Natural form

Whole dried cloves showing the distinctive nail-shaped bud and dark brown color.

Shows the reader exactly what cloves look like when purchased whole, so they can identify them by sight.

Spices

Cloves

Intense, aromatic buds for mulling, hams, and spice blends

Pungent and warming, cloves stud a holiday ham, mull a drink, and deepen a spice blend — use them sparingly, as they're powerful. Keep them whole and airtight.

Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds of a tropical tree — intensely aromatic, warming, and slightly numbing, with a sweet-pungent flavor that's powerful enough to dominate a dish from a single bud. They stud holiday hams and onions, mull wine and cider, and deepen spice blends like garam masala, Chinese five-spice, and pumpkin pie spice. Whole cloves infuse and are removed; ground clove disperses through baking and rubs. Use them with a very light hand — too much turns medicinal and bitter. The active compound, eugenol, gives cloves their signature dental-warm note.

Measured in: g
Storage: Airtight

Find it in

Spices Seasoning

Types & varieties

Whole cloves

Stud, infuse, and pull out — strongest, longest-lasting form.

Ground cloves

Disperse through baking and rubs; use a tiny amount.

In spice blends

A backbone of garam masala, five-spice, and pumpkin pie spice.

How to use

Press whole cloves into an onion or ham, or drop them into a simmering braise, mulled wine, or rice to infuse — then remove the hard buds before serving. Use ground clove in small pinches in batters, mole, and spice rubs.

Stud onions and hams; remove whole cloves before eating
Infuse braises and mulled drinks, then strain
Use ground clove by the pinch — it dominates fast

Whole vs ground

Whole cloves are ideal for infusing liquids and studding, holding their oils for a long time; ground clove blends into baking and rubs but stales faster. Either way, restraint is key — clove is among the most overpowering spices.