Swedish cardamom buns are like a cross between a cinnamon roll and a pull apart bread. They're light, packed with delicious flavor, and a beautiful addition to any coffee table.
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Every year, I do some digging on traditional cookies and breads for the festive season. In general, I manage to make at least a couple (like alfajores, kolache cookies and panettone in previous years).
Of course, I always have some I don't quite get round to making. Well, at least it gives me ideas for another year, I guess. I think these pretty sweet rolls have gone in and out of my list for years, and this year I finally got round to making them.
To say I wish I'd made them sooner, would be an understatement.
I've always been a fan of cardamom (or cardamon as we would write it in the UK). Sure, cinnamon is wonderful as well but cardamom often seems forgotten in comparison. Yet it has such a wonderful, delicately warm flavor.
Thankfully, it seems to be better recognized in some places, like Finland and Sweden where things like 'pulla' bread, cardamom cake and these 'kardemummabullar' (cardamon buns or rolls) are popular treats.
These sweet little buns are perfect with your morning coffee, and you can imagine having your own Swedish Fika at home. I think they are perfect to share with guests for something that bit different but so easy to like, too.
Maybe make a kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake) or chokladbollar (Swedish chocolate oat balls) as well if you want some variety!
Variations in Swedish cardamom buns
You'll find a few slight variations in how to make these, but essentially they have two core components:
- a cardamom-infused, butter-enriched yeast dough;
- a sugar, butter and cardamom filling.
Some give them an eggwash, and sometimes add a little more sugar on top, while others glaze after baking and add cardamom sugar then. Either way, the idea is to show off the beautiful twists of dough.
Small batch buns!
Most recipes I've found make a huge quantity, which I understand to a point when you are making a yeast bread, you want to get your money's worth from that waiting time. The only thing is these are definitely best fresh and we just don't need 20 of them at a time, and I bet we're not alone there.
So, I have created a recipe that makes 6 cardamom buns which to me is perfect for a small group to enjoy in one sitting. If you need more, you can multiply up the quantities.
If you do have leftovers, you can store in an airtight container and use the next day. I'd recommend warming them either gently in the oven, or simple wrapped in kitchen roll for a short burst in the microwave (I found 15 seconds on 90% was good). You can also freeze them and defrost before re-heating.
How to twist Swedish cardamom buns
While there is a bit of waiting for these to rise, they are not difficult to make. If any bit could be called tricky, though, it would be forming them in to the twisted buns you see here. I found a few different methods and played around to come up with what I have done here which I think is about the easiest.
You basically make two 'legs' that you twist together, then tuck one leg-end into the bit where the legs join, and twist the other over the top and into the middle of the knot you have formed.
I've demonstrated it in the video, below, so do take a look! Honestly, it's pretty easy once you get in to it.
You'll find the dough easy to roll out - it shouldn't be sticky, but instead relatively dry to the touch. However the butter in there, in particular, keeps it nice and soft and adds richness to the flavor.
The bit that makes the twisting tricky, if anything, is you get little bits of sweet, sticky butter coming out on your fingers. But, believe me, it's worth it.
We all loved these and I can definitely see them making a more regular appearance. With a delicious flavor and texture, they're definitely a treat you need to try.
Try these other tasty baked goods perfect for mid-morning coffee:
- Sourdough cinnamon rolls
- Coconut mango scones
- Sour cream mocha cake
- Eggnog cinnamon rolls
- Plus get more snack ideas, both sweet and savory, and Nordic recipes in the archives.
Tools to make these
(affiliate links) I'd recommend using a Half Baking Sheet lined with a Silicone Baking Mat to bake these.
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Swedish cardamom buns
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon fast acting yeast
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour plain flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the filling
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
To top
- 1 egg for eggwash - won't use all
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar approx - or use pearl sugar if you have
Instructions
Forming dough & first rise (40min)
- Warm the milk gently until it just starts to bubble then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Once it's tepid, sprinkle the yeast over the top and set aside while you prepare out other ingredients.
- Mix together the softened butter, sugar and cardamom. Separately, add the salt to the flour. Mix the butter mixture into the yeast and milk mixture then gradually add the flour. Once combined, turn it out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for around 5 minutes. Note, you can also do the mixing and kneading in a stand mixer.
- Put the dough into a clean, lightly-oiled bowl and cover. Set aside in a warm place for around 40 minutes to double in size.
Mixing filling and forming buns
- When the dough is almost done with it's first rise, mix together the butter, sugar and cardamom for the filling.
