Homemade Garam Masala Recipe

This homemade garam masala recipe is fragrant, warming, flavorful, and easy to make with whole spices, toasted and ground.

Make your garam masala to capture the amazing flavor of Indian cuisine in your kitchen. Add it to your spice rack alongside our other homemade mixes, like Thai curry powder, Berbere spice mix, and homemade chili powder.

Garam masala recipes use slightly different spices and amounts, like all regional and homemade mixes. We offer 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!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Garam masala is an Indian spice blend popular in Indian recipes. It might be used with curry powder, which always contains turmeric but is not the same.
• Your own blend will be better than store-bought blends because you control the spices' ratios, quality, and age. Not to mention toasting aromatic spices – it makes a difference!
• Whole foods benefit from warm spices and different flavor profiles. Spice blends are one of the best places to start because they are simple.
• If you're new to plant-based cooking, Indian food is a delicious cuisine to explore. Many popular Indian recipes are already vegan, and we've got a bunch with no added oil ready for you to sink your teeth into.

Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions

Coriander seeds. Not to confuse it with cilantro. They are hard and round.

Cumin seeds. Earthy and warm with a hint of citrus, cumin seeds are aromatic and flavorful once toasted.

Fennel seeds. Slightly sweet with an anise flavor. The best substitute for fennel seeds is caraway seeds.

Black peppercorns. Authentic garam masala isn’t spicy hot like Berbere or chili powder, so black pepper is enough to add a little zip.

Cardamom seeds. Complex and unique, cardamom is fruity, nutty, earthy, and citrusy. It’s difficult to replicate, so use ground if you can’t find the whole seeds. See the chart below for equivalents. Some garam masala recipes use black cardamom pods. They are quite strong, so we don't use them, but you can always experiment.

Star anise. They are shaped like stars, and the intense flavor is what you’ll taste in Chinese 5 spice mixes (a reason why it’s used in vegan hoisin sauce).

Cloves. If you buy garam masala blends, you may notice that the clove flavor varies widely. At least, that’s my experience. If cloves taste super intense to you, then reduce to 6 cloves rather than 8.

Cinnamon stick. Toast the cinnamon stick whole or break it. Korinjte cinnamon is the most common, but softer Ceylon (Mexican cinnamon) also works.

Nutmeg. The freshest nutmeg flavor comes from grating it; however, if that’s not your jam, use the ground.

Curry leaves. Dry curry leaves have a more citrusy flavor than bay leaves, which are the closest substitute. Use 1 large bay leaf to substitute for 2 curry leaves.

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

Whole spices to Ground Equivalents

Before dashing out to buy new spices, check out this chart for quick substitutions. Please note that the chart measures are in teaspoons. The ratio of tablespoons to teaspoons is 3:1.

Instructions and Pro Tips

Step 1: Gather the spices and grate the nutmeg.

Step 2: Toast spices like a pro. Toast the spices in a small frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Stir the spices constantly for 1-2 minutes.

The cumin seeds are the easiest to spot. They will start to smell wonderful and will brown. That’s your signal to take the spices off the heat. Transfer the spices immediately to a bowl or spice grinder to stop cooking.

Step 3: Use a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder to break up the spices into fine powder. Shaking the spices after grinding for a few minutes is good practice so you can clear the blade and pick up the remaining whole spices.

Step 4: A spice or coffee grinder quickly pulverizes whole spices into a fine powder. How fine? That’s your decision. I tend to leave a little texture in my garam masala, but this is entirely up to you and, likely, the power of your grinding device.

How to Use Garam Masala

The best practice for garam masala or any spices, in general, is to start small and add more as you taste. When dried spices and herbs get dropped into anything with moisture, the flavor gets stronger and more accentuated. That’s why some dishes taste so much better the next day.

As a traditional Indian spice blend, garam masala goes well with Indian dishes such as curry or when you want to add a warming touch to soups or stews.

Plant-based ingredients such as lentils, beans, or chickpeas with aromatics like onions, garlic, ginger and a sauce using vegetable broth, tomatoes, coconut milk, or cashew cream make a deliciously quick meal.

Add a pinch of garam masala to veggie pakoras or sweet potato flatbread. Try adding a little to sweet potato dip or hummus. Once this spice blend is ready to roll, there are few limits.

Storage Tips

Spices are best kept in a dry, dark place. Most importantly, they should be kept away from heat. If possible, keep garam masala and other spices away from the stove.

Like other spices and blends, garam masala will keep fresh for months or years, depending on the potency of the individual spices.

Keep garam masala powder in an airtight container or spice jar with a lid. Store it in a dark place, away from moisture. This will keep it fresh for longer.

Freezing Spices

If you don’t expect to garam masala often or want it fresh every time, consider freezing it. There are 2 options: Frist, freeze portions or the entire blend of spices. The second alternative is to freeze the spices after toasting and before grinding. Be sure to allot it in portions (say 2 tablespoons) before freezing so you get a little of each spice when you blend it.

Frequently Asked Questions