In this guide
Quick answer
The elaichi price 1kg depends mostly on pod size: bold 8mm green cardamom costs the most, 7mm sits in the middle, and 6mm is the everyday grade. Today our green elaichi works out to at today's shop rate. For chai and sweets at home, a 7mm pod with deep green colour and strong aroma is the best value.
What do 6mm, 7mm and 8mm mean?
Green cardamom is graded by passing the dried pods through sieves. The figure is the pod’s diameter. A pod that stays on an 8mm sieve is graded 8mm or bold; one that falls through to 7mm is 7mm, and so on. Size is the main thing a trader pays for, with colour a close second.
| Grade | Look | Price position | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8mm and above (bold) | Large, plump, uniform bright green | Highest | Gifting, mukhwas trays, paan, showpiece sweets |
| 7 to 8mm | Large, green, mostly even | Upper middle | Daily chai, kheer, halwa, biryani |
| 6 to 7mm | Medium, green with some variation | Middle | Everyday cooking, masala blends |
| Below 6mm, or split pods | Small, mixed colour, some open pods | Lowest | Grinding into elaichi powder |
Most Indian green cardamom comes from the Western Ghats, especially the Idukki hills of Kerala and parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. India is one of the world’s largest producers, and much of what reaches the market is sold through spice auctions, as the Wikipedia article on cardamom describes.
Which elaichi is best for a home kitchen?
The 7 to 8mm grade suits most homes. The extra size of bold 8mm pods mostly buys appearance, which matters on a paan tray or in a gift box but not inside a cup of chai. Below 6mm, you save money but get more split and pale pods, and the aroma is often weaker.
- For chai: two lightly crushed 7mm pods per two cups.
- For kheer, halwa and sweets: 7mm, seeds ground fresh just before use.
- For biryani and pulao: 7mm whole pods, three or four per kilo of rice.
- For elaichi powder: 6mm or smaller, ground in one go and stored airtight.
What does a pack cost today?
Our green cardamom, the grade we stock as Elaichi Green and Super, comes in packs at at today's shop rate. Badi elaichi, the black cardamom used in garam masala, dal and rajma, is a different spice with a smoky taste, at at today's shop rate. The rest of the spice range is in the spices collection.
If you want just one pack that covers chai, sweets and rice, go straight to our green cardamom and buy 100 g. Keep the badi elaichi for dal, chole and garam masala, where its smoky note belongs, and never swap one for the other in a sweet. Laung and elaichi together are the base of most whole-spice tempering in North Indian kitchens, which is why they usually sit side by side on a spice shelf.
Cardamom prices move more than most spices, because the crop depends on monsoon rain in a small growing region. A poor monsoon in Idukki can push the auction price sharply up within weeks, and a good one brings it down. That is why the rate you see on any given day can differ from what you paid last season.
How do you check elaichi quality at home?
Size is easy to see, but aroma is what you are really paying for. Use these five checks:
- Rub test: roll a pod between your palms. Good cardamom releases a sweet, strong smell immediately.
- Colour: natural deep or bright green. Pale, yellowish or brown pods are old or poorly dried.
- Seeds: split one open. The seeds should be black and sticky, not brown and dry.
- Weight: pods should feel full. Light, hollow pods have lost seeds or oil.
- Splits: a few open pods are normal; many split pods mean the lot was handled roughly.
Our elaichi green cardamom guide has more on storing and using green cardamom.
How much elaichi does a household need?
A family drinking chai twice a day uses roughly 40 to 60 g of elaichi a month. Add Diwali sweets and the number rises quickly; a kilo of sweets can take 5 to 10 g of seeds. Most homes are best served by 100 g packs bought every two months, because whole pods hold their aroma for about a year but lose strength once opened. Keep them in an airtight glass jar, away from heat and light, and grind only what you need.
Our orders start at ₹1,000 and every order ships free. Elaichi is light, so it usually goes into a larger kitchen order: 100 g green elaichi, 50 g laung, 500 g kaju, 500 g badam and 250 g pista is a sensible Diwali basket. If you make your own dry fruit milk masala, the milk masala powder post uses elaichi with badam and pista, and the chai masala recipe shows how much goes into a jar.
Questions people ask
Which elaichi is best for chai?
A 7mm green pod with strong aroma is the best balance of price and flavour. Crush the pods lightly just before adding them so the seeds release their oil into the tea.
What is the green cardamom price per kg?
It depends on size and the season’s crop. Bold 8mm pods cost the most, and the live rate is on the product page because it moves with the auctions.
Is bigger elaichi always better?
Not always. Size raises the price, but aroma depends on freshness and drying. A fresh 7mm pod often smells stronger than an old 8mm one.
How long does elaichi stay fresh?
Whole pods keep their aroma for about a year in an airtight jar. Elaichi powder loses most of its aroma within a month or two, so grind small amounts.
Written at our counter, where these questions get asked every week.
