clove is already in the recipe.

Substitutes

No allspice in the cupboard? Mix equal parts ground cinnamon and ground cloves, then add a pinch of nutmeg, and use that blend measure for measure. The cinnamon carries the body, the clove supplies the signature bite, and the nutmeg rounds it out.

In a pinch, cinnamon and nutmeg alone will do, or pumpkin pie spice if the dish is already sweet and warm.

For whole berries in a brine or mulling pot, a few whole cloves plus a small cinnamon stick infuse in much the same way, though the result leans more sharply clove-forward.

Buying and Storing Allspice

Buy whole berries over ground whenever you can. Like all spices, allspice starts losing its volatile oils the moment it's milled, so a jar of pre-ground powder is often flat before you open it. Whole berries keep their punch far longer and let you grind only what a recipe needs.

Look for berries that are uniform and dark, and give the jar a sniff if you can: fresh allspice smells sweet and sharp at once. Store them airtight, away from heat and from the steam of the stove.

Whole berries hold good flavor for up to four years; once ground, use the powder within about a year.

A quick test for an old jar is to crush a single berry and smell it. If it reads faintly of cardboard instead of clove and cinnamon, it's time to replace it.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find allspice berries: Allspice berries are usually found in the spices section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Allspice berries are a member of the Spices and Herbs US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

五香粉浆果

British (UK) term

Allspice berries

en français

baies de piment de la Jamaïque

en español

bayas de pimienta de Jamaica

How much do allspice berries weigh?

Related

Spices and Herbs

Recipes using allspice berries

There are 37 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Garlic & Fava Beans Soup

A soup which is a combination of Mediterranean garlic soups with a 17th century East European fava beans soup. Quite good.

Pierogi with Veal Lung & Lentils Filling

My favorite pierogi are filled with the veal lung or the brown lentils. Why not to combine these ingredients into the one filling?

Spring Beet soup (Polish Botwina)

There are hundreds versions of this very Polish soup. Here you have an original proposition of mine. I used to cook it on the base of my favorite duck and chicken stock. The cream is a must to create wonderful pink color. Optionally you may add a quarter or a half of hard boiled egg to your bowl. By the way, I change my recipe sometimes, for instance by adding dried California prunes instead of sugar, or by adding some white vinegar instead of lemon juice.

Austrian Quick Pickled Red Onions

Austrian quick pickled red onions in an apple cider brine with bay leaf, allspice and peppercorns. Bright pink, sweet-tart and warmly spiced. Pile onto dark rye with paprika cheese, burgers, or fish tacos.

Irish Cabbage & Bacon

A simple yet flavorful and very hearty dish of Irish style cabbage and bacon. Only a few cost effective ingredients that turn into a flavorful dinner.

Pickled Sweet & Sour Fish

Pickled sweet and sour fish marinated in vinegar with peppercorns and allspice. Firm white fish coated in rye flour, pan-fried, then marinated up to 3 days.

Spicy Viennese Coffee

Strong coffee steeped with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice, then topped with sweetened whipped cream. A warming Viennese-style spiced coffee for chilly evenings.

Cinnamon Peach Soup

Chilled cinnamon peach soup with ripe summer peaches, warm spices, orange juice, and yogurt. A refreshing first course or light dessert that captures peach season in a bowl.

Zesty Hot & Sour Soup

Hot and sour shrimp soup built on a quick homemade broth simmered from the shrimp shells, with tender chayote, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice for the sour bite, and chili paste for the heat. A bright, light take on the takeout classic.

Pickled Peach Slices

Spiced pickled peach slices preserved in white wine vinegar with brown sugar, dried chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Ready after 3 weeks of curing in the jar.

Pickled Zante Grapes

Pickled Zante grapes (Champagne grapes) in a sweet champagne vinegar brine with allspice. Cocktail garnish and cheese-board jewel that keeps for months.

Jamaican Jerked Chicken

Jamaican jerk chicken rubbed with a fiery homemade paste of toasted allspice, scallions, garlic, and warm spice, then grilled low and slow over indirect heat. Serve with Pickapeppa sauce for the real deal.

Rosemary & Allspice Rub

Rosemary and allspice rub with crushed allspice berries, garlic, and olive oil. A fragrant wet rub for lamb, chicken, or grilled meats made in minutes.

Another Gyros

I have this frequently in Greece and here in the U.S., but as I have said, I view it as a 'deli' item. Krinos Foods has a 'gyros kit' that is sold in the frozen food section of some supermarkets.

