Allspice vs. Nutmeg: Unrelated Spices That Share a Shelf

Allspice and nutmeg sit next to each other in spice blends and recipes, but they are unrelated plants with different chemistry. Allspice is the dried berry of a myrtle-family tree, and its oil is led by eugenol, the same compound that dominates cloves.¹²³ Nutmeg is the dried seed kernel of an unrelated tree, and its oil is mostly monoterpenes such as pinene and sabinene.⁴⁵⁶ So allspice brings a clove-like warmth and nutmeg a sweeter, woodier one. They can stand in for each other in a spice cake more easily than in a dish where either one leads.

Side by side

The oil figures come from different sources and sample types, so they show that both spices carry a few percent of essential oil, not which is stronger. The compound rows are the meaningful contrast: the two oils are led by different compounds.

Why allspice tastes of cloves and nutmeg doesn’t

Britannica says allspice got its English name because the dried berry tastes like a combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.⁷ It gives the reason but not who coined the name or when; the common story that 17th-century Englishmen named it could not be traced.

Of those three, the clove resemblance has the clearest chemical basis. Eugenol makes up 50 to 80 percent of allspice berry oil, according to PROSEA,² and about 85 to 92 percent of clove oil.³ Nutmeg’s oil is different: FAO names α-pinene, β-pinene and sabinene as its major components,⁶ and the aromatic ethers, among them myristicin and elemicin, are a minor share.¹⁰ No source we found explains in chemical terms why allspice also reminds people of nutmeg; that part of the comparison is a matter of taste.

In our judgment, allspice reads as sharper and more savory because of that clove note, and nutmeg as sweeter and woodier, with a bitter edge if overdone.

Using them in the kitchen

Together. They often share a blend. McCormick’s pumpkin pie spice lists cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice, and its apple pie spice lists cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.¹⁶¹⁷ US rules require ingredients in descending order by weight,¹⁸ so in both blends cinnamon is the largest part, and McCormick’s pumpkin pie spice contains no cloves at all.¹⁶

Allspice. It is central to Jamaican jerk, where Smithsonian Magazine calls pimento (allspice) and fresh thyme essential ingredients, alongside Scotch bonnet peppers.¹² PROSEA says whole allspice goes into meat broths, gravies and pickling liquids, and ground allspice into desserts, fruit cakes and pies.² Using it in burgers, meatloaf and rubs for pork or poultry is common practice; see spices for hamburgers and spices for pork.

Nutmeg. PROSEA says grated nutmeg flavors confectionery in small amounts in most countries,¹⁰ and FAO’s list of uses includes cakes and cookies and dairy dishes such as eggnog, ice cream and milk pudding.¹³ McCormick suggests it for scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots and creamed spinach.¹¹ Claims that nutmeg is traditional in haggis or Middle Eastern lamb dishes could not be traced to a source we could open.

Can one stand in for the other?

In sweet baking, reasonably well. In a dish where either spice is the lead flavor, less so. The ratios below come from our nutmeg substitutes and allspice substitutes pages and keep their labels: Attributed quotes a named source, and Method is our starting point where no published number exists.

Allspice in place of nutmeg. Healthline says to replace nutmeg with an equal amount of allspice.¹⁹ Expect the clove note to show, most of all in a custard or a béchamel where nutmeg is the only spice; there, our nutmeg substitutes page ranks mace first.

Nutmeg in place of allspice. No source gives a ratio for nutmeg alone, and on its own it misses the clove note. The better route is a blend: The Spice House says to mix 2 parts cinnamon, 1 part nutmeg and 1 part ground cloves and use it 1:1 wherever a recipe calls for ground allspice, with a pinch of black pepper for savory dishes.²⁰ If nutmeg is all you have, start with half as much as the allspice called for and taste (our starting point). In jerk, where pimento is essential,¹² nutmeg is a poor stand-in.

Safety

At normal kitchen amounts neither spice is a concern; the National Capital Poison Center says nutmeg is not dangerous when used as recommended.²¹ Nutmeg differs from allspice in two ways:

• Large doses are toxic. The Tennessee Poison Center says the body converts nutmeg’s myristicin into MMDA, a compound with hallucinogenic properties.¹⁴ Sources disagree on the amount: the Tennessee Poison Center reports psychogenic effects at 15 to 20 g of ground nutmeg, two to three tablespoons, while the Missouri Poison Center gives 5 to 30 g as the range taken by people using it to get high.¹⁴²² Both are far beyond any recipe.
• Aflatoxin. Nutmeg is one of the few spices named in the EU’s aflatoxin limits.¹⁵ Details are on our nutmeg page.

For allspice, see the safety section of our allspice profile.

What isn’t known

• No published taste test compares the strength of allspice and nutmeg.
• No source gives a ratio for nutmeg alone in place of allspice.
• No source explains the nutmeg-like part of allspice’s flavor in chemical terms.
• No dated price comparison.

Related

• Allspice, allspice substitutes, too much allspice
• Nutmeg, nutmeg substitutes, too much nutmeg, fresh vs. ground nutmeg, cooking with nutmeg
• Mace vs. allspice, mace vs. nutmeg, allspice vs. cloves, cinnamon vs. nutmeg
• Pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, jerk seasoning