- Roll the dough out into a long, thin rectangle, approx 21 in x 7in (52x18cm). Spread the filling evenly over the top then fold the dough to be three layers thick - first fold one third (short end) over to halfway across the rest of the dough, then fold the other side over the top. The layered piece of dough will be roughly square.
- Cut the dough into 6 even strips crosswise (so they are joined on either side), trimming slightly on either end if needed. Then, split each strip in the middle almost all the way but leaving the one side joined (see pics above).
- Take one piece of dough and twist the two strips together, then tuck one end in between where they join, and loop the other end over and through the middle of the loop you have formed. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
Second rise (30min) then baking
- Put the formed buns on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment, cover and set aside to prove for around 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425F/220C.
- Lightly brush each bun with egg-wash, sprinkle over a little sugar then bake for approx 12 mins until golden brown on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving (best served warm).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Remember to pin for later!
Carla says
Excellent recipe
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed and that they worked out well for you!
Margaret says
I made a double batch and they are almost gone haha. So good! I used about half pre ground cardamom and half fresh ground seeds and the flavor was there.
I misread the instructions and used softened butter for the filling so it was messy while shaping and some leaked out but it didn’t really burn and there was still plenty of flavor in the buns. I chilled the second pan before baking and that seemed to help some.
I used the egg wash and then glazed with a syrup of orange juice and granulated sugar when they came out of the oven. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! And yes, chilling can certainly help with the butter. That glaze sounds delicious, too.
kiki says
The buns and dough were great but the 425F burnt them in 20 mins, will go 350-375 next time...
kiki says
Sorry, burnt them in 10, so will go slower longer next time...
Caroline's Cooking says
Sorry to hear they burnt - unfortunately some ovens can run a little hotter and it's always best to keep a close eye as they are towards the end of their time just in case as well. Maybe try 400 next time and still watch after around 9 or so minutes?
John Whitney says
Hi. Some questions…but first what was done: followed the recipe ingredients, but found the filling very liquid, so the filling leaked out during the cutting and twisting. Then when baking it completely came out resulting in an over done puddles under the rolls that was very close to being burnt. Is there anyway to prevent this? It would seem due to the cutting and twisting any type of filling will leak out an burn on the cooking mat.
There was very little cardamom flavor. A new bottle of ground cardamom was used although it was a store brand. In order to get a stronger flavor do you need to grind your own? How would you use pods in the recipe? Green or black cardamom?
Other than the above rolls tasted great.
Caroline's Cooking says
It sounds like your filling was too soft - I purposely don't say softened butter for the filling as the mixing with the sugar and cardamom should be enough to soften it very slightly without it being liquid which is what you want. If you find it gets too soft for whatever reason, then prepare the filling a little ahead and chill it in the fridge so that it firms a little. Then stir to soften just enough to be able to spread it onto the dough. Yes, some will leak out when you bake, but if the filling is that bit firmer, this will be more limited. Also, what should happen is some leaks into the dough and a little forms a puddle at the bottom which becomes nicely sticky as it cools slightly before you eat them. In terms of cardamom, these are not intended to be highly spiced but yes, it may be the ground version you had wasn't as strong as it could be. Starting with pods should give a stronger flavor. Use green cardamom, and crush the pod with a pestle and mortar just enough to open the pod. Then, pop out the black seeds inside and discard the outer pod. Crush the black seeds to a powder and measure it out to then use. Glad you enjoyed otherwise!
Marty says
If I mix and knead with my stand mixer how long should I knead it for?
Caroline's Cooking says
Generally mixing with a stand mixer takes a little less time so here I'd say around 3 minutes should be fine. You are looking for the dough to be nice and smooth, not too sticky.
TrishTrish says
I made these buns to bring for a family gathering. My daughter said they were way better than the cardamon buns she purchased at a ritzy bakery in NYC! I added more cardamon to the recipe also since we all love the flavor. They were delicious! Thank you!
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed them, and that's praise indeed! And yes, if you are a fan of cardamom it can definitely take a little more without any issue.
Anon says
Hi there. Will the huns keep
fresher for longer if we brush them with a syrup after they come out of the oven? I find that my buns get fry the next day.
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't tried to say for sure, but possibly. Try to make sure you store them at cool room temperature and ideally in a closed container which should also help. Also, another thing that can help revive the buns the next day is to gently warm them - I often wrap them in kitchen paper and warm in the microwave for just about 10-15 seconds and it helps soften them up.
