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 (pimenta Dioica) are sometimes known as "Jamaica pepper" or sometimes "pimento".
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 tbsp (6g)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?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 6 grams |
| 1 teaspoon | 1 grams |
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.
