Best Cinnamon We Found in a Taste Test

Hear me out: The cinnamon challenge did cinnamon dirty. Cinnamon was never supposed to be raw-dogged by the spoonful, but it’s such an important ingredient in so many dishes. Whether you’re adding depth to a warm curry or perfuming your home with freshly baked snickerdoodles, cinnamon can be found in recipes around the world from sweet to savory. 

But which cinnamon is best? I tried all the top brands to find out. And yes, some really are better than others. 

What I looked for in the best cinnamon

Most people have an idea in their head about the taste of cinnamon, but would they be able to tell the difference when tasting different brands side by side? I didn’t think I could, but I was shocked by the range of flavors in what I believed to be a uniform household staple. I looked for pure, powerful cinnamon flavor. I wanted a warm, spicy flavor. And I also looked for the best cinnamon powder that was grit-free. 

How I tasted the cinnamon 

To compare a bunch of cinnamon brands, I made a simple cinnamon butter with each brand to spread on white bread. After weeping over the nostalgia and unrecoverable youth, I wrote up my favorites. What is the best cinnamon to buy? Here are my top four picks. 

Best cinnamon brands, ranked

Best Spicy Cinnamon

Badia Organic Cinnamon

Walmart

I thought I was getting a little nose-blind a few cinnamons into this tasting, but Badia woke me right up with this organic cinnamon that elicited an unintentional “oooo” upon first whiff. It smells considerably sharper than almost all of the others, and the flavor follows suit. While it doesn’t taste like it’s mixed with cayenne or anything, there’s a little zip and a slight tingle that sets it apart from the rest. This is the best cinnamon for someone looking to add the warmth and flavor of cinnamon accompanied by a little tip-of-the-tongue sharpness that I didn’t get from any other brand. The extra kick combined with the large holes of the shaker make me feel like Badia is the best ground cinnamon for people that go big or go home.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Cinnamon for Pie

Badia Cinnamon

Walmart

The OG Badia is even more of a ride than the Badia Organic Cinnamon. It has the same spicy sweet scent as the organic, but it is also almost sour. It’s not off putting in the least, but it is surprising, especially compared to the warm, roasty, toasty notes of the others. This cinnamon ends up tasting almost fruity thanks to that tartness. If you’re making a pie with a bright fruit like peach, this would be the best cinnamon to buy thanks to its extra zip.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Classic Cinnamon

McCormick Cinnamon

Walmart

McCormick delivers what I think of as the classic cinnamon. It’s warm and bright and smells exactly like your childhood when you went to your friend’s house, and their impossibly crafty mom taught you to make those homemade cinnamon Christmas ornaments while somehow still having time to put the roast in the oven and fold the laundry. Ah, comfort. While this is decidedly cinnamon, I also can detect some almost nutmeg-y notes. The powder is super fine and mixes seamlessly without any grit, resulting in a cinnamon butter that made me feel all warm and snuggly inside.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Simply Organic Cinnamon

Walmart

This cinnamon is astonishing. I checked and rechecked the label to make sure that the only ingredient was cinnamon because I truly believe they must have added some sort of holiday magic to the bottle. The smell is the purest, loveliest version of the cinnamon I adore, and I even licked it off of my finger after the initial taste because I truly thought I messed up and somehow added sugar to the cinnamon butter. I don’t understand how it’s so sweet without the addition and sugar, and part of me still doesn’t believe that it’s only cinnamon. I really wrote down, “Wow, I can’t believe how good that is.” I’ll be sprinkling this on everything until further notice. It’s best cinnamon to buy, no question.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other cinnamon brands we tasted:

McCormick Organic, Watkins Organic

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