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Swedish Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar)
Swedish kardemummabullar are soft, rich yeasted buns with an aromatic butter, sugar and cardamom filling. This recipe does require a bit of time commitment and willingness to roll, measure, cut and shape the buns. We think it’s worth it. Despite being rich with butter, milk and an egg yolk, the dough is remarkably easy to handle. It’s essential to use cardamom seeds that you have ground yourself. Preground cardamom doesn’t come close to having the same flavor, aroma or visual appeal. Be sure to purchase decorticated cardamom seeds—seeds that have been removed from the thick, fibrous pods—and grind them in a mortar with a pestle or pulse them in an electric spice grinder to a mix of powder and tiny flecks. For the dough’s first rise (the bulk fermentation), we use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish as the container. This allows the dough to cool more quickly once it’s in the refrigerator. It also makes the dough easy to roll into a rectangle for filling because it takes on the shape of the baking dish. If you wish to make the buns over the course of two days, the ideal stopping point is after putting the dough in the refrigerator; it can remain there for up to 24 hours before rolling, filling, shaping and baking. Leftover baked buns, if you have any, will keep for up to three days in an airtight container; they reheat well in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
Makes 16
buns
Tip
Don’t overheat the milk, and be sure the butter has cooled after melting. The 20-minute kneading time in the mixer warms the dough, so making sure the milk and butter are not too hot will prevent the dough from overheating, which can adversely affect the yeast.
6 hours
1 hour active
For the dough
-
390
grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Directions
-
01To make the dough, in a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix both flours, the sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt on low until combined, about 30 seconds. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the milk and butter. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, followed by the egg yolk. Mix on low until the ingredients form a rough, sticky dough, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reviews
September 14, 2026
Words can't do these justice!
I have not made these myself, but my daughter makes them often. These are just so perfectly delicious !!! Luckily she shares generously, and I believe these are a favorite among her friends, as they certainly are in the home where she grew up. I could literally eat these all day! The aroma of these buns as they bake, and when they're warm out of the oven, is impossible to describe but brings me right back to the kitchen of my Swedish neighbor in my childhood days.
February 23, 2026
Surprisingly simple!
Long ago, I lived in Stockholm and had the chance to bake these with a lovely Swedish woman. I'm so pleased to have found your recipe. They turned out just as pictured!
December 25, 2025
Love this recipe
So much more flavor than the standard cinnamon rolls. Perfect amount of sweetness and chew.
February 16, 2025
Superb!
After years of wanting to make these, I finally got around to it and can't stop kicking myself for not doing it sooner. These are perfection. I didn't even make them right (had to sub active dry yeast and my novice status showed) and they are still extremely dangerous to have around. Perfect balance of sweet and spice. MS is absolutely right about grinding the cardamom seeds vs using ground cardamom so skip this step at your peril. I will be making these until the day I die, no lie. Absolutely superb!
November 22, 2024
Love these!
My husband and I absolutely love these buns. I’ve made them several times and am much better at making the knots (and even the ones that don’t look “perfect” come out great). We love the balance of sweet and savory.
These are incredible. The first time I followed the directions exactly. The second time I made sure to continue kneading the dough until it passed the "windowpane test" which took another few minutes beyond the 20 recommended. The texture was so much better the second time around: stretchy and chewy interiors. The second time around I used half pre-ground cardamom, and half cinnamon in the filling. It was so tasty but the cardamom fragrance was absolutely nowhere near when I ground the seeds myself. Still well worth making though. The best part is always the bottom of these buns. Some sugar from the filling turns into a thin, buttery, caramel crust.
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I am not a baker. But my daughter used to make cardamom bread during Christmas, and when I saw this recipe, I figured I would give it a try. I made these buns following the recipe exactly. I even went as far as getting cardamom in the green pods, removing the seeds, and grinding them in a mortal and pestle.
Let's just say that these were so incredibly tasty that it's been suggested that I don't need to wait until next Christmas to make more. They are just the right balance of sweet and a little savory. I made them the day before Christmas. and a quick microwave, maybe 10 seconds, made them so delicious on Christmas morning. As I mentioned, I am not a baker and so cannot offer up any advice or changes to the recipe, as everyone, including me, was thrilled with the result.
The only thing I would change, is that I need to take more time with the mortar and pestle to grind the seeds finer. A couple of the buns had seeds that were a little too large and needed to be remove. But I will say that freshly ground cardamom is so good!