What Is Garam Masala? Uses, Substitutes and a Homemade Recipe

Garam masala is a warm, aromatic blend of ground spices that originated in India, usually built around cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper, often with cloves, cumin and coriander. Its name means “hot spices”, but it is warming rather than chilli-hot, and it is usually stirred in near the end of cooking to give curries, dals and rice dishes a rich, rounded aroma. Below: the spices in it, how to use it, a homemade garam masala recipe, substitutes and how it compares with curry powder.

What is garam masala?

Garam masala is a mix of ground spices used in South Asian cooking. Britannica explains that the name comes from Hindi and Urdu words meaning “hot spices”: garam means hot or warm, and a masala is a blend of spices. Britannica says most versions balance sweet and savoury tastes with relatively little heat, and our product pages describe garam masala as aromatic and warming rather than chilli-hot. Its usual job is to finish a dish, and our product pages call it “the finishing spice”.

What is in garam masala?

There is no single recipe. Most versions, Britannica says, vary around “a central theme of cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and peppercorn”. Many add coriander, cloves and bay leaves, and nutmeg, mace, fennel and star anise are other common additions. Recipes differ from region to region and from family to family, and no one version is considered more authentic than another. Britannica describes the classic, or Mughal, garam masala of northern India as raw cardamom seeds, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper only, with variations adding coriander and cumin; in Bengal, a basic garam masala may be just cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

Ready-made or homemade garam masala?

A ready-made blend is quicker, with nothing to toast or grind. Homemade takes about half an hour and lets you set the balance, and freshly toasted whole spices have more aroma: America’s Test Kitchen rates their flavour above that of pre-ground spices. Our spices and herbs range has two ready-made blends:

Greenfields is a London-based herbs and spices brand, and you’ll find more of its blends in our Greenfields spices range. If you have an allergy, always check the pack label before use, as recipes can change.

How to use garam masala

Add garam masala near the end of cooking, so its aroma stays fresh. Our product pages suggest stirring 1–2 teaspoons into a curry or dal during the last few minutes, about right for a dish for four; some cooks also sprinkle a pinch over the finished dish just before serving, or fry it briefly with the onions at the start to bring out its flavour. Our guide to types of lentils and pulses covers the lentils for dal. Garam masala also works in:

• Marinades: mix it with yoghurt, garlic, ginger and lemon juice for chicken, lamb or paneer. Cook chicken until it is steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat, and the juices run clear, as the Food Standards Agency advises.
• Roasted vegetables: toss potatoes, cauliflower or squash with oil and 1 teaspoon before roasting.
• Rice and samosa fillings: stir a little into rice dishes or a spiced potato filling; the homemade filling in our guide to cooking frozen samosas uses ½ teaspoon.

For biryani, our chicken biryani recipe uses a dedicated biryani masala instead, with whole cinnamon, bay leaves and green cardamom in the pot and the rice water.

Homemade garam masala recipe (makes about 50g)

This homemade garam masala toasts whole green cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon and bay leaves, then grinds them and mixes them with ground coriander, cumin and cloves. It makes about 50g, enough for about a dozen curries for four, and takes about 30 minutes, including 10 minutes’ cooling.

Prep: 15 minutes. Toasting: 5 minutes. Cooling: 10 minutes. Total: about 30 minutes. You need a heavy frying pan and a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder; a pestle and mortar works, but cinnamon is hard going.

