Ready in under 10 minutes this EASY five-ingredient Garam Masala recipe with basic whole spices guarantees to boost the authentic flavors in your Indian cooking.
Note: Original post published in March 2016 has been updated with new photos and a video.
What is Garam Masala
Garam Masala literally translates to "warm spice mix", and it is the quintessential Indian spice blend. It gives warmth and depth to dishes and pairs perfectly with red or green chili for a hearty, aromatic flavor.
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Every region (and family) across India has its own version of homemade garam masala. My mom's authentic garam masala calls for twenty whole roasted spices, some of which can be hard to find. I still remember her yearly ritual of making the garam masala, which involved shopping for the best whole spices, cleaning and roasting them, grinding them, and then carefully storing them in beautiful glass jars.
Over the past several years, during mom's visits to the US, she taught me how to create a simplified version with a similar authentic flavor using just five whole spices. This is the garam masala I use in most of the recipes that I share on the blog, so you can recreate the exact same flavors of Indian dishes at home.
Why make Garam Masala at home?
Flavors of homemade masala powder have no comparison to store-bought spice blends in terms of taste, quality, or freshness. Just 1 teaspoon of freshly made garam masala will elevate the taste of your dishes to a different level making it easy to make your favorite Indian food at home. Best of all it takes 10 minutes and 5 basic whole spices from your pantry to make it at home.
Ingredients
- Black Peppercorns | Kali Mirch - These berries which grow on climbing vines are native to southern India. The unripe green berries are harvested when they ripen and turn red and are then dried to what we commonly see in grocery stores. Black peppercorns, impart intense aroma, depth, and heat to foods.
- Green Cardamom Pods | Elaichi - A sweet and aromatic spice that is a critical spice for curries and pulao. I like roasting and grinding whole green pods for additional flavor and also saves time from having to take the seeds out.
- Cinnamon | Dalchini - Cassia Bark that is grown in India is the traditional cinnamon used in Indian cooking and is similar to cinnamon sticks. It adds earthy flavors to meat and curries and is essential in making spice blends. Many times I use the easier-to-find cinnamon sticks in recipes, but if you do purchase cassia bark, it can be substituted.
- Cloves | Laung - These aromatic flower buds are harvested from the evergreen clove tree. They lend a slightly sweet yet pungent aroma to Indian cuisine.
- Black Cumin Seeds | Shah Jeera - With anise-like flavors, black cumin seeds are milder than regular cumin seeds. Often confused with nigella seeds or caraway seeds, shah jeera has a smoky, earthy taste. In lieu of shah jeera, regular cumin seeds can be substituted.
To learn about other Indian spices, read this Guide to Essential Indian Spices which includes all the spices I like to stock up on.
How to Make Garam Masala
- Lightly roast each spice in a small pan on low-medium until they get hot, about a minute, stirring frequently so they do not burn. The goal is to make them a bit toasty so they are easy to grind.
- Allow the spiced to completely cool down.
- Add them to a coffee or a spice grinder and grind to make a fine powder.
- Store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.
Best Way To Grind Whole Spices
- Secura electric coffee and spice grinder comes with stainless steel blades and bowls and is a great buy for under $50. The stainless steel grinder bowls can be washed thoroughly to remove the spice aromas.
- I also have an Indian-brand mixer grinder that comes with a small chutney jar. It has low blades that help to grind smaller amounts of spices to a fine powder.
- Use mortar and pestle. It will take a longer time to ground the spices evenly but is a good old way that works.
- Some of my readers have also used a magic bullet to grind spices. I do not own one but you may want to give it a try.
Tips for Best Garam Masala
- Roast the spices individually on medium heat, stirring them frequently until they start to release aromas. Roasting spices removes any moisture in them, making them crisp and easy to grind into fine powder.
- Roast and grind the whole green cardamom pods. In addition to the seeds, the outer skin also adds flavors and aroma to the masala
- For the full flavor, avoid pre-ground cinnamon powder and use whole cinnamon sticks instead. Gently hammer the whole cinnamon stick with a pestle and break it into smaller pieces to make it easier to roast and grind.
- Shahi Jeera also known as black cumin seeds, are available in most Indian grocery stores. You can substitute regular cumin seeds if you do not have shahi jeera on hand.
- Allow the spices to completely cool down before grinding them.
Recipes Using Garam Masala
- Healthy Butter Chicken - Also known as Punjabi murgh makhani this popular Indian dish has tender chicken cooked in a creamy sauce with the heavenly aroma of garam masala.
- Tandoori Chicken - Using a modern cooking method to the traditional Tandoori Chicken, this recipe uses Airfryer for a quick and easy dinner.
- Chicken Biryani - A one-pot meal made with fragrant basmati rice, tender spiced chicken, and caramelized onions, and cooked in less than an hour using the Instant Pot
- Aloo Gobhi - A go-to weeknight staple, this cauliflower curry is cooked with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and warm earthy spices
- Palak Paneer - A classic vegetarian dish from north India, made with fresh spinach and cottage cheese, seasoned with fresh ginger, garlic, and garam masala
- Daal Makhani - A creamy lentil dish cooked with whole black lentils and kidney beans, lightly spiced to enjoy as a chili or over rice
More homemade Spice Blends
Check out The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook for some of my other homemade spice blends such as Malabar Spice Blend, Vindaloo Spice Blend, Sambar Powder, and Rasam Powder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aromatic spice blend that brings warmth and depth to Indian cuisine.
Although the spices can vary, my favorite spices for this EASY recipe are: Black peppercorns, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Cumin
Roasting spices allows the release of aromas and removes any excess moisture in them. This also helps grind the spices in fine powder.
