THE essential ingredient to authentic tasting Lebkuchen, Pfeffernüsse and more, absolutely NOTHING compares to the bold and vibrant flavors of homemade Lebkuchengewürz! This 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!
Which 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
Lebkuchengewürz (German Gingerbread Spice)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground green 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 3, 2015
Anonymous says
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!
Markus says
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.
Alfred Ferrara says
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!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Alfred! Ground spices will scorch very easily so I wouldn’t risk it. Just combine them without roasting, it will still taste delicious :)
Brenda says
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.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brenda, yes, only the seeds of cardamom pods are used, the outer shells are discarded.
Jessica says
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.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Rd says
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…
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
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/