Cardamom
Green cardamom is the dried seed pod of Elettaria cardamomum, a plant of the ginger family native to India, with small black seeds inside that carry most of the flavour: sweet, floral and citrus-edged. Black cardamom comes from a different plant and tastes smoky, so the two do not swap. In drinks, one bruised green pod flavours a small batch of syrup or a hot infusion.
Quick Facts
Whole pods in a sealed jar, away from light and heat. Ground seed loses its oils fast, so grind as needed.
None of the 14 listed allergens.
About Cardamom
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet and floral with a cooling, citrus-tinged finish and a resinous warmth underneath.
The flavour is in the seeds
Green cardamom is the dried pod of Elettaria cardamomum, a plant of the ginger family native to India and now grown most in Guatemala, which Prensa Libre reported in 2015 to be the world’s leading producer and exporter. The pod is small, three-sided and papery. Inside sit small, sticky black seeds that hold most of the aroma; the husk keeps it in until the pod is cracked.
Green and black cardamom are different plants
Black cardamom is Amomum subulatum, grown in the eastern Himalayas. Its larger pods are smoky and savoury and belong in cooking rather than in a sweet drink. Neither stands in for the other.
Cardamom by kind and form
Green, whole pods
- Plant
- Elettaria cardamomum
- Pod
- Small, light green, papery
- Flavour
- Sweet, floral, citrus-edged
- Keeps
- Up to a year, sealed
Green, ground
- Plant
- Elettaria cardamomum
- Pod
- Seeds milled to powder
- Flavour
- The same, fading fast
- Keeps
- A few weeks
Black
- Plant
- Amomum subulatum
- Pod
- Large, dark brown, wrinkled
- Flavour
- Smoky, savoury
- Keeps
- Up to a year, sealed
| Kind | Plant | Pod | Flavour | Keeps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green, whole pods | Elettaria cardamomum | Small, light green, papery | Sweet, floral, citrus-edged | Up to a year, sealed |
| Green, ground | Elettaria cardamomum | Seeds milled to powder | The same, fading fast | A few weeks |
| Black | Amomum subulatum | Large, dark brown, wrinkled | Smoky, savoury | Up to a year, sealed |
One cracked pod at a time
Crack a pod under the flat of a knife so the seeds show, then drop the whole thing into warm syrup or a hot drink. Cardamom keeps building as it steeps, so taste every few minutes and strain it out once it is right. Ground seed is for the rare drink where the spice must stay in, and then a pinch is plenty.
Whole pods keep, ground fades in weeks
Kept whole, sealed and away from light and heat, pods hold their oil for up to a year. Ground cardamom has lost much of its brightness within a few weeks, so grind the seeds from a cracked pod when you need them rather than buying the powder.
Using Cardamom
Usage
One pod, cracked open, flavours a small batch of syrup or a hot infusion; strain it out once it tastes right, because it keeps building. Grind the seeds only where the spice must stay in the drink, and then by the pinch.
Pro Tip
If a cardamom syrup tastes of soap or eucalyptus, it has steeped too long or taken too many pods. Start the next batch with one pod and strain earlier; adding a second pod later is easy, taking one out is not.
Top Tips
- Crack the pod under the flat of a knife, then use the whole thing; the husk keeps the seeds' oil in until that moment.
- Grind the black seeds fresh. Pre-ground cardamom fades within weeks.
- Read the label for green or black: they are different plants and do not swap.
- Taste a cardamom infusion every few minutes and strain it as soon as it is right.
Possible Substitutions
- Grains of Paradise: a peppery, citrus-warm stand-in
Production Method
The seed pods of Elettaria cardamomum, a ginger-family plant, picked and dried whole. The pod holds small black seeds where most of the flavour sits.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is cardamom?
Are green and black cardamom the same?
Should I use pods or ground cardamom?
How much cardamom goes into a drink?
How do you make cardamom syrup?
Where does cardamom come from?
How long does cardamom keep?
Sources.
Correct as of 20 October 2026.
- Prensa Libre (Guatemala), “Cardamomo guatemalteco cumple 101 años de cultivarse en el país (Byron Dardón Garzaro, 2 June 2015)” (national newspaper, in Spanish: India its land of origin; Óscar Majus Kloffer planted it in 1914 at the Chinasuyub estate in Cobán, Alta Verapaz; Guatemala the world’s first producer and exporter).
Made with Cardamom
Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 20 October 2026