Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the process of preparing dinner when you realize you don’t have a crucial spice for one of the dishes.  Don’t despair! This chart of spice substitutions can help you get by “in a pinch.”

Spice	Substitution
Allspice	Cinnamon or a dash of nutmeg or cloves
Aniseed	Fennel seed
Apple pie spice	For 1 tsp. –  use ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, a dash of allspice and a dash of ground cloves or ginger
Basil	Oregano or thyme
Cardamom	Ginger
Chervil	Tarragon or parsley
Chili powder	A dash of bottled hot pepper sauce plus oregano and cumin
Chives	Green onions, onions or leek
Cilantro	Parsley
Cinnamon	Nutmeg or allspice (1/4 of the amount)
Cloves	Allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg
Cream of tartar	For ½ tsp. – use 1 ½ tsp. of lemon juice
Cumin	Chili powder
Curry powder	Mix turmeric, ginger, black pepper, coriander, cumin and chili powder
Five Spice Powder	Mix equal parts of anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel and Szechuan peppercorns
Ginger	Allspice, cinnamon, mace or nutmeg
Gingerroot	For 1 tsp – use ¼ tsp. ground ginger
Italian seasoning	Mixture of  basil, oregano, rosemary and ground red pepper
Mace	Allspice, cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg
Marjoram	Basil, thyme or savory
Mustard	Horseradish powder, 1 tsp. of dry equals 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
Mint	Basil, marjoram or rosemary
Nutmeg	Cinnamon, ginger or mace
Oregano	Thyme or basil
Parsley	Chervil or cilantro
Poultry seasoning	For 1 tsp – substitute ¾ tsp. sage plus a ¼ tsp. blend of any of these: thyme, marjoram, savory, black pepper, and rosemary
Pumpkin pie spice	For 1 tsp – ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. ginger, ¼ tsp. allspice and ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
Rosemary	Thyme, tarragon or savory
Saffron	Dash of turmeric
Sage	Poultry seasoning, savory, marjoram or rosemary
Savory	Thyme, marjoram or sage
Tarragon	Chervil, dash of fennel seed or aniseed
Thai seasoning	For 1 tbsp. – use 1 tsp. coriander, 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. ginger, ¼ tsp. garlic powder and ¼ tsp. onion powder
Thyme	Basil, marjoram, savory or oregano
Turmeric	Dash of saffron plus ground mustard powder (one to one ratio)

Cooking Tip: When substituting, be aware the flavor may not turn out exactly originally intended in the recipe. Consider starting your seasoned substitution with half the specified recipe amount and adjust to your own personal tastes.