Lebkuchengewürz (German Gingerbread Spice)
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THE essential ingredient to authentic tasting Lebkuchen, Pfeffernüsse and more, absolutely NOTHING compares to the bold and vibrant flavor of homemade Lebkuchengewürz! The fragrance and flavor of this German gingerbread spice will make you think you’re walking the streets of one of Germany’s famous Christmas markets!
What is Lebkuchengewürz?
Many of you will have no idea what this is. Others of you will be cheering because you know exactly what it is and what it’s for. Lebkuchen Gewürz is a German gingerbread spice blend with an exceptionally beautiful depth and complexity of flavor. It’s unrivaled by anything comparable. Lebkuchengewurz an essential ingredient for a variety of German baked goods during the Christmas season, most notably Lebkuchen and Pfeffernüsse.
For those of you who are familiar Lebkuchengewürz and live outside of Germany or western Europe, you’ll know how nearly impossible it is to find it. And if you do, it’s expensive and often just not very good. Non-German brands try their best to replicate it but just don’t get the flavor profile correct. And if you do find a German brand it’s the same story as with all pre-ground spice blends: Once spices have been ground their oils evaporate very quickly and they lose flavor. And the longer they’ve been sitting around (in the warehouse, then at the store, then in your cupboard), the more flavor they lose.
BUT, if you want a cheaper option (if you use the spices in your cooking anyway) AND, most importantly, a superior flavor (if you buy whole spices and grind them yourself), this recipe is for you!
Now, I know what you may be thinking: I don’t want to buy all of those spices just to make this Lebkuchen-Gewürz and then the rest goes to waste! NOT TRUE!
Most of these spices have sooooo many different uses for a wide variety of cuisines. For example, I can think of one cuisine that regularly uses every single one of these spices: Indian. Need some great Indian recipes? I’ve got you covered! Some Great Indian Recipes.
And of course you’re not just limited to Indian food, these spices are super duper versatile. Just type in their names one at a time into the search box above or Google them and see what you find!
What Spices Are in Lebkuchengewürz?
Some of these spices you can find in your local grocery stores but many you won’t. Most good health food stores will though. And again, if at all possible go for the whole spices so you can grind your own for better flavor.
If you don’t have a well-stocked health store nearby, Amazon is a great place to find all of these spices and at a reasonable cost. You can buy pre-ground but I always buy whole spices and grind them myself in a coffee/spice grinder for a far superior flavor for any dish I’m making. Here’s what you’ll need (and don’t cut corners and leave anything out because each of these spices plays an important role):
Lebkuchengewürz Recipe
Whether using pre-ground or grinding your own as pictured below in a coffee/spice grinder, you simply combine the ingredients together.
Keep the Lebkuchengewürz stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and use it within a few months.
For best flavor though, only make what you need for a period of a week or two because the flavors will dissipate over time.
That’s it! Your Lebkuchengewürz is ready to use.
Enjoy!
For more phenomenal homemade spice blends be sure to try our:
- British Mixed Spice
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Greek Seasoning
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Curry Powder
- Creole Seasoning
- Garam Masala
- Dukkah
- Za’atar
- Chinese Five Spice
- Chili Powder
- Montreal Steak Seasoning
- Poultry Seasoning
- Seasoned Salt
- Berbere
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Lebkuchengewürz (German Gingerbread Spice)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Combine the spices together and store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place. Best if used within 3 months.Note: For superior flavor results, use whole spices and toast and grind them. Simply heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the spices until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will become bitter. Let them cool completely and then grind them to powder in a spice/coffee grinder or use a mortar and pestle.Makes about 1/4 cup.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 3, 2015
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
For Christmas I followed everything in this recipe, except for the paper bases which I did not understand … I found it very complicated! But the result was worth every ( rather stressful) minute, delicious ! … I’m going to do another batch for my Birthday. Thank you. ( I weighed all the whole spices in the right proportions, then ground them and added the teaspoon quantities together … ) …
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Polly, thank you! By the paper bases, are you referring to the Backoblaten / wafers that serve as the base for the Lebkuchen? Let me know what you didn’t understand and I’m happy to try and clarify.
Hi,
Since you recommend roasting the spices before they are ground into powders, (and they are all different shapes and sizes . . . .) to toast the correct ratio, how much of each spice do you recommend that we start with? I don’t use some of these spices normally and I would hate to waste any. Thank you for your assistance
Hi Tamara, I haven’t measured out each individual whole spice; I just eyeball it. Fortunately exactness doesn’t matter with this, if the ratios are slightly off it’s fine. But given one batch of this spice mix calls for relatively little of most of the spices, use just a little of the whole spices – for example, 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice you’ll only need 2-3 allspice berries.
Can you roast the spices after there round?
Hi Joe, you can but only very briefly as they’ll burn very easily in ground form.
