My All-Time Favorite Pastry (Really!)
These Swedish cardamom buns are, without question, my favorite pastry in the entire world. ♡
If you’ve never had a kardemummabulle before, think of it as a softly sweet, ultra-pillowy yeast bun swirled generously with butter and freshly-ground cardamom, then twisted into a knot and baked until just golden. They’re less sugary than an American iced cinnamon roll, more aromatic than almost any pastry I know, and absolutely divine enjoyed with a cup of hot coffee.
I first fell hard for Swedish cardamom buns while we were living in Europe, and the obsession only deepened during multiple trips to Stockholm, where I tracked them down at least once a day (usually more — zero regrets). Over the years, I’ve tested and tweaked and re-tweaked this homemade version to get it just right: generous with the cardamom, impossibly soft, and twisted into those classic knotted buns. The real secret weapon here is the tangzhong technique — a quick cooked paste of milk and flour — which keeps the dough ultra-tender and pillowy long after baking. Once you try cardamom buns made this way, there’s no going back.
Cardamom buns are definitely a labor of love, but since I’ve yet to find a bakery in Kansas City that makes them, this is the recipe we always turn to when the craving hits. I promise it’s worth the effort!
Recipe Tips
If this is your first time making cardamom buns, I highly recommend reading through these tips as well as the full recipe before beginning:
- Grind your cardamom fresh if you can. Freshly-ground cardamom makes a huge difference here! You can use pre-ground cardamom if that’s all you have, but freshly ground cardamom is so much more fragrant and flavorful. You can buy either cardamom seeds (my recommendation) or whole green cardamom pods (which you crack open to remove the seeds). Just grind with a mortar and pestle, or toss in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
- Don’t rush the tangzhong. Cook it until it’s truly thick and pudding-like. This step is what gives the buns their signature softness.
- Aim for tacky, not sticky dough. The dough should feel soft and elastic, but not cling to your fingers. Add flour just a tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Use room-temperature butter for the filling. It spreads more evenly and won’t tear the dough.
- Twist the dough loosely. Over-tight twisting can make the buns dense instead of fluffy.
- Brush with syrup while hot. This helps the buns soak it in, giving them that glossy finish and subtle sweetness without being too sticky.
- Bake just until golden. Overbaking dries them out! They should be lightly golden and still soft to the touch. (I usually err on the side of nearly under-baking them because I love them extra soft.)
Recipe Variations
Once you’ve mastered the classic recipe, here are some fun ways to mix things up:
- Add pearl sugar to the topping for extra crunch and a more traditional Swedish finish.
- Add orange zest to the filling for a bright citrusy twist.
- Make it extra buttery by brushing melted butter on the buns before the syrup.
- Swap vanilla for almond extract in the filling for a subtle nutty flavor.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon alongside the cardamom if you want a warmer spice blend.
FAQ
Tangzhong is a bread-making technique that originated in Japan and involves cooking a small portion of the flour with milk (or water) into a thick paste before mixing the dough. This simple step helps the dough retain more moisture, resulting in softer, fluffier buns that stay tender for days.
Yes! You can knead by hand — just expect about 10–12 minutes of kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Absolutely. After the first rise, you can refrigerate the dough overnight, then shape and bake the next day.
These are best the day they’re baked, but leftovers can be stored airtight at room temperature for 1 day or frozen for up to 2 months.
Yes! Warm them briefly in the microwave or oven until just heated through — they’ll soften right back up.
Kardemummabullar are traditionally enjoyed during fika in Sweden — a daily pause for coffee and something sweet. They are intentionally less sugary than many American pastries, letting the cardamom shine.
More Sweet Treats To Try
If you love this recipe, I think you would really enjoy these treats too!
Cardamom Buns
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus rising time)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2½–3 hours
- Yield: 12 buns 1x
Description
This Swedish cardamom buns recipe creates impossibly soft, buttery buns shaped into knots and finished with a glossy brush of simple syrup.
Ingredients
Tangzhong Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup plain milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dough Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup plain milk
- 1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant-rise yeast
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom (see note below)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
Filling Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup (76g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (55g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly-ground cardamom (see note below)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 egg, whisked together with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon coarsely-ground cardamom seeds (see note below)
- granulated sugar
- simple syrup (1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup water)
Instructions
- Make the tangzhong. In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and flour until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, for about 3-5 minutes or until it thickens to a thick, pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Mix the dough. Add the milk, butter and half of the flour to the tangzhong and beat on medium-low speed until combined (the tangzhong will warm the milk). Add the remaining flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom, sea salt, egg and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Continue beating for 6-8 minutes on medium-low speed until it’s smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- First dough rise. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm space for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until it has doubled in size.
- Mix the filling. Meanwhile, stir together the filling ingredients in a separate mixing bowl until evenly combined.
- Roll out the dough. Once the dough is ready to go, turn it out onto a large floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 20-inch square. Carefully and evenly spread the filling mixture across the entire surface of the dough. Fold the left third of the dough in towards the center, and fold the right third of the dough over that towards the center, like you’re folding a business letter (as pictured above). Gently run the rolling pin over the dough to smooth out any big bubbles.
- Form the buns. Using a pizza cutter, pastry cutter or a knife, cut off the uneven edges of the dough. Cut the dough into 12 even strips, then cut each strip into two “tails” (as pictured above), leaving the top 1cm connected. Separate the two tails to make one long strip and twist it several times. Hold one end of the strip and wrap the dough around two fingers 2-3 times, like a bandage. Then loop the rest of the dough perpendicularly around the wrap so that it forms a knot, and tuck the loose end in at the bottom. Transfer the dough to a large parchment-covered baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining dough strips.
- Second dough rise. Loosely cover the dough buns with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for 30-45 minutes.
- Brush and sprinkle. Heat the oven to 375°F. Brush each bun with the egg wash, then sprinkle with a pinch of cardamom and granulated sugar.
- Bake and brush. Bake the buns for 13-15 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden and cooked through. While the buns are baking, make the simple syrup by combining ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Once the buns are out of the oven, brush them generously with the warm simple syrup while they’re still hot to give them a beautiful sheen and a touch of extra sweetness. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool for 15 minutes, then serve warm and enjoy! These buns are best enjoyed the same day, but see tips below for storage instructions.
Notes
Cardamom: I highly recommend buying cardamom seeds and grinding them yourself — you can either use a mortar and pestle, or pop them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Alternately, you can buy whole green cardamom pods and remove and ground the seeds yourself. Or in a pinch, you can also use pre-ground cardamom. (Although if you’re going to all of the work to make these, I really feel like you should use freshly-ground!)
You’ll want the cardamom to be finely-ground for the dough and filling. But it’s traditionally a bit more coarsely-ground for the sprinkle on top, as you can see in the photos here.
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