Curry Powder Spice Mix
This homemade curry powder spice mix is a blend of aromatic and flavorful spices that add depth and complexity to dishes. Made with a combination of coriander, cumin, turmeric, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, this curry powder is versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes. Toasting the whole spices before grinding them enhances their flavors, resulting in a rich and aromatic spice blend.
Curry powder is a blend of spices that is commonly used in Indian, Southeast Asian, and other cuisines to add flavor and color to dishes. The exact origins of curry powder are unclear, but it is believed to have been created by British colonialists in India to replicate the flavors of Indian cuisine.
Growing up in India, there was no one spice mix called curry powder. We had chicken spice mix, meat spice mix, and vegetable spice mix and the list goes on. My mom made her own recipe called Bottlemasala Spice Mix, a blend of 25 spices.
When I moved overseas, I was fascinated with the variety of curry powder spice mixes, and the best part is that no two were the same. Every brand has their own version of what to include in it.
Having said that, if you ask Indian moms and grandmothers what goes into a curry spice mix, you will see it is very similar (if not the same) to what I have shared below. (that’s authenticity for you)
This is my mom’s recipe, so the credit goes to her. She not only gave me her recipes but also showed me how to play with flavors and create my own spice mixes (which, by the way, is so much fun!!)
This curry powder spice mix can be used to make any curry from simple vegetables, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, beans, lentils, etc.
Why is this the best curry spice
- Freshness: Making your own curry powder allows you to use fresh spices, which can result in a more vibrant and flavorful blend compared to store-bought versions.
- Customization: Homemade curry powder can be customized to suit your taste preferences. You can adjust the proportions of spices or add additional spices to create a blend that is uniquely yours.
- Control Over Ingredients: When you make your own curry powder, you have control over the quality and source of the ingredients, allowing you to avoid additives or preservatives that may be present in commercial blends.
- Cost-Effective: Making your own curry powder at home can be more cost-effective in the long run, especially if you buy spices in bulk.
Ingredients for Homemade Curry Powder
- Coriander: Coriander seeds have a citrusy, slightly sweet flavor that is essential in curry powder. Ground coriander can be used as a substitute.
- Cumin: Cumin seeds have a warm, earthy flavor that adds depth to curry powder. Ground cumin can be used as a substitute.
- Turmeric: Turmeric powder adds a bright yellow color and a warm, slightly bitter flavor to curry powder. There is no direct substitute for turmeric’s flavor and color, but you can omit it if necessary.
- Mustard Seeds: Mustard seeds have a pungent, slightly bitter flavor that adds complexity to curry powder. Ground mustard can be used as a substitute.
- Fenugreek Seeds: Fenugreek seeds have a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that is characteristic of curry powder. There is no direct substitute for fenugreek, but you can omit it if necessary.
- Black Peppercorns: Black peppercorns add heat and a spicy kick to curry powder. Ground black pepper can be used as a substitute.
- Ginger: Ground ginger adds a warm, spicy flavor to curry powder. Fresh ginger has a very different flavor, so do not omit fresh ginger in your recipe just because ground ginger is in this spice mix.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a warm, sweet flavor to curry powder. You can use a cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon as a substitute.
- Cloves: Cloves have a strong, pungent flavor that adds depth to curry powder. Ground cloves can be used as a substitute.
- Cardamom: Cardamom pods have a floral, slightly sweet flavor that is essential in curry powder. Ground cardamom can be used as a substitute.
Step-by-step – Homemade curry powder recipe
From ground spices
- Combine all the spices in a small spice jar. Give it a good mix.
Pro tip : I like to close the jar and shake it well! Or use a mini whisk. Store in a cool dry place for 3 to 6 months.
From whole spices
- Add the whole paprika to a frying pan and toast them over med-low heat for a minute.
Pro tip – spices burn easily so make sure the heat is low and shake the pan often. - Then add the whole spices and toast them for a minute more until fragrant. Take it off the heat and let it cool until barely warm.
Pro tip – You will start to get the beautiful aroma of spices - Place all the whole and powdered spices in a spice grinder blender and blend until smooth. Pulse it a few times until finely ground. Store in a cool dry place for 3 to 6 months.
How to make a quick curry?
- In a skillet over medium heat saute 1 small onion, 4 minced garlic cloves, and 3-inch grated ginger in 2 tbsp of olive oil until fragrant.
- Then, add one large chopped tomato with 3 tbsp of curry powder spice. Saute until fragrant.
