A great recipe for homemade garam masala spice blend that calls for ground spices.
Have you ever had your mind set on making a certain recipe only to reach into your spice drawer and realize you don’t have the specific spice blend it calls for?
That was me.
I was like “no way!!” and proceeded to pull out every jar I own because I could’ve sworn I still had some garam masala somewhere. But nope.
It was then that I knew, I had to make my own. Not that I mind, because I do prefer homemade spices blends over store bought. So I did a little Google search only to find recipes calling for whole spices. I believe that is probably the best route but the thing is- I had only a few of those whole spices (cumin, cinnamon and coriander) on hand and the rest were ground spices.
After a few attempts and recipe fails, I came up with a great homemade garam masala using pre-ground spices and I’m pretty confident it’s a winner because I haven’t bought a jar of it since. But feel free to adjust the spices here or there to suit your preference.
To Make This Homemade Garam Masala You Will Need:
- coriander
- cumin
- cardamom
- black pepper
- cinnamon
- clove
- nutmeg
What Are The Best Spices For Making Your Own Seasonings and Spice Blends?
There’s no right or wrong brand. I will first say, buy what you can afford. However, not all spices are created equal as you tend to get what you pay for. Currently I use Morton & Bassett (not sponsored) because I find their spices to be top notch in texture, color and flavor. I love and respect what their company stands for not only with charitable work but also quality control. With that said some other wonderful brands I’ve used over the years are Simple Organic, Frontier Co-op and Penzys.
In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon cardamom, 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper.
Then add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 3/4 teaspoon ground clove and 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Stir those beauteous spices until combined.
Then pour the blend into a small, dry, 8-inch skillet.
Heat over low and stir occasionally until the spices become very fragrant. I think toasting the spice blend really brings out each spices individual flavor and let’s not forget to mention the aroma it will give off. Heavenly.
And that’s it my friends!
A fantastic garam masala spice blend. The warmth this spice blends adds to a dish is wonderful! Speaking of dish… stay tuned to tomorrows post where I’ll be using this fab spice blend and you don’t wan to miss it!
Also don’t forget to check out my other seasoning and spice blends!
Enjoy! And if you give this recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Homemade Garam Masala
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Equipment
- Bernardin Mason Jars - 250 mL - Wide
Instructions
- Combine spices in a small dish.
- Heat a small skillet over medium-low and add in spice blend. Stir and toast for 5 to 6 minutes until very fragrant. Transfer back to bowl and cool before storing in an airtight container for 2 to 3 months.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
I’m totally going to make this. I always run out of garam masala and my local safeway doesn’t carry it, so I only buy it when I make a trip to Whole Foods. This works perfectly for me as I have all those spices already on hand.
I’m so glad Kelli! I’ll be anxious to hear what you think! 🙂
mmmmm I just bought a jar to try since I keep seeing awesome recipes that call for it but I’ve never tried it. If I don’t like what I’ve bought, then I will have to try this just to double check.
I love that your recipe uses pre-ground spices! Sometimes it’s just so tedious to use whole spices.
I totally agree with you! I definitely think it’s more accessible this way. 🙂
Sounds like you got a good range of spices in there! It can be hard to find the right blend to work for you and there are so many variations to this vital spice. The one I use is actually my mom’s. It’s traditionally used more for South Indian cooking, or is the South Indian blend if you will.
If you ever feel like giving it a whirl, here’s the link! 🙂
http://notaleaf.com/how-to-make-garam-masala/
This is really good! thank you so much for sharing this, i will surely try this out
Thank you for this! The whole batch fit perfectly into a 1oz spice jar, and I like that it doesn’t have any chilies in it at all since that allows me to tailor the heat level to my audience every time I make a dish.
Hey, thanks for posting this. I had just realized I too, ran out of garam masala. Seems silly to buy it blended now though, since I tend to have all of the ingredients – and spices don’t last forever.
Perfect! I have all the ground spices and yours was THE ONLY recipe in the plethora of spice mix recipes I’ve read for the last 30 minutes that uses ground spices. I can finally make my Korma curry. Thank You x