A coffee grinder works best for grinding garam masala. I would highly recommend having a separate cup just for the spices.
Curry Powder and Garam Masala are not the same. There is no such thing as Curry Powder in India. Curry in India simply means a dish with sauce and since each sauce can use a variety of spices, there is no curry powder used in Indian cooking. Although Japanese curry powder is commonly sold in grocery stores, it does not make a good substitute for Garam Masala.
You can find Garam Masala in the international aisle of most grocery stores and is also readily available in Indian grocery stores. Although the freshness and flavors are not guaranteed. Making homemade garam masala with a few whole spices will not only have authentic flavors but is also fairly inexpensive.
★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.
Recipe
Homemade 5-Ingredient Garam Masala
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoon cloves
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon sticks crushed
- ¾ tablespoon green cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon shah jeera / black cumin seeds or regular cumin seeds
Instructions
- Lightly roast each spice in a small pan until they get hot, about a minute. Stir frequently. Make sure not to burn them by roasting them too long. The goal is to make them a bit toasty so they are easy to grind.
- Cool spices and then grind fine in a coffee or spice grinder. Store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.
Video
Notes
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Sabiscuit says
Beautiful recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it. I love curry and cardamom happens to be one of my favourite spices. ❤️??
Archana says
Thank you! Nothing like freshly ground spices!
Cooking For The Time Challenged says
Thank you! I love this spice mix and I always wonder if I make it correctly.
Archana says
There are many ways to make garam masala. I hope you like my simple version!
Cooking For The Time Challenged says
I do! Thank you!
Love Served Daily says
Fabulous
Archana says
Thank you!
eat2healthblog says
We love this delicious and aromatic spice blend; your recipe is wonderful! We've only tried making it once, but not on this scale. Hmm, maybe we should invest in a coffee grinder too?! 🙂
Archana says
Thank you! Coffee grinder or any kind of small food processor should do the job!
Linda Fernandes says
Wooooow so interesting recipe
Archana says
Thank you Linda!
Shahira Karmali-Kassam says
Could I grind this in a Nutribullet do you think?
Archana says
Hi Shahira! I am not tried it in the nutribullet. Once they are slightly toasted and cooled may be you can try grinding them in nutribullet. Let me know if that works.
Sadaf says
I’ve used a Magic Bullet, it works.
Sadaf says
About how many cinnamon sticks equal 2 tablespoon crushed cinnamon sticks?
Archana says
About 1-2 cinnamon sticks depending on how big they are. I usually break them with a pestle and then measure with tablespoon
Bobb says
This looks great. Do you have to take the seeds out of the cardamom pods, or can you grind the whole pod? Thank you!
Archana says
I use the whole pods. Once roasted they grind up well.
Deepu Panicker says
Very useful recipe..superb! thank you
Archana says
You are welcome!
Hema says
Instead of roasting can I keep them on direct sunlight for few hours and then grind ?
Hema says
Btw, I love all your recipes ! Rich and delicious 🙂
Archana says
Thank you!
Archana says
Sure if you have good sunlight!
Hema says
Thanks Archana
Kim says
Hello and thank you - thank you!! This is a great recipe! Would you be willing to share the 'long version' like your mom makes? I would absolutely love to make it too! Thank you for all of your hard work and all that you do for us!
Archana says
You are most welcome!! Here is my mom's garam masala recipe - https://ministryofcurry.com/moms-garam-masala/
Kate says
Thank you!!! Wondering what’s your mom recipe looks like?
Archana says
Here it is Kate - https://ministryofcurry.com/moms-garam-masala/
Debian75 says
Hello.
First of all, thank you for the recipe.
Please if you have a scale, can you do this recipe with and indicate how many grams each ingredient weighs. Thanks.
Keith Farrar says
Hi Archana, What a great name, Ministry of curry, i live with my wife in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England
and recently bought a Kadai to use as a barbecue/fire pit. however, it seemed like sacrilege not to try to make some home made curries using it. Now I have found your website I have all I need to give this a go and see what I can achieve.I have bought your list of spices so all I need now is some victims, sorry, guests to try my food. Thank you for the inspiration and the information that makes this seem so easy even for a beginner.
Best Wishes
Keith
Archana says
Hi Keith! Thank you for your lovely message. I can't wait to see what recipes you try 🙂 Please let me know if you have any questions.
Crystal says
Just made this a bit ago. Once all ground up the smell was intoxicating. Thank you.
Maya Daniel says
Hello from Toronto, Canada Archana,
I am going to make your garam masala. Is black Jeera same as black cumin. Is there a difference in the Masala if I use normal cumin.
Maya
Archana says
Black Jeera is black cumin but not caraway seeds. And yes you can use regular cumin.
Rohit says
It was fantastic combination of spices
Adrienne Huffman says
I would like to make my own Garam masala but you say to roast until you can smell the aroma. I lost my sense of smell many years ago. Can you advise me how to make it without smelling it. Thanking you in advance. Adrienne Huffman.
Archana says
Hi Adrienne, you want to roast the spices until they are hot to touch.
Aarthi Sakthi says
Hey Archana,
Thank you for the recipe.
I would like if you would be willing to share your mom’s authentic garam masala powder recipe?
Thank you
Aarthi Sakthi
Archana says
You are welcome. Here is moms garam masala recipe - https://ministryofcurry.com/moms-garam-masala/
Susan Larson says
Just made some garam masala for tonight’s biryani. My kitchen smells fabulous. Love griding up the cardamoms whole!
Archana says
Thank you, Susan. This is my favorite Garam Masala too and I use it in most of my Indian cooking.