- Next, add 500 g/1 lb of chicken, beef, lamb, or one 14 oz can of beans. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of stock/broth or water.
- Cover and cook until the meat is tender. Approximately, 15 to 20 minutes for chicken, 40 to 50 minutes for beef and lamb, and just 10 minutes for beans.
- Finally, add 1 to 2 tbsp of lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice, chapati, naan, or bread!
- Slow cooker Indian chicken curry,
- Beef mince curry,
- Slow-cooked lamb masala,
- Slow-cooked Indian beef curry,
- Indian chicken curry in 15 minutes,
- Kidney beans curry.
- You can find all my Indian recipes here.
How do you use curry powder
- Curry Roasted Vegetables: Toss vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and carrots with olive oil and curry powder before roasting for a flavorful side dish.
- Curry Chicken Salad: Add a teaspoon of curry powder to chicken salad along with mayonnaise, celery, and onions for a flavorful twist.
- Curry Dip: Mix curry powder into sour cream or Greek yogurt for a flavorful dip for vegetables or chips.
- Curry Rice: Stir curry powder into cooked rice along with peas, raisins, and nuts for a flavorful side dish.
Frequently asked questions
Curry powder should be stored for 3 to 6 months in an airtight container in a cool, dark place to maintain its flavor and potency. Avoid storing it near heat sources or in direct sunlight.
First, chili powder is just one spice. But, curry powder is a blend of many spices. As a result, you won’t get the same flavor and taste as your curry with just chili powder.
Yes, you can. Also, for a quick curry with 1 lb or 500 grams of chicken try:
1 tbsp coriander powder,
1 tsp cumin powder,
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sweet or hot paprika
1/4 tsp ground ginger
14 tsp black pepper
If you have purchased curry powder before, then you know that there are no two curry powders or garam masalas alike. It’s true! In India, these change by the different regions and sometimes by the cultural background.
So, if you buy one brand today and then buy another brand a few weeks later your curry will be different. And, a word of advice – if you find a brand you like – take note of it and buy the same one next time to avoid surprises. But, you can also be adventurous and take a chance. You might just prefer the next one better than the first.
Both curry and garam masala are Indian spice blends and both have very different spices in them. So, one cannot be used in place of the other. Garam masala is a combination of warm spices such as green and black cardamom, ground cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, etc
Also, you can make a curry without garam masala spice but not without curry powder.
They both are made up of the same spices so yes they are the same. However, madras curry powder is spicer/hotter because it has additional chilly peppers as compared to British curry powder or other International brands.
Quite often yes. The yellow would have more turmeric powder while the red will have more red chili or cayenne powder.
Absolutely, just substitute the chili or cayenne powder in the recipe with sweet paprika instead. That way you maintain the red color but are much less spicy.
Paprika is ground red peppers usually made with one brand of peppers – sweet, mild, or hot.
And, chili powder is usually made with a few different brands of chilies. Often, a mix of sweet, smoked, and spicy. The hot chili powder has more of the spicy chilly like the Indian Bedki, while the sweet chili powder has more of the sweet chilly like Indian Kashmiri chilies. And, some blends will emphasize more on the rich red colors. In fact, In India, we do get a large variety of chili powders.
Homemade Curry Powder Spice Mix
Make the most exotic blend of spice mix for your next Indian feast. This homemade Indian curry powder spice mix is a special blend with just the right mix and match in flavor and balance. Not too smoky and not too spicy. Personalize it with suggestions I give in each recipe and create the best Indian curry you ever tasted for your next meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Cayenne mild or hot
- 1 tbsp Smoked sweet paprika for color
- ½ tsp Mustard powder
- ½ tsp Fenugreek powder
- ½ tsp Ground ginger
- ½ tsp Pepper powder
- ½ tsp Cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- ½ tsp Clove powder
- 3 tbsp Dry coriander seeds
- 1 ½ tbsp Dry cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds
- 1 tbsp Mustard seeds
- 2 large Dry whole paprika hot or mild
- 3 large Dry smoked paprika Sweet for color
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- 2 Cardamoms
- 3 Cloves
- 2-inch piece Cinnamon stick
- 10 corns Black peppercorns
Method
- Combine all the spices in a small spice jar. Give it a good mix. Pro tip – I like to close the jar and give it a good shake! Or use a mini whisk.2 tbsp Coriander powder, 1 tbsp Cumin powder, 1 tbsp Turmeric powder, 1 tbsp Cayenne, 1 tbsp Smoked sweet paprika, ½ tsp Mustard powder, ½ tsp Fenugreek powder, ½ tsp Ground ginger, ½ tsp Pepper powder, ½ tsp Cinnamon powder, ½ tsp Cardamom powder, ½ tsp Clove powder
- Add the whole paprika to a frying pan and toast them over med-low heat for a minute. Pro tip – spices burn easily so make sure the heat is low and shake the pan often.2 large Dry whole paprika , 3 large Dry smoked paprika
- Then, add all the spices (not the turmeric powder) and toast them for a minute more until fragrant. Take it off the heat and let it cool until it is barely warm. Pro tip – You will start to get the beautiful aroma of spices.3 tbsp Dry coriander seeds, 1 ½ tbsp Dry cumin seeds, 1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds, 1 tbsp Mustard seeds, 2 Cardamoms, 3 Cloves, 2-inch piece Cinnamon stick, 10 corns Black peppercorns
- Place all the whole and powdered spices in a spice grinder blender and blend until smooth. Pulse it a few times until finely ground.1 tbsp Turmeric powder, 1 tsp Ground ginger
Notes
- Always, store the jar airtight to ensure the flavor of the spices is sealed in well.