Tatiana says
Great recipe, the dough is great, the texture turned out just right! Will certainly make it again! My only change is the amount of cardamom. Even if you use freshly ground cardamom, a teaspoon is way too little in my opinion. I made it a tablespoon for the filling and added few pinches of freshly ground cardamom to the dough. I also reduced sugar a little, but that's my personal preference. It wouldn't be too sweet either way.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad you enjoyed! Spice flavorings are a little to taste, but these are certainly about what I would expect traditionally, and suit most tastes, though I can see some may want stronger if you typically prefer strong flavors. And yes, these aren't overly sweet as written either.
Susan Carr says
No video - not on the top right.
I have made Cardamom braids before and I am interested to try these. Would love to see a video!
Caroline's Cooking says
So the video should come up automatically as you scroll the post and sit typically bottom right of your screen. Sometimes it doesn't quite load fast enough and so more sits in the post higher up, so you can usually then find it by scrolling back up. Hope it shows up for you (and that you enjoy)!
Humu Trott says
Your post made this complicated-seeming recipe downright easy. Thank you! My daughter and I had great success making these. I've never had them before, but my husband has—he had them in Sweden about 15 years ago, and has been talking about them ever since. He said these tasted just like he remembered! Thank you also for scaling the recipe to just 6 buns, that was just right for us.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear they worked well for you! And glad the smaller batch worked for you too - I feel like a small batch works best for a lot of people (and they are best fresh, anyway) and it's generally easier to scale up than down.
Minnie says
Brilliant idea to have a small batch recipe. Easy to have all six to yourself. That is how good these buns are.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thank you, and I know what you mean - all too easy to eat a few!
Kavitha says
Hello,
I have baked cardamom roles before, but this time i want to make the dough today and bake it tomorrow. At what point would you recommend putting them in the fridge? Before rise 1 or finish shaping the roles and put it in fridge overnight before rise #2?
Thank you!
Kavitha
Caroline's Cooking says
I'd say putting the dough in the fridge for the first rise is generally better as sometimes with rolls like this which have a filling, the filling can become watery if left in the fridge overnight and run out of the rolls before baking.
Zoe says
Thank you for the great recipe. We are in Japan and cardamom buns are not available. So I had to make them! This was a huge hit! All the people I gave these buns never had cardamom buns. It was exciting to explore the new flavor! Your instruction was east to follow and was a fool proof! Thank you
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you, and others, enjoyed - these are one of our favorites as well.
Laura says
Hi! I live in Japan also and would love to know what kind of flour you used for your successful recipe! Thank you!
Caroline says
So as stated in the recipe, I use all purpose flour, as it's known in the US, or plain flour, as it goes by in the UK/Australia. It's a medium strength flour so hopefully you can something that is about the same.
Ann says
This recipe was great!! I fell in love with cardamom buns when I lived in Stockholm so I was very excited to make these. Unfortunately, I couldn't get cardamom this week so I subbed with a mix of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The texture of these are so great, I will definitely be making them again when I can get my hands on some cardamom.
Some notes:
- Where I live in Spain is extremely humid so I needed to add at least 1/4-1/2c of flour to get the dough to come together. Next time I'll start with 1/4c milk.
- Again because of the summer heat and humidity, next time I'll cut the dough and chill a few mins before twisting
- I did chill the buns for 10-15m while the oven was preheating and they held together really nicely while baking
Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! And sounds like a good alternative spice-wise. Yes, high humidity and heat can definitely impact the texture etc but glad to see you managed to adapt to get it to work.
Ann says
Caroline, could I prepare the buns the day before and leave in the fridge to bake them fresh in the morning for guests?
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven’t tried it with these, but I think it should work - just don't leave them out for a second rise, let them rise slowly in the fridge instead.
TrishK says
Thank you for the amazing recipe! My daughter tried one and said they are better than the bakery she gets cardamom buns from in NYC!
Caroline's Cooking says
That's praise indeed, so glad to hear you enjoyed!
Erik Grotbeck says
I was just introduced to Cardamom Buns this summer and immediately fell in love. I am sucker for anything with cardamom so I wanted to make them at home. The recipe was easy to follow and I was pleased with the results. Soft and slightly sweet with a wonderful flavor. I did double the cardamom which I think provided the right flavor for me.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed and found the recipe easy to follow. Yes, some people may prefer a little more cardamom, spices can often be to taste but all the more excuse to bake more than once and adjust 🙂
Heidi says
These are delicious and a nice change from our traditional Swedish cardamom holiday bread. I am still perfecting my twists. Any advice on how to keep the butter spread from melting g out of the bun during baking?
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! So the best suggestions would be how you twist them, to try to not have the twists too open or pointing down. The other thing is maybe put them in the fridge for a few minuted before baking to try to firm the filling up, if it is a little soft. These may not completely work but hopefully help a little.
