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!
Hi Kimberly…
My Aunt Lotte passed before I had a chance to get her recipes…other family members got to them before me.
Looking forward to (now thanks to you) making family loved lebkuchen!
As I do not read german (my born and raised German father so disappointed), can you tell me how to use Hefeteig by Kathi…I understand its a German yeast mix…no english measurements on the box!
Hi Caroline, I haven’t used that product. Is this what you’re looking for (the directions for using it are posted)?: https://europeandeli.com/products/kathi-hefeteig-yeast-dough-mix-2
Hi Kimberly, I’ve only recently come across your site and am looking forward to trying your recipes, with this Lebkucken Spice blend the first. I have a question/suggestion – the ingredients say 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. so do I assume that’s an American tablespoon? Which is equivalent to 3 teaspoons, whereas in Australia a tablespoon is equivalent to 4 teaspoons. I expect 25% more cinnamon would make a big difference to the result? What do you think?
Hi Sue, yes, those are American tablespoons, not Australian. I hope you enjoy the recipes!
Canada and australia new zealand and europe are in metric measurements how about adding degrees celcius and metric ingrediant mesurements for the rest of the world lovers of german food terry cooke markham ont canada
With the exception of teaspoon/tablespoon measurements, most of my recipes have a conversion feature: To the right of the ingredients are two boxes that say “US Customary” and “Metric”; click on “metric” and it will give you the metric conversions.
Do your own conversions. be thankful for someone’s time and effort to write these recipes.
This is very good! I used in a soft gingerbread cookie recipe from smalltownwoman to try to replicate a local bakery’s gingerbread cookie bar that my SIL loves. They turned out very well! The only adjustment I made is I used 1/2 t. ground anise seed instead of the star anise.
Wonderful, Dana, so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Hey, I read both this article and the one on British mixed spice mix. Wondered if you can shed any light on this spice mix my aunt bought in England that has a list of spices in French, that looks similar to both the Lebkuckengewuerz here and the British mixed spice: Cinnamon, ginger, coriander, anis, cloves, star anise, nutmeg, pepper. I thought at first this was just a pumpkin spice, but now I’m wondering if there’s a French equivalent to British mixed spice? TIA.
Hi Angelina, other than quatre épices which only contains four spices I’m not sure if there is a ready-made spice blend, like a French gingerbread spice blend per say. There’s the traditional recipe, pain d’épices, that is made with a combination of spices like a gingerbread spice blend, but I’ve never seen those spices sold as a blend in a packet.
Being from England, the mixed spice combination my family have used for many years:
3 measure ground cinnamon *
3 measure ground nutmeg
2 measures ground mace **
1 measure ground cloves
1 measure ground coriander
1 measure ground Ginger
* Cinnamon – it must be ‘true’ cinnamon’, or ‘Ceylon’ cinnamon. If you have Cassia, which I understand is the type of cinnamon usually sold in the USA, please do not use it. Cassia is a cheap imitation, very bland and apparently highly toxic in comparison.
** If mace is not available add another measure of nutmeg – Mace is the dried waxy coating of nutmeg and has a similar, but milder taste to nutmeg.
I love experimenting with herbs and spices, so have tried this mix and adding other ingredients.
My favorite extra so far has been a measure of chocolate mint (home grown as I cannot find any for sale on the internet).
Cassia cinnamon is not necessarily inferior; it’s just different. Saigon cinnamon, which is closely related to Cassia, commands as high a price as Ceylon sometimes, and I think it tastes better in certain recipes. That being said, I’ll probably use Ceylon for this recipe, since I think that is more common in continental Europe (and Mexico too, I think).
Toxicity in cinnamon comes from a compound called coumarin which thins the blood and can damage the liver. Ceylon cinnamon has very little coumarin, while Saigon cinnamon generally has the most. Cassia and Korintje cinnamon are somewhere in the middle.
You’ll find that there are number of common baking spices that, if consumed in high enough quantities, can be quite toxic. Black liquorice can cause your potassium levels to drop. It killed a man recently who ate a bag or so of it every day for a few weeks. Nutmeg has a toxic narcotic substance that can cause hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, etc. when more than 1 tsp is consumed at once. Japanese star anise can be toxic to your liver. I could go on.
Generally, in the quantities used for baking, these spices are not dangerous. Just remember the phrase, “everything in moderation” and inform yourself as to what a moderate amount is.
I have been using your wonderful recipe for the last 3 years. I’m selling these Elise Lebkuchen at our winter market and get a lot of appreciation, excitement and happy smiles. Just want to say thank you, your recipe is simply the finest! I’m just getting ready for the first batch of this season.
Fantastic, Renate, that’s wonderful, thank you!
I got a really good lebkuchen recipe from a German friend and used this recipe for the lebkuchengewurz (lebkuchen spice), using mostly pre-ground spices. I think that fresh ground will make a more flavorful lebkuchen. The lebkuchen recipe used about 2/3 of the spice mixture. What to do with the leftover? It goes nicely with coffee, although you’ll have to experiment with quantities because too much can be overpowering (unless you drink Starbucks or other “Seattle-style” scorched-bean coffees).
Hi Kimberly, I’ve made this for the past two years and love it in my Pfeffernüsse, peppernut, an gingerbread.
This year I used Ceylon Cinnamon and like the flavor much better since it doesn’t overpower everything else. I aslo use anise seed instead of star anise for the same reason. From a lot of my research, anise seed would have been more traditional to Europe as imported star anise would be expensive.I also added a half teaspoon of fennel.
Thanks, Justin! Even anise seed would have come with a high price tag because it had to be imported from the Mediterranean. While the nobility used exotic spices on a regular basis at least the Middle Ages, for the less privileged classes most of these spices would have been far rarer treats.
Kimberly, your ingredients say cinnamon stick. Would you recommend the Ceylon cinnamon (cinnamomum verum)
or the Chinese cassia (cinnamomum cassia)? Sticks of true cinnamon (cinnamomum verum) arr easier to grind in a average coffee grinder, like a Krups, by first crumbling it a bit in your hand and putting the piecesin the grinder. But Chinese, and Vietnamese (“Saigon” cinnamon) stick cinnamon is impossible to crunch in hand, so you’d need to smash it with a heavy tool, like a hammer, and even then, it might be difficult to pulverize in a coffee grinder. I finally broke my Braun coffee grinder by regularly grinding whole cloves in it, but my Krups grinder is now picking up the job where the Braun left off. (The Braun grinder was an older purchase) But I use both kinds of cinnamon often, as they both have different attributes. Just a heads up on grinding the cassia sticks, It is not very easy.
That’s a good point, Kathryn, thanks for those insights. I’ve never had a problem grinding them in my Krups grinder but off-hand I’m also not sure which kind of cinnamon sticks I have, I’ll have to take a look. In the meantime I would just say, use which ever ones your grinder has the capacity to grind!