Ingredients

• seeds from 20 green cardamom pods (about a third of a 20g sachet)
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 7–8cm, broken into small pieces
• 3 bay leaves, torn
• 1 star anise, broken into pieces (optional)
• 4 tablespoons ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

1. Prepare the whole spices. Press each cardamom pod with the flat of a knife until it splits, tip the dark seeds into a small bowl and discard the papery husks. Snap the cinnamon into small pieces, or wrap it in a clean tea towel and tap it with a rolling pin.
2. Toast over a low heat. Put the cardamom seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and star anise, if using, in a dry, heavy pan over a low heat. Keep stirring until fragrant and the bay leaves are crisp, about 3–5 minutes. Never let them smoke: if they scorch, throw them out and start again, as burnt spices taste bitter.
3. Cool. Tip the spices onto a cold plate straight away, as the hot pan keeps cooking them, and leave them to cool completely, about 10 minutes.
4. Grind. Grind the cooled spices to a fine powder in short bursts. Sieve the powder, regrind anything coarse and discard any tough flakes that will not break down.
5. Mix. Stir the freshly ground spices together with the ground coriander, cumin and cloves until evenly combined.
6. Store. Spoon the garam masala into a clean, dry, airtight jar, label it with the date and keep it in a cool, dark cupboard.

Toasting tips: toasting releases the essential oils in whole spices, America’s Test Kitchen explains, but take them out of the pan as soon as they smell fragrant: burnt spices add only bitterness. Let them cool fully, as they firm up and grind more easily.

Make it your own: add more cardamom for a sweeter, more fragrant blend or more pepper for warmth; add cloves only a pinch at a time, as our product page warns they are very strong. Whole cinnamon sticks and bay leaves are removed from a stew before serving, as our product pages advise, but here they are ground and sieved. Using whole coriander and cumin seeds? Toast and grind the same amounts with the other whole spices; cumin burns quickly.

Allergens: our product pages list none of the 14 major allergens for the seven required spices in this recipe, but the Abido cardamom pack states that it may contain traces of wheat (gluten), sesame and mustard. If you are cooking for someone with an allergy, check every pack label.

How to store garam masala

Keep garam masala in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, as our spice pages advise, resealing packs once opened. Keep it away from the hob and use a dry spoon. Spices don’t go off the way milk or fresh produce does, McCormick explains, but heat, air and humidity gradually dull them, and ground spices fade faster than whole ones: The Spice House says pre-ground spices lose their volatile oils faster than whole spices. So grind small batches and keep your spare cardamom, peppercorns and cinnamon whole until you need them. For packs, go by the best-before date.

Garam masala vs curry powder

They are different blends, added at different stages. Curry powder is an all-in-one curry blend, and most curry powders are built on turmeric, which our turmeric page calls their main ingredient; neither Britannica’s classic garam masala nor our Greenfields blend contains it. Our curry powder pages suggest frying 1–2 tablespoons with the onion at the start of a curry for four, whereas garam masala goes in by the teaspoon near the end. For the full comparison, including tandoori, tikka and biryani masala, see our guide to Indian spice blends.

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Frequently asked questions

Is garam masala spicy?

Not in the chilli sense. The name means “hot spices”, but the heat is a gentle warmth from spices such as black pepper and cloves, and our product pages call garam masala aromatic and warming rather than chilli-hot. Greenfields Garam Masala contains no chilli at all, but some blends include a little, so check the label if you are cooking for someone who avoids chilli.

What is a good garam masala substitute?

A homemade batch is the closest. In a hurry, spice company Frontier Co-op suggests equal parts of ground cumin, coriander and cardamom with a pinch of cinnamon or cloves; start with a little less than your recipe’s garam masala and adjust to taste. Curry powder is sometimes suggested too, but it is not a straight swap: most curry powders are built on turmeric, which changes the colour and flavour.

Do you have to toast the spices for garam masala?

No, but it is worth doing for whole spices, because toasting releases their essential oils and deepens their flavour. Use a low heat, keep the spices moving and stop as soon as they smell fragrant, then cool them before grinding. Ready-made garam masala needs no toasting: stir it in near the end of cooking, or fry it briefly with the onions at the start.

How long does homemade garam masala last?

It won’t go off like fresh food, but it slowly loses its aroma. The Spice House says ground toasted spices are at their best for several weeks to a few months, so make small batches, halving the recipe if you cook curry only now and then, and use yours within a few months. Keep it in a clean, dry, airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard, labelled with the date.