Cinnamon
Cinnamon is the warm, sweet spice that makes everything from morning oatmeal to holiday cookies smell like home.
In a nutshell
Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of tropical Cinnamomum trees, sold as rolled quills or pre-ground powder. It delivers a sweet, woody warmth that works equally well in savory dishes and desserts. Two main types dominate US kitchens: the milder, sweeter Ceylon and the more pungent, widely available Cassia.
Nutrition
≈ 33 Calories and 0.2g fat per tablespoon.
Because cinnamon is used in small amounts, its caloric load is negligible in practice. It contains manganese, a trace mineral important for bone formation and metabolism, in impressively high concentrations. Cinnamon is also rich in cinnamaldehyde, the volatile compound responsible for its aroma and the subject of ongoing research into antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies suggest modest benefits for blood sugar regulation, particularly with Cassia cinnamon, though the evidence is still evolving and it should not replace medical treatment. Nutrition per 100g via Spoonacular.
Culinary uses & pairings
In baking and sweet cooking, cinnamon is nearly indispensable. It goes into pie fillings, snickerdoodles, coffee cake, banana bread, and spice blends like pumpkin pie spice. Stirred into oatmeal, yogurt, or sprinkled over buttered toast, it adds instant warmth. Ground cinnamon blooms beautifully when added early in a recipe, while a dusting on finished dishes — cappuccino, rice pudding, churros — gives an aromatic top note.
Savory cooking embraces cinnamon in ways that often surprise home cooks. It is a backbone ingredient in Moroccan ras el hanout, Greek lamb stews, Indian biryanis, and Mexican mole. A cinnamon stick simmered in a braised short rib or lentil soup adds mysterious depth without tasting sweet. Even a pinch in chili or tomato sauce rounds out acidity and gives body to the overall flavor.
Pairs well with
Substitutions
Buying & storage
For everyday baking, pre-ground Cassia cinnamon (the reddish-brown powder in most supermarket jars) is widely available and budget-friendly — just check that the jar was packed recently, since ground spices lose their punch after about a year. If you want the most nuanced flavor, look for Ceylon cinnamon (sometimes labeled ‘true cinnamon’) at specialty spice shops, Latin markets, or online; its sticks are tightly layered and tan-colored rather than the thick, single-bark Cassia quills. Buy whole sticks when you can and grind them yourself in a spice grinder for noticeably brighter, more complex flavor. Regardless of type, the spice should smell intensely fragrant the moment you open the jar — a faint or musty aroma means it is past its prime.
Varieties
- Cassia (Chinese Cinnamon): The dominant type sold in US supermarkets. Bold, slightly spicy, and very aromatic; its thick, hard quills are difficult to grind by hand. Contains higher levels of coumarin, so very large daily amounts are not recommended.
- Ceylon (True Cinnamon): Grown primarily in Sri Lanka, this is milder, sweeter, and more complex with faint citrus undertones. Its sticks are thin, papery, and multi-layered. Preferred by pastry chefs and those watching coumarin intake.
- Saigon (Vietnamese Cinnamon): A Cassia variety prized for its exceptionally high essential-oil content, giving it the most intense, almost spicy-hot flavor. Popular in specialty baking and highly aromatic hot drinks.
- Korintje (Indonesian Cinnamon): Another common Cassia type, slightly milder than Saigon. It is the standard cinnamon in many US commercial spice blends and baked goods.
Recipes using cinnamon
109 recipes across our recipe sites use cinnamon. A few favorites:
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History & origin
Cinnamon has one of the longest spice histories on record, traded across the ancient world for at least 4,000 years. Egyptian records reference it as a prized import used in embalming and religious ritual, and it appears in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Chinese texts. For centuries, Arab traders carefully guarded its true origin — Sri Lanka — spinning elaborate myths to keep European demand and prices sky-high. When Portuguese navigators reached Ceylon in the early 1500s they seized control of the trade, followed later by the Dutch and then the British. By the 19th century, cultivation had spread to other tropical regions and the spice monopoly collapsed, making cinnamon an affordable pantry staple for ordinary cooks worldwide.
How it’s made
Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of Cinnamomum trees grown in tropical climates. Farmers harvest young branches, then use specialized curved knives to scrape away the outer bark and peel off the thin inner bark in long strips. As these strips dry, they naturally curl inward into the familiar quill shape. Multiple thin layers are sometimes rolled together (especially for Ceylon) to build up a single stick. Sticks destined for ground cinnamon are dried further and then milled; the volatile-oil content at the time of grinding determines how fragrant the finished powder will be. Trees are coppiced — cut back close to the ground — so they continually produce new shoots ready for the next harvest cycle.
Good to know
- Cinnamon was among the most prized and costly spices of the ancient world; in ancient Rome it was considered a luxury fit for emperors and the wealthy elite.
- The distinctive aroma and flavor come almost entirely from one compound: cinnamaldehyde, which makes up roughly 60 to 90 percent of cinnamon bark oil.
- Ceylon cinnamon contains dramatically less coumarin than Cassia — roughly 250 times less — which matters for anyone consuming cinnamon in supplement-level quantities.
- A cinnamon tree can be harvested for its bark twice a year once it is established, and a well-managed plant can remain productive for decades.
- Cinnamon is one of the few spices that appears in both the sweet and savory pantries of virtually every major world cuisine, from Moroccan tagines to Swedish cinnamon rolls to Indian chai.
