The Turkish pantry

Cinnamon (ground)

Use the fine powder where cinnamon should remain in the food; distinguish it from sticks used for infusing.

Last updated: 17 October 2026

Ground cinnamon is milled dried cinnamon bark. Products can use different cinnamon species; a brown powder alone does not establish Ceylon cinnamon or a specific origin. This guide concerns plain ground spice, not cinnamon sugar or whole bark sticks.

Types & forms

Ground cinnamon

Fine dry powder for mixing or sprinkling. It remains in the dish.

Cinnamon sticks · comparison

Pieces of bark commonly used to infuse a liquid and then removed. They have a different preparation and serving role.

Cinnamon sugar · comparison

A mixture containing sugar. It is not an equal substitute for the plain spice.

What to look for when buying

Check for a single-ingredient product when the recipe asks for ground cinnamon. Read any stated species or origin on the label instead of inferring it from color.
Choose intact, dry packaging and a size suited to your use. Stronger and milder products can differ in aroma; a darker powder is not automatically better.

Prepare & cook

For a topping, use a light, even dusting. For baking or a milk dessert, mix the powder as directed so it does not collect in dry pockets.
Ground cinnamon does not replace the removable structure of a bark stick. Follow the recipe form, especially in a drink that is meant to be strained.

Store it well

Store tightly closed in a cool, dry place, protected from sunlight and cooking heat.
Use a dry utensil and keep the open jar away from steam. Mark the opening date so older stock can be used first.

Substitutions depend on the dish

When a recipe specifies ground cinnamon

A cinnamon-sugar mix adds sugar as well as spice; adjust only with a recipe designed for it.

When a recipe specifies a cinnamon stick

Powder will remain suspended or settle and changes clarity and texture. Choose the requested form rather than assuming a fixed spoon-for-stick conversion.

Nutrition

Spices, cinnamon, ground ^[1]

Per 100 g edible portion
Nutrient	Amount
Energy	247 kcal
Protein	3.99 g
Total fat	1.24 g
Saturated fat	0.35 g
Carbohydrate	80.6 g
Dietary fiber	53.1 g
Total sugars	2.17 g
Sodium	10 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg
Calcium	1,000 mg
Iron	8.32 mg
Potassium	431 mg
Vitamin D	0 µg

Plain dried ground spice, before adding it to food. Values are per 100 g of the spice, not per spoonful or per cup of a prepared drink. This generic record is not a separate analysis of every species, brand or batch. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.

Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.

At the Turkish table

Ground tarçın is a finishing spice in this collection’s boza and salep drinks. The serving role does not make every cinnamon product suitable for every preparation; whole-stick infusions remain a separate form.