Thank you for reply. Baking to start soon. Merry Christmas. Thank you for your great recipes.
Donna
Thank you for posting this recipe! But how much of this is used in a batch of Gingerbread men cookies?
Hi Donna, you would simply replace it with the spices called for in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, you would use 1 3/4 teaspoons Lebkuchengewürz.
I have looked for this spice blend for over fifty years. My husband and I were stationed in Frankfurt Germany during his stint with the army, and the wonderful gingerbread sweets were outstanding! My husband actually was born in Germany, so through our years of marriage, I have tried to bake and cook dishes that he grew up with, to keep his culture alive. This spice combination is to die for! I have been baking all of his favorites like a mad woman, using this spice blend. THANK YOU!
Yay! I’m so glad that you found, made, and enjoyed this – thank you so much for the feedback Linda! <3
Do you grind the whole star anise or just the seeds?
Hi Janet, you grind the whole thing. Happy baking! :)
I was hoping the recipe would be for measurememnts of the whole spices, that way it would be easy to get the proper weight of the spices that are available whole, toast and grind and still have the correct proportions.
Is that something you would consider updating for those of us that want to try that?
The metric measurements are in grams. The ungrounded weight should be the same as the ungrounded weight. I was looking for the same thing.
Hello Kimberly!
*All* your recipes, including this one, are excellent!
Lots of people have asked about giving the quantities in terms of whole spices (so that one can roast them).
Some answers have mentioned that choosing “metric” gives them in grams, which would be ok.
However, on my iPhone there is no button to switch between US and metric!
Liebe Grüße aus München.
I can’t wait to make this blend! Q: Are you sure the Cinnamon is 2 1/2 TBS? or is it tsp?
Hi Michele, yes, 2 1/2 tablespoons is correct. Cinnamon is the dominant ingredients.
It is thrilling to find a recipe to make the spices for Lebkuchen : ). Christmas will be much merrier with this recipe for the spices to make the cookies!
Great to find a recipe, but it would be much better to have everything in grams and not spoons. A gram of ground spice is equivalent to a gram of whole. Would make it easier to grind everything at once. By weight is easier and more exact. Please email me weights if you have them.
To the right just above the ingredients list there’s a tab you can switch from US to metric, which will give you grams, if that helps. I just found it :)
Time doesn’t permit sourcing and grinding whole spices this year. Will pan roasting the GROUND spices work, or is it only the whole spices that you recommend roasting? I found that a Tupperware container of Pfeffernusse dough in the back of my freezer last Summer. I made the cookies and was astounded at how much deeper and flavorful they came out from the aged dough! Just a little hint for our readers; make an extra batch and freeze it!
Fantastic, Alfred! Ground spices will scorch very easily so I wouldn’t risk it. Just combine them without roasting, it will still taste delicious :)
Hello, can you give some specifics of spice grinding? Do we remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, or grind the whole thing? I’ve spent 49 minutes grinding with a hand coffee grinder and now realize perhaps the seeds should have been removed? If so, I’ve wasted a kindness material! Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Brenda, yes, only the seeds of cardamom pods are used, the outer shells are discarded.
Hello there. I have German ancestry and Christmas cookie baking is a very dear tradition for me. I’ve been wanting to try Lebkuchen ever since I tried them at a German Christmas festival in Chicago a few years back. I know I’m asking for a lot, but I predominantly buy whole spices. I just feel like if I’m going to go through the trouble of making a beautiful German cookie spice blend, I would like to start with all whole spices. Can you tell me what quantities of whole spices (either in grams, or like, 2 star anise or 10 cardamom pods) I should use? The only spice I will use already ground is ginger. Thank you so much for any help you can give me.
Hi Jessica, I completely understand. I only use whole spices as well because grinding them fresh imparts the most and best flavor. In the past whenever I posted blends calling for whole spices I had readers request the quantities for ground spices because they didn’t use whole spices :) In the case of this recipe I unfortunately didn’t measure the whole spices before grinding them. I usually pre-grind small quantities of many of my whole spices in advance (ones I use frequently and know I’ll use up within a couple of weeks while at peak freshness) and so I measured the ground spices from these.
I sincerely appreciate the detailed and accurate ingredients list for the Spice blend. I recall my father making bread when I was a little child and this blend was added to his bread, one of his holiday cookings…loved it sliced toasted with butter. Such a great blend and can be used with so many foods. Now if I could just find my grandfather brat and sauerkraut recipe…
Thank you, Rd, I’m happy you enjoyed this blend and agree with you about its versatility. I don’t know how my recipes compare to your grandfather’s, but here are my recipes for homemade German Bratwursts and Sauerkraut:
https://www.daringgourmet.com/homemade-german-bratwurst/
https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-sauerkraut/