- Ideally, these spices have a long shelf life – but it’s best to make a note on the jar so you know when its time to make a new batch.
- Read the expiry date on the powders you used – choose the one with the earliest date as a guide.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Thank you for this recipe. It is the BEST!! Falling in love with my curries
This is a delicious curry Veena! I’ll definitely add it to my list of go-to recipes. I did find the amount of curry powder far too much and had to cook it longer than planned to try to mellow it out. (I resorted to adding sugar and coconut cream in the end). My family raved about it and asked that I make it again next week. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Sheree. Happy your family enjoyed it. Which curry did you make? Did you find the chilly powder more in the spice mix?
You can substitute the paprika or cayenne with sweet paprika if you want.
Hi, I am trying to make a batch of your home made curry powder spice mix, but am unable to find whole Paprika, only powdered. Do you know where I can buy some ( I am in the UK) Is there anything I can substitute?
Hey Viki. The recipe card below shows how to make curry powder both in whole spices as well as powdered spices. You can use powdered paprika as well. Thanks
Can I add Fenugreek powder to the curry powder mix as I love the smell and taste of it?
Yes, you can Chris. 1 tsp for this will be good. Fenugreek is slightly bitter so don’t add too much
I did add a small amount at it was great. In fact yours is the nicest curry recipe I have ever tried and will certainly be using it again.
Thank you, Chris. I am so happy to hear that.
Thanks for posting this! I found it while doing some looking for direction on a curry blend to use in a project combining chocolate and curry. (I’d prefer to not use a pre-made blend, for a variety of reasons- even though I found two good contenders in the vein of sweeter curries, including a lovely Kashmiri blend.) This will give me a good base to start from as I experiment with finding just the right blend. Any suggestions for what *you* would do if you had to adjust this to work well with a flavour like chocolate? Thanks very much!
I usually just use smoked paprika and a tiny bit of garam masala to flavor chocolate
Hi Veena,
According to your recipe 1 serving requires 2 tablespoons(30ml) of Coriander, 1 tablespoon(15ml) of Cumin, 1 tablespoon(15ml) of Turmeric, 1 tablespoon(15ml) of Cayenne… These quantities sound rather excessive for 1 serving… What quantity of food do you regard as being “1 serving” ?
Rodney. That is one small batch. Of course, you use only as much as you need for the recipe you are making for example if a recipe says 2 tsp you would use 2 tsp from this. It would be difficult to make spice mixed based on servings.
Thank you for this super informative resource, and for explaining the difference between curry powder and garam masala. Looking forward to creating my own blend!
Thank you Liza
I think you have a typo in your instructions for making from powdered spices. You refer to pumpkin spice in step 4
Thank you, Paul. Just fixed it.
Love how this recipe sounds and would love to give it a try. I have no paprika or smoked paprika peppers available to me. Would you have any suggestions for substitutes that would still end up with a nice curry powder.
Thanks so much.
Helen
Hey Helen. You may have some chily or cayenne perhaps. That would work too. The smoked paprika adds a nice color to the curry powder apart from the flavor. The hot paprika again can be switched to mild. Any chilly powder would work just as well.
I love curry, like almost to a point of obsession (ha!). I would never have thought to make my own curry spice though, but I am going to print this and stick it in my pantry so I don’t have to use store bought again 🙂 Also, what I would give to go to a traditional spice market in India!!!
Thanks, Melissa. So happy you found this useful.