Lagos/Kounelli Fournou

Greek baked rabbit (lagos kounelli fournou) marinated for days in red wine and herbs, then slow-braised in a tomato-wine sauce warmed with allspice. A rustic, fall-off-the-bone game dish from the Greek countryside.

Spicy Pickled Plums

Spicy pickled plums in malt-vinegar brine with red chilies, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and mace. A British-style preserve for cold meats, cheese boards, or holiday ham.

Pipestone Lamb Stew

A hearty lamb stew with a bold kick of horseradish and Worcestershire, braised on the bone with white wine, tomatoes, mushrooms and potatoes until the meat falls apart. Rustic and warming.

Marinated Spiced Olives

Marinated spiced olives with lemon, garlic, dried chilies, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and allspice in olive oil. A no-cook appetizer that improves over a week of marinating.

Bajan Black Bean Soup

Bajan black bean soup from Barbados: dried black beans simmered with a ham hock, fragrant with allspice and lemon, finished with cream and an optional splash of dark rum. Caribbean comfort in a bowl.

Kotopoulo Kapanici

Kotopoulo Kapanici: Greek braised chicken with tomatoes, white wine, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. A warmly spiced one-pot casserole with optional artichoke hearts.

Red Wine & Pepper Marinade

Red wine and crushed peppercorn marinade with allspice berries and garlic. A bold five-ingredient soak for lamb, chicken, or grilled meats with warm spice and tannic depth.

Peach Spread

Sugar-free peach spread made with just fresh peaches, allspice berries, and water. A naturally sweet fruit butter for canning with no added sugar or pectin.

Baked Deer Meat

Venison marinated up to 48 hours in red wine, brandy, and aromatic herbs, then baked tender and served with a rich pan gravy, carrots, and onions. A hunter's reward worth the wait.

Pickled Watermelon Rind

Pickled watermelon rind in a spiced cider vinegar syrup with cinnamon, clove, and allspice. Old-Southern preserve that turns kitchen scraps into translucent, sweet-tart jewels.

Vereshchaka - Pork & Beetroot Casserole

Vereshchaka is a traditional Ukrainian pork casserole braised in beetroot rassol with bacon, allspice, and pearl barley. Topped with sour cream and fresh herbs, it's hearty comfort food.

Quince-And-Cranberry Compote

Quince and cranberry compote slow-cooked with cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and orange zest. The quince turns deep pink after two hours and gets balanced with balsamic vinegar.

Mulligan Stew with Blueberry Dumplings

Nothing beats a tasty stew and savory dumplings that warm you up during the winter season.

Vinegar Steamed Shrimp

Shell-on shrimp steamed with crab boil spices, mustard seeds, and apple cider vinegar for tender, perfectly seasoned seafood that peels easily and tastes like a Chesapeake Bay crab feast.

Nate's Mulligan Stew with Blueberry Dumplings

Nate's mulligan stew: browned chicken simmered with rutabaga, potato, carrots, peas, and parsnips, topped with unexpected buttermilk dumplings studded with wild blueberries. Frontier comfort food.

Sean's Holiday Fruitcake

The reputation of fruitcake has been tarnished but store bought and candied fruitcakes. Using dried instead of candied fruit demonstrates what fruitcake is supposed to be.

English Pickled Eggs

Classic English pickled eggs with allspice, ginger, and peppercorns in straight vinegar. The chip-shop and pub staple, kept simple and aged for two weeks before serving with cold cuts or game.

Peter's Corned Beef

Homemade corned beef from scratch: brisket cured 10 days in a kosher salt brine with juniper, allspice, bay, and garlic. Includes Reuben sandwich assembly.

Glasmstarsill (Glassblower's Herring)

Swedish pickled herring with a sweet-sour vinegar brine layered with red onion, carrots, ginger, and horseradish. A classic Scandinavian smorgasbord appetizer that only gets better after 2-3 days in the jar.

Berbere Spice Mix

Toast cumin, cardamom, and fenugreek until fragrant, then grind with dried chilies and shallots for an aromatic Ethiopian spice blend that's ready in minutes.

Wassail Cider

A delicious drink made with lemonade, orange juice and apple cider that's best served steaming hot.

Berbere Sauce

Toast whole spices until smoky, grind with dried chilies and aromatics, then blend with oil and wine for a thick Ethiopian berbere paste that clings to meats and vegetables.

All 37 recipes