Homemade cardamom powder is a potent spice powder that you can use in many sweet and savory dishes. It is very easy to make ground cardamom at home & takes less than 10 minutes to make.
Homemade spice powders are more flavorful, clean and economical. In this post I am sharing the easiest method to powder cardamom pods at home without any special equipment.
If you are used to store bought powders, do try this homemade cardamom powder recipe once to know the difference!
Indian cuisine is all about using various spices. There is never a dearth of whole and powdered spices in a well stocked Indian pantry. Along with garam masala powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder cardamom powder is also very widely used in both sweet & savory recipes.
I am big fan of homemade spice powders. Along with specific spice mixes, I also keep powdered individual spices for various uses.
Today I have shared my method of making green cardamom powder recipe. This aromatic spice powder is used in Indian sweet dishes like Halwa, kheer, lassi and many more.
What Is Cardamom?
Cardamom is a spice from several seeds from the plants genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. These plants are native to Indian subcontinent and grows widely in India and Indonesia. The word cardamom is derived from the Latin word cardomomum.
In India, cardamom goes by various names. This spice goes by the following names in Indian regional languages.
- Elaichi- Hindi
- Yelakkai- Tamil
- Elakulu- Telugu
- Elaci- Guajarti
- Elakki- Kanada
These plants thrive well in tropical and subtropical area with a well distributed annual rainfall. Cardamom is one of the most expensive spices in the world.
There are two types of cardamom. One is black cardamom known as moti elaichi and the other one is the more common green cardamom.
In Indian cooking, the black one is used in curries and green ones are used in sweets, for making masala chai, hot masala milk, masala milk powder, badam milk powder etc.
About This Recipe
Cardamom powder is nothing but pure ground cardamom along with its husk. Yes, whenever we pound the cardamoms individually for dishes, we tend to discard the husk and use only the cardamom pods or cardamom seeds. The husk of cardamom is completely edible and super flavorful, so when we powder it in mixer grinder or spice grinder we can use it as well.
As I have mentioned above, cardamom is one of the very expensive spices and store bought cardamom powder is often adulterated with de oiled cardamom, just the husk and even saw dust. So it is better to prepare cardamom powder at home, which is not only clean & economical but super easy as well.
You can store cardamom powder for 2 months in room temperature and up to 6 months in refrigerator. The flavor remains intact when stored in airtight container. I suggest you prepare and store ground cardamom in small quantities as the cardamom seed tend to loose some volatile oils and flavor when stored for long.
While you can use raw cardamom pod directly for making cardamom powder, I prefer to roast them for a brief time.
Roasting whole spices makes them more flavorful by releasing the essential oils. Also it is easy to make a fine powder when you roast the spices.
Making cardamom powder is a three step process.
- Cleaning whole cardamom and removing the stale ones
- Roasting cardamom
- Grind them into fine powder.
I have also shared various uses for homemade ground cardamom and also some health benefits of this spice.
Do try out this homemade cardamom powder recipe and enjoy. It is
super easy to make
economical
more potent and has intense flavor than the readymade powder
Clean, no fillers
How To Make Cardamom Powder Recipe
Cleaning Cardamoms
This step is essential if you purchase cardamom in a bulk from wholesale spice market. If you packed ones in small quantities, they are usually clean.
Spread the whole cardamoms on a wide plate and check for stale ones, those have holes or sometimes there will be empty pods too. Discard any stale ones.
Roasting Cardamom
Heat a flat skillet or pan over medium heat. Once it is hot, lower the flame and add the measured whole cardamoms. Start roasting in low flame.
As you roast they will turn aromatic and very light brown spots will appear in the skin.
Once roasted, remove from flame and let cool completely.
Sun drying- Instead of roasting them over flame, you can sun dry the spices for
Making Ground Cardamom
Transfer the roasted green cardamom pods to a small mixer grinder jar.
Grind in high speed for 1-2 minutes or until the spice is completely powdered. Stop the mixer, using a spoon scrape the sides and grind until you get a fine powder.
Spread the ground cardamom on a plate and let cool completely. Store homemade cardamom powder in clean dry airtight container. Always use a clean dry spoon to remove the required quantity.
Storage
You can store homemade ground cardamom powder for 2 months in room temperature & 6 months in refrigerator.
I suggest making fresh small batches for intense flavor.
Uses Of Cardamom Powder
You can use 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder in most of the Indian desserts and sweets. If a recipe calls for 4-5 pounded green pods, you can 1/2 teaspoon of this powder.
You can also make cardamom milk, cardamom water, healthy cardamom tea with this powder. You can also get creative and add a pinch in sweets, ice creams, smoothies, milkshakes to make richly flavoured dishes. It can also be used in many rice dishes like saffron rice. This powder lends a wonderful traditional flavouring to dishes.
Health Benefits Of Cardamom
Cardamom is a very potent spice with numerous health benefits. Few of them are
- It has anti-inflammatory effects and helps in preventing chronic dieases.
- It prevents bad breath and helps in treating cavities.
- Rich in anti oxidants
- Mild diuretic, helps in fat loss
- Helps to improve breathing
- Ant bacterial
Some Dishes That Use Cardamom
Here are some Indian sweets recipes from the blog that uses cardamom powder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ground cardamom can be used for making cardamom tea to reap the health benefits of this spice. You can also use a pinch of this spice powder in sweets and desserts
No, they are different in both taste and flavor.
They are available in Indian grocery stores, ethnic stores, spice markets and specialty stores. You can also buy them online. Look for bright green tightly closed pods.
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Recipe
Homemade Cardamom Powder – Ground Cardamom
1 CUP = 250 ml
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup green cardamom pods
Instructions
- Spread the whole cardamoms on a wide plate and check for stale ones, those have holes or sometimes there will be empty pods too. Discard any stale ones.
- Heat a flat skillet or pan over medium heat. Once it is hot, lower the flame and add the measured whole cardamoms. Start roasting in low flame.
- As you roast they will turn aromatic and very light brown spots will appear in the skin.Once roasted, remove from flame and let cool completely.Sun drying- Instead of roasting them over flame, you can sun dry the spices for
- Transfer the roasted green cardamom pods to a small mixer grinder jar.
- Grind in high speed for 1-2 minutes or until the spice is completely powdered. Stop the mixer, using a spoon scrape the sides and grind until you get a fine powder.
- Spread the ground cardamom on a plate and let cool completely. Store homemade cardamom powder in clean dry airtight container. Always use a clean dry spoon to remove the required quantity.
BEA says
Thank you for recipe..I will try. Now I want to use on sore. Can I just crush some pods and make a paste with honey?(I don’t have a grinder).