Ground Madagascar Cloves

Use a light hand with ground cloves. They're strong enough to overpower a dish quickly. Season apples, fruit, cakes, salads, squash, and pot roast.

Cloves are also a key ingredient in Chinese Five Spice and Pumpkin Pie Spice, and they show up often in curries, rice dishes, pickling spice, and mulling blends.

If you're making something that will sit or get reheated, a stew, a broth, a pot of chili, season slightly lighter than you think you need to. The flavor keeps developing after cooking, so a dish that tastes balanced the day it's made can taste noticeably sharper by the next day.

Bear Creek Distillery sources cloves from our Littleton, CO spice store to use in their award-winning Spiced Rum along with vanilla, orange peel, allspice, peppercorn, and ginger.

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Native to the Molucca Islands, also known as the Spice Islands, cloves are also produced in Madagascar, Indonesia, Brazil, and Zanzibar. The first trip around the world took three years and was partially motivated by the search for cloves.

What gives cloves their intensity is eugenol, a naturally occurring compound so concentrated in cloves that it's historically been used as a natural remedy for toothaches, numbing the area on contact. That same potency is why cloves punch so far above their weight in a recipe.

Also known as "lavangam."

Ground Madagascar Cloves FAQ

What are ground cloves?

Whole cloves are the unopened flower buds of the clove tree, Syzygium aromaticum, harvested immature and then dried. Ground cloves are that same bud, dried and finely ground into powder.

What do ground cloves taste like?

Sweet and spicy with a pungent aroma, pairing especially well with allspice.

What are ground cloves used for?

They're a great addition to sweet and savory dishes alike, and an essential part of Pumpkin Pie Spice. Cloves show up in apple pie, pickling and mulling spice mixes, curries, rice, and slow-cooked broths and stews. Use a light hand, since the flavor is strong enough to overpower a dish quickly.

Why do cloves taste more intense the longer a dish sits?

Their flavor compounds continue to release and concentrate over time, which is why a stew or broth that tasted balanced right after cooking can taste noticeably sharper the next day. It's worth seasoning a little lighter than usual if you're making something ahead.

Are ground cloves the same as whole cloves?

They come from the same bud, just processed differently. Ground cloves release their flavor faster and are better for baking, where you need even distribution through a batter. Whole cloves hold their flavor longer in storage and work best in dishes you can remove them from before serving, like a broth, mulled cider, or a ham studded for baking.