Garam Masala (Homemade Indian Spice Blend)

🔎A Quick Look At This Recipe

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes (toasting spices)
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: About 7 tablespoons
• Dietary info: Vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, salt-free
• Method: toast whole spices, then grind and mix.
• Flavor & Texture: A ground spice mix of warm, aromatic, complex flavors (not spicy-hot).

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What is Garam Masala?

Garam masala is a fragrant, warming Indian spice blend made with aromatic spices such as cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper. It’s also used in Pakistani, Nepalese, and Caribbean dishes.

Like all regional and homemade mixes, such as Ethiopian Berbere blend or chili powder, garam masala recipes use slightly different spices and amounts. I’m presenting this easy recipe as a simple, all-purpose mix with more widely available ingredients so you can ramp up your Indian cooking like a pro!

Ingredients & Notes

• Coriander seeds. Not to confuse it with cilantro. They are hard and round. 1 tablespoon of seeds = ½ teaspoon ground
• Cumin seeds. Earthy and warm with a hint of citrus. 1 tablespoon = ¾ tablespoon ground
• Fennel seeds. Slightly sweet with an anise flavor. The best substitute for fennel seeds is caraway seeds. Substitute with ¾ teaspoon ground. 
• Black peppercorns. Authentic garam masala isn’t spicy hot, so black pepper is enough to add a little zip. Use 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper as a substitute.
• Cardamom seeds. Complex and unique, cardamom is both fruity and nutty, with earthy and citrusy notes. 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds is about 10 cardamom pods or ½ teaspoon ground. Some garam masala recipes use black cardamom pods. They are quite strong and tricky to find. If you use them, cut the amount in half.
• Star anise. They are shaped like stars, and the intense flavor is what you’ll taste in Chinese 5 spice mix. 2 star anise = 1 teaspoon anise seeds = 1 teaspoon ground.  
• Cloves. If you buy garam masala blends, you may notice that the clove flavor varies widely (that’s been my experience). If you find cloves intense, then reduce to 4-6 rather than 8. Substitute with 2 teaspoons ground.
• Cinnamon stick. Korinjte cinnamon is the most common, but softer Ceylon (Mexican cinnamon) also works. One 3-inch stick = 1 teaspoon ground.
• Nutmeg. I like to grate fresh nutmeg, but you can use ground if that’s what you have.
• Curry leaves. Dry curry leaves have a more citrusy flavor than bay leaves, which are the closest substitute.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.

Easy Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute.

Step 2: Use a spice grinder to grind them into a fine powder. Combine the freshly ground spices with the remaining spices.

Denise's Pro Tips

• Only toast whole spices.
• Whole spices burn easily. Stir them constantly while toasting. Remove them immediately from the hot pan to prevent further browning.

Common Mistakes

Here are my two big mistakes (I’ve made them both) and how to avoid them:

• Double-check the recipe and measure the ingredients methodically. Maybe it’s me, but I find it very easy to get in a hurry and lose track of the ingredients I’ve added (or forgotten to add). I recommend getting out all your containers and lining them up in order before you start measuring.
• Use a dry storage container (jar or plastic). I once mistakenly used a container jar that had a little moisture for a big batch of vegan chicken broth powder. The result? Clumpy, hard spices that started to mold in days. If you’re in doubt, give your spice jar and lid a good swipe with a dry paper towel.

How to Use Garam Masala

• Avoid over-spicing. Start small with ¼ to ½ a teaspoon and add as needed.
• Add it to curries and lentil recipes near the end of cooking. Use it to spice up red lentil mango dahl or samosa patties.  
• Sprinkle over roasted vegetables, or scrambled tofu with turmeric and smoked salt.
• Stir into soups, stews, and sauces such as spicy vindaloo sauce.
• Mix into marinades for tofu or tempeh.
• Get creative! Add a pinch to lemon rice or grain dishes, pumpkin pie, or to mashed sweet potato casserole.