How to Enhance The Flavors of Savory Dishes with Sweet Spices

Often when we think of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla beans, we think of them for dessert recipes. They get pushed to the back of spice cabinets. Only to be taken out when you’re craving pancakes or chocolate chip cookies.

But why use these spices for only special occasions when they can also add intense flavor to savory dishes? In order to cook with these sweeter spices, it is important to understand how their flavor complements other aromas in your dish. Embrace the idea of cooking with spices in an unusual way with recipe suggestions from our Food Monster App.

1. Cinnamon

Source: Cinnamon/One Green Planet

The spice has been around for thousands of years, used by the Egyptians as early as 2,000 B.C until it was eventually brought to Europe. In the early days of cinnamon trading, it was marketed as a luxury spice in order sell it at exorbitant prices.

Now cinnamon is inexpensive and widely used as a spice to flavor sweet, warming dessert recipes. However, in Indian cuisine, cinnamon is an essential spice in flavoring savory dishes, and has long been thought to cure many ailments in Ayurvedic medicine.

Because cinnamon is robust in taste, it enhances the overall flavor of a dish very nicely. It pairs especially well with beans, chilies, cumin, curry, squash, turmeric, and sweet potatoes. It’s also found in Chinese 5 Spice Powder, and Garam Masala.

It can be found in delicious entrees like this Nutty Quinoa Stuffed Delicata Squash, High-Protein Jamaican Jerk Chili with Tempeh, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup, and Fennel-Roasted Potato and Butternut Squash Green Curry with Brown Rice.

2. Cardamom 

Source: Cardamom/One Green Planet

Native to Southern India, cardamom comes from the seeds of members of the ginger family. Like cinnamon, cardamom has been used for thousands of years, originally used by ancient Egyptians for medicinal purposes.

Cardamom is commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, and is a very popular spice for flavoring curries.

Delivering a powerful punch of intense, sweet flavor, a little goes a long way with cardamom. It highlights the flavors of coconut, curry, grains, nuts, paprika, saffron, and rice.

Try cardamom in dishes like this Miso Braised Carrots and Leeks with Cilantro Cardamom Basmati, or add a dash of cardamom to this Tomato Coconut Curry with Cauliflower and Chickpeas.

3. Cloves

Source: 5PH/Shutterstock

Cloves, dried flowering buds of evergreen trees native to Indonesia, have a history almost as rich as their taste. Originating in Indonesia, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka, wars were fought over this spice to secure the profitable rights of trade and used to be incredibly expensive to purchase.

It is a common ingredient in spiced cakes and cookies, but it also goes well with carrots, fennel, cilantro, root vegetables, curry, and veggie sausages.

Step outside your comfort zone and try cloves in dishes like this Easy Adobo Sauce, or Paneer Tikka Masala.

4. Nutmeg

Source: Katharine Hanna/Flickr

Native to the West Indies and Indonesia, nutmeg comes from the seeds of tropical evergreen trees. Nutmeg was once used by the Romans as incense. Soon, it became a popularly traded spice in the Western World in the 1600’s.

Because of its piquant, yet sweet flavor it is a common spice used in European stews and soups. It also adds an appealing quality to asparagus, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, and thyme.

For a savory interpretation on nutmeg try this Baked Spinach Tofu Ricotta and Nutmeg Dip, or throw a dash of nutmeg on these Skillet-Roasted Chili Carrots, or these Potato Dumplings in a Spiced Tomato Sauce.

5. Allspice

Source: sf tony/Flickr

Allspice is an unripe berry of an evergreen tree called Pimenta dioica, and originates in Jamaica, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Although very much its own spice, allspice tends to remind people of a combination of cinnamon and cloves because it is slightly sweet and spicy.

Because of its ability to enhance other spices and foods, especially beets, mustard, onions, root vegetables, cabbage, and ginger, it is typically used in Jamaican jerk seasoning and in pickling liquid.

Bring out the flavors of other spices by using allspice in recipes like this Jamaican Jerk Plantain Veggie Burgers, Caribbean Jerk Sweet Potato Falafel, or add a dash to these Pickled Radishes.

6. Star Anise

Source: green/Flickr

Star Anise is grown almost exclusively in southern China and Japan today, and comes from the fruit of a tree native to the area.

Popular in Chinese cooking, it complements stews, soups, figs, garlic, carrots, and fennel because of it’s intense licorice flavor.

Try star anise in dishes like this Turmeric Tofu Cashew Curry, Vietnamese Noodle Soup, or Pho with Mushrooms and Tofu.

7. Vanilla Bean 

Source: Vanilla Bean/One Green Planet

Grown in Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Indonesia, vanilla beans come from the pods of a tropical orchid plant called, Vanilla planifolia.

Because of its sweet, yet smoky flavor, it’s often used to intensify the flavors of beverages and certain sauces.

Although typically thought of a spice to add to sweeter recipes, you can also add vanilla beans to this Homemade Ginger Beer, or this Peach Habanero Hot Sauce.

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!