How to Get Cardamom Seeds Out Quickly

Many recipes call for cardamom seeds rather than whole pods. Picking them out one by one with your nails is slow and starts to hurt after a dozen or so. These three ways are quicker.

Method 1: The knife press (for a few pods)

1. Lay the pods on a chopping board.
2. Press down on each one with the flat side of a wide knife, like you would with garlic. You'll feel a small crack.
3. The pod splits along its seams. Tip the seeds out with your fingers.

This takes a couple of seconds per pod and is the best way for chai or a small dish.

Method 2: Mortar and pestle, then sieve (for a batch)

1. Put a handful of pods in a mortar.
2. Pound gently, just enough to break the husks, not to powder the seeds.
3. Tip everything into a coarse sieve or a plate and shake. The light husks separate from the heavier seeds. You can also blow gently across the plate. The husks lift off and the seeds stay.

Method 3: Quick pulse in a mixie (for a lot)

1. Put the pods in a small dry mixie jar.
2. Pulse once or twice, very briefly. You're only cracking them.
3. Sieve or pick out the husks.

Be careful: one pulse too many and you'll have coarse powder mixed with husk.

How many seeds from a pod?

A good, full cardamom pod usually holds somewhere around 15 to 20 small seeds. As a rough guide, 10 to 12 pods give about 1 teaspoon of seeds. That depends a lot on the size and grade of the pods.

What good seeds look like

Fresh cardamom seeds are dark brown to black, a little sticky, and smell strongly the moment the pod opens. Pale, dry seeds usually mean the cardamom is old or of a lower grade.

Don't throw out the husks

The husks carry less flavour than the seeds, but still some. Put them in your tea tin, in the sugar jar, or boil them with water for chai. Some people add them to rice while it cooks.

Bigger, fuller pods give more seeds for the effort. Our Idukki cardamom is sold whole so you can check the pods yourself. For more on sizes and what they mean, see our cardamom grades guide.