Cloves

The dried, unopened flower buds of the clove tree, a pungent, warm, slightly sweet spice used whole or ground in spice cakes, gingerbread and pies.

Cloves: A small heap of whole dried cloves next to a little dish of ground cloves
  • Baking ingredients and additives

Cloves are one of the strongest baking spices, so a little goes a long way. Ground cloves usually appear in small amounts, often 1/4 teaspoon or less, alongside cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice in gingerbread, pumpkin pie, spice cake and chai blends.

Whole cloves are used to flavor liquids such as poaching syrups for pears, mulled cider and custard bases, then strained out. Ground cloves lose aroma faster than whole ones, so buying small jars or grinding as needed gives the best flavor.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Cloves (Q15622897), Wikidata