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Indian spice substitutes chart
A printable chart of substitutes for every common Indian spice.
What is on this chart
The 30 everyday spices. Out of one? Use this instead.
| Out of | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Asafoetida (Hing) | A little garlic and onion powder together give a similar savoury effect. |
| Black cardamom (Badi elaichi) | A little smoked paprika plus a green cardamom pod gives a similar effect. |
| Black pepper (Kali mirch) | White pepper or a little chilli powder. |
| Black salt (Kala namak) | Regular salt with a pinch of chaat masala. |
| Carom seeds (Ajwain) | Dried thyme is the closest swap. |
| Cinnamon and cassia (Dalchini) | Cassia and true cinnamon can replace each other; use a little less cassia. |
| Cloves (Laung) | A pinch of allspice is the closest swap. |
| Coriander seed (Dhania) | A mix of a little cumin and a pinch of fennel gives a similar warmth. Fresh coriander leaves are a different flavour and not a substitute. |
| Cumin (Jeera) | Caraway or shahi jeera are the closest whole-seed swaps. For ground cumin, use a little extra ground coriander with a pinch of chilli. |
| Curry leaves (Kadi patta) | No real substitute. Lime zest gives a hint of the citrus note. |
| Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) | Dried celery leaves give a similar note. Fresh methi leaves can be used in larger amounts. |
| Dried pomegranate seeds (Anardana) | Amchur or a squeeze of lemon. |
| Dried red chillies (Sabut lal mirch) | Red chilli flakes. |
| Dry ginger (Saunth) | Fresh ginger (about four times as much). |
| Dry mango powder (Amchur) | Lemon or lime juice, or a little tamarind. |
| Fennel seed (Saunf) | Anise seed is the closest swap; use a little less. |
| Fenugreek seed (Methi dana) | A pinch of mustard seed with a little maple syrup gives a rough approximation, but most recipes are fine without it. |
| Green cardamom (Elaichi) | There is no close substitute. A small mix of cinnamon and nutmeg works in baking. |
| Indian bay leaf (Tej patta) | European bay leaf works, though it tastes different. A pinch of cinnamon helps. |
| Kashmiri chilli (Kashmiri mirch) | Sweet or smoked paprika is the easiest swap for colour. Byadgi chilli, from Karnataka, is similar. |
| Mace (Javitri) | Nutmeg (use a little less). |
| Mustard seed (Rai, sarson) | Cumin seeds give a different but workable tempering. Yellow mustard seeds are milder. |
| Nigella seeds (Kalonji) | Black sesame plus a pinch of onion powder. |
| Nutmeg (Jaiphal) | Mace, or a little allspice. |
| Red chilli powder (Lal mirch) | Cayenne pepper is the closest swap. Mix with Kashmiri chilli or paprika to get colour with less heat. |
| Saffron (Kesar) | There is no real substitute. For colour only, a pinch of turmeric. |
| Sesame seeds (Til) | Sunflower seeds. |
| Star anise (Chakri phool) | A pinch of fennel or anise seed. |
| Tamarind (Imli) | Lime juice with a little brown sugar, or kokum. |
| Turmeric (Haldi) | There is no real substitute for flavour. For colour only, a tiny pinch of saffron or Kashmiri chilli changes the shade, but not the taste. |
