How to Use Cloves

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Reviewed by Ashley Crawford

Last Updated: April 26, 2025 Approved

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Benefits of Cloves

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Using Cloves

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

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Things You'll Need

Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) are an unopened flower bud from an Indonesian tree. They are used as a spice in food dishes, and also have medicinal and household uses.^{[1]
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Research source} Every pantry should have fresh cloves and ground cloves on stand-by for various uses.

Things You Should Know

Use cloves to add a warm, spicy flavor to dishes. Add cloves to apple and pumpkin pies, relishes, chutneys, and pickles, or to rubs on meat.
Or, mix cloves into drinks. Make a spicy chai tea, mead, cider, or even hot chocolate.
Cloves can also be used in your home to get rid of flies, remove mothball smells, and add a pleasant scent to drawer liners.

Section 1 of 2:

Benefits of Cloves

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Cloves have many potential health benefits. Research shows that consuming cloves may be associated with a variety of health benefits, including:^{[2]
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Research source}
- Improvement of symptoms related to diabetes
- Reduced inflammation
- Inhibited oxidative stress
- Reduced microbial growth

Section 2 of 2:

Using Cloves

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Use cloves to flavour food. Cloves have a strong, spicy flavour with a warm to hot taste. A very little goes a long way in food. Some examples of using cloves in food include:^{[3]
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Research source}
- Fruit pies. Typically, they are added to apple pies and they can also be added to other fruit pies that need a warm, spicy flavour.
- Relishes, chutneys, and pickles. Cloves make a spicy addition to many of these condiments.
- Poke them into a ham.
- Add crushed or ground cloves to cakes and desserts requiring a warm, spicy flavour.
- Use cloves in Indian cuisine. Cloves are a popular addition to many curry dishes and to biryani.
- Make coffee figs with cloves.
- Use them with pumpkin and squash dishes; the cloves complement the flavours of these fruit vegetables well.
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Make drinks with cloves.^{[4]
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Research source} Cloves make a tasty addition to various winter style drinks such as mulled wine and warm cider. You might also like to try:
- Orange, cinnamon and clove mead
- Hot spiced cranberry cider
- Wassail
- Spiced tea
- A little powdered cloves with 70% dark chocolate and heavy cream. Add hot milk or water and stir well.
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Use cloves in the household. There are numerous uses for cloves in the household, from shooing away pests, to creating a lovely fragrance in the home.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Elmer Bensinger
Pest Control Specialist

Expert Interview} Some ideas for use include:^{[6]
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Research source}
- Get rid of your house flies using cloves
- Make a clove pomander
- Drawer liners with clove oil
- Removing the odour of mothballs with cloves.
Bite on a few cloves before you can get to the dentist, to alleviate pain.^{[7]
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Research source} Be sure not to swallow them!

Community Q&A

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Question

Will someone with a tree nut allergy have an adverse reaction to cloves?

Community Answer

No, cloves are not nuts and are safe for people with tree nut allergies.

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How many cloves should be used for a 3 pound ham?

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Use about two and a half tablespoons ground up and rubbed into the crevices of the the ham. It adds a lovely aromatic flavor that's absolutely superb.

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How do you make ground cloves?

Community Answer

Get some regular cloves and microwave them so they become hard; the other way is fry them in the pan. When they cool, crush them.

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Tips

Clove oil can be used as an anti-bacterial/anti-microbial but only use it this way under very strict instructions from a qualified health practitioner.^{[8]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

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Warnings

Be very careful when using clove oil. It should not be used in large amounts because it can have unpredictable effects. It contains eugenol, which can damage your health (it is a weak tumor promoter).^{[9]
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