Gabrielle says
Hi! Your recipe mentions a video, but it's not showing up for me. Was it taken down?
Caroline's Cooking says
It should be showing in the recipe card or 'floating' in a box in the top-right of the post. If it's not showing, maybe try re-freshing the page and hopefully that will help it show (sometimes it may not load quite right or you may have closed what you thought was a pop-up and it's actually the video). Hope that helps!
Corrie S says
Great recipe! Really enjoyed trying something different than cinnamon rolls.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! Agree they do make a lovely change.
Vivian C says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have tried a few cardamom bun recipes and yours is the best! It works beautifully and I even managed to shape them like the ones you made. And I like this small batch recipe just enough to finish in a day or two. I sprinkled some pearl sugar on top. This is truly a keeper. Just nice amount of sweetness and not a sticky mess! For those who had problems with making it rise, try using instant yeast for sweet dough i.e. SAF gold brand.
Caroline's Cooking says
I'm so glad to hear that, and yes if you have pearl sugar, that's always a welcome addition, I agree. And appreciate the yeast suggestion for others. I might have to make these soon again myself...
Martin L says
When mixing the initial ingredients, I mixed the sugar butter and cardamom. Then when adding 120ml of the milk/yeast mixture to that it went curdled looking, no matter how much I mixed. Is this right?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, this may well happen especially if the butter is cold but don't worry, it should still be fine when mixed with the dry ingredients.
monica says
these were so great! wondering how i could adapt it for instant yeast instead of dry active yeast? would i just add it with the dry ingredients? thanks in advance!
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad you enjoyed! Yes indeed, same amount just no need to let it foam up so fine to add with the dry ingredients.
Davina Ma says
I told my friend about my obsession with cardamom, and she told me that there's a bakery in New York City that's famous for these babies. Of course, I had to try my hand at making them.
You can turn them into cinnamon buns or a combination of cinnamon and cardamom, depending on your preference.
These are much more refined than classic cinnamon rolls: more intricate and beautiful in design, and crispier and flakier than a traditional fully brioche dough.
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes indeed, you can shape them more like cinnamon rolls and use more cinnamon, but I have to say I do love them twisted like this, I think it helps show off the dough better. And I agree, prettier, and with that nice balance of crisp/flakiness (that's all delicious!)
Pauline says
Hi I just made up this dough after looking at many recipes and I'm disappointed in that it hasn't risen after an hour and the dough is really firm. I have added some more yeast and kneaded it in and set to rise again. Fingers crossed. Any tips ??
Caroline's Cooking says
It's hard to say for sure as a few things can cause this - have you used the yeast recently for something else and has it worked well, or is the yeast maybe a bit old? What is the temperature like where you are leaving the dough to rise? If it's not a relatively warm room temperature it will likely take longer to rise. I sometimes warm the oven slightly but put it off just a couple minutes in to it warming up (you don't want it too hot or it stops the yeast working) and use the gently warm oven to help speed things up, which may help. This style of bread doesn't necessarily rise as much as some others, so if it doesn't quite double in size it should still be fine, but it should still noticeably rise. Hope they work out!
Pauline says
Thank you! I wonder if I just didn't wait enough for the milk to be tepid - wasn't sure what that meant. The yeast was newly bought, and I put the bowl over the warming oven on the stove, so it was warm enough I think. Thank you!
Mac says
I had trouble with my yeast so I'm blaming it on why these didn't rise as much as yours. 🙂 But these were absolutely delicious. Just the right amount of sweet. Cardamom is such a warming spice. Thanks for the great recipe. Will definitely try again.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad you enjoyed them, even if they didn't rise quite as much as you hoped and great to hear you'll make again. I agree, cardamom is such a lovely flavor.
Lisa says
Thanks for this great recipe. I’ve tried it as it is three times and it was on point. Caroline, have you tried making this with half all purpose and half whole wheat? Thanks so much.
Caroline's Cooking says
Glad to hear you enjoyed! They are one of my favorites too. I haven't tried it with whole wheat, but certainly whole wheat pastry flour I find pretty easily interchanged with some of the all purpose in a lot of recipes without issue so imagine it should be good here too.
Sylvia says
Just baked these and they came out delicious! I was very nervous because of the yeast but the end result was soft and fluffy! I have probably wanted to bake these or cinnamon rolls for years but always chickened out. So I feel very accomplished right now! Haha.
Question, can I swap dairy milk out for plant milk? Will it make any difference in anyway? Also, wondering if whole wheat pastry flour would work here? Thank you!
