Ginger Substitutes

Step 1

Ground Ginger: use ½ teaspoon ground ginger for every 1 teaspoon fresh called for in a recipe. This can work for soups, stews, and curries but is less effective for things like vinaigrette. It works well in sweet dishes.

Step 2

Candied Ginger: only for sweet dishes like desserts and sweet sauces. It can usually be subbed 1:1 but keep in mind that it is sweetened so you may need to adjust the sweetener in your recipe.

Step 3

Cinnamon: or ground allspice or nutmeg. These are warm and a bit sweet, so they can work well in certain dishes, but will have to be adjusted to your taste. They make good substitutes for ginger in baking.

Step 4

Turmeric: if you can get fresh turmeric, it's a pretty good 1:1 substitute for fresh ginger. If using ground, note that it is stronger and a little bitter, so it should be used more sparingly.

Step 5

Galangal: probably the best substitute for fresh ginger but often hard to find, if you can get it, it's the ideal option and can be used in the same amounts as ginger.

Step 6

Coriander or Cumin: for use in savoury dishes like curries, this will have to be adjusted to your taste. They add a warming flavour that can be similar to ginger.