Caroline's Cooking says
That's great, glad they worked out well! Yes, you should be fine with nondairy milk, the flavor might just be slightly different depending what you use. I often use whole wheat pastry flour in baking when I have it and generally it works in a similar way quantity-wise etc. The only thing is it often leads to slightly less soft and fluffy bread, but it's still certainly tasty.
Alissa says
Hi, thank you for the recipe! these look like they are exactly the ones I’ve been looking recreate after trying Sparrow Bakery “Ocean Rolls” on a trip to Bend, OR. Your recipe and method look spot on!
I’m quite intimidated by yeast baking and always imagine I will use the wrong type of yeast. I looked up what “fast acting yeast” was and it was under the instant yeast category, which was described being proofed once and added directly to dry ingredients as opposed to letting it active in warm liquid like active dry.
So I don’t get it wrong - is the recipe calling for active dry yeast? Or is instant yeast used, but just getting added to liquid and proofed twice?
Many thanks
Caroline's Cooking says
You can actually use either here, both will work - with active dry yeast, you definitely want to leave it in the lukewarm milk for a few minutes and ensure you get some bubbles before adding it to everything else. With instant/fast acting, it may well not bubble all that much and you don't need to leave it long, or really at all, to be honest. I tend to use the latter as that's what I usually have, so it's more just to have the yeast dissolved and well distributed through the liquid, but you could indeed add directly to dry ingredients. Hope you enjoy!
Alissa says
Thank you for such a quick reply!
Your points about using instant or active dry were perfect, giving me a confidence from an experienced baker that it’s fine using whichever is on hand and in the case of instant being able to add to wet ingredients (as opposed directly to dry).
You’ve really helped!
Best wishes - Alissa
Shahara says
My dough keeps ripping and doesn't feel as soft as it should after I let it rest for the initial 40 minutes. Any advice?
Caroline's Cooking says
It's hard to be sure as there are a few variables, but a few things - did you definitely get all of the ingredients and right amounts for the dough, especially thinking the softened butter which should help it be soft? Most likely the balance of flour to wet ingredients is not quite right, which can be down to measuring or sometimes just the flour can vary and absorb differently. The easiest way to make it softer is to add a little more milk - just a little and knead it in then see how it is. Hopefully that should resolve it.
Alexandra says
I have tried many different recipes for cardamom buns and this is the very best one by far. They turned out perfect and delicious. It was super easy to make and the small batch option is a plus but I will definitely be making them again. Thank you so much for sharing and also bringing me back to my memories of when I lived in Scandinavia
Caroline's Cooking says
That's wonderful to hear, so glad you enjoyed and that they bring back lovely memories.
Regan Brady says
So delicious and easy!!
Caroline's Cooking says
Great, glad to hear! They're a big favorite here too.
Kaala says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! They were so easy to make and I wouldn’t change anything.. the flavour and texture was perfect. I will be making these again.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear you enjoyed! We really love these as well.
Karen says
I made these today using my bread machine to mix and knead the dough. I just added the ingredients as normal for a bread machine, liquids first, followed by dry ingredients, with yeast on top, and set it on the dough setting, and then switched it off after ten minutes, by which time it had mixed the ingredients and been kneading for about five minutes, and then left the dough to rise in the machine. I then came back later to remove the dough and do the rest. I don't think I got the twists quite right, but they looked and tasted good anyway. I love Swedish Cardamom Bread and have made that before in my bread machine but it wasn't quite cardamom enough for me, so these were even better and it's great that this recipe is for just six buns so I can whip some up in just over an hour, without having any left over and wasted.
Caroline's Cooking says
Great to hear you enjoyed and managed to get your bread machine to help things along. I agree, I love all the great cardamom flavor in these.
KIMBERLY Brooke DERBY says
Can you make the dough and refrigerate for morning buns
Caroline's Cooking says
I haven't done it but there's not really any reason why it shouldn't work to put them in the fridge after you have formed the buns and they can then slowly prove overnight. Then, take them out from the fridge while the oven warms to allow them to get to room temperature.
Ketkee says
Loved the texture of the buns. So far this is the closest In flavour and texture to the kardemumbullar you find in Swedish cafes.
Caroline's Cooking says
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed and that they match up well with the "real thing"!
Jo says
Thank you for this recipe!
I am making it for the 3rd time right now since lockdown here in Germany!
They are very good instructions. Great for my 2 people household.
Caroline's Cooking says
That's great to hear! We love these as well, so glad to hear you have been enjoying them!
Monique says
I love cardamom, I love bread, I love this recipe!! These look beautiful.
Caroline's Cooking says
Thank you - it's a delicious combination!
Minnie says
Easy to follow recipe that produces exceptional results.
Caroline's Cooking says
So glad to hear!