Garam Masala Substitutes, Ranked by the Job It’s Doing

The “garam” in garam masala means hot, but it’s warming, not hot like chili peppers. There’s no single recipe either. A Bengali garam masala, at its most basic, is just cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, while other versions add cumin, coriander, fennel, mace, bay leaf and pepper. That range is good news when you run out, because almost any kitchen has some of these spices. A quick three-spice mix comes closest for a fragrant finish, and four parts cumin to one part allspice covers the warm background in a curry or marinade.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

Garam masala itself varies so much from region to region and cook to cook that nothing can match “garam masala” exactly.

What’s in it, and why that matters for a swap

The spices that turn up most often (cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and coriander) each bring a different aroma. In practice, a substitute that keeps the clove, cardamom and cinnamon notes will taste closest to a northern-style or Bengali blend; one built on cumin will taste earthier and less perfumed.

If garam masala is a fragrant finish

Great British Chefs notes that garam masala can go in at the end of cooking to finish a dish,¹ and Bong Eats suggests a pinch, with a sliver of ghee, over finished Bengali dishes.² Here aroma is the whole point, so the closest substitute is a small batch of the real thing.

1. A quick three-spice garam masala

Formula (Attributed): Bong Eats’ Bengali garam masala is 7 g cardamom, 2 g cloves and 2 g cinnamon, dry-roasted for about 5 minutes and ground.² If your three spices are already ground, mix them in the same proportions and skip the roasting.

Formula (Attributed): For a fuller blend, The Spice House’s recipe uses a 3-inch cinnamon stick, 2 tablespoons each black peppercorns, green cardamom seeds and cumin seeds, 3 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon ground mace and a bay leaf, with the whole spices toasted and ground.³ Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe in Saveur leans much harder on cardamom, a quarter cup of seeds, and isn’t toasted at all.⁴

Use a homemade blend 1:1 for garam masala. These are recipes for garam masala itself, not stand-ins, so there’s nothing to convert.

2. Cumin, coriander and cardamom, equal parts

Formula (Attributed): Frontier Co-op suggests starting with equal parts cumin, coriander and cardamom and adjusting to taste, with a pinch of cinnamon or cloves for more warmth if you like.⁵ That keeps cardamom’s aroma while leaning on two spices most kitchens have.

If garam masala is warm background in a curry or marinade

Garam masala lends potency to stews, curries and fried snacks like samosas. Cooked in, its top notes fade into a general warmth, so a simpler mix can cover it.

1. Cumin and allspice

Formula (Attributed): The Spice House says to combine 4 parts ground cumin with 1 part allspice.³ Allspice shares the compound that dominates clove oil, so it stands in for the clove note while cumin brings the earthiness.

Amount (Method): Start with the same amount the recipe gives for garam masala, and taste before adding more. Expect it to be less perfumed, since there’s no cardamom or cinnamon.

2. Cumin alone

Ratio (Attributed): The Spice House says to start with 1 part cumin to 1 part garam masala, adjusting to taste, and notes you may need up to 2 parts cumin.³ It also admits cumin isn’t a perfect match. You lose the clove, cardamom and cinnamon notes entirely.

If garam masala is one spice among many

In a dish that already has several spices, garam masala is there for depth. A ready-made blend with overlapping spices can fill in.

1. Curry powder

The Spice House calls curry a suitable substitute when you’re out of garam masala,³ and Frontier Co-op suggests combining curry powder with cinnamon and cloves.⁵ The overlap is real: the USDA’s purchasing specification lists turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, ginger and cardamom for curry powder.⁶ So are the differences. Turmeric will turn your dish yellow, and fenugreek and ginger aren’t usual garam masala spices.

Ratio (Method): Start with half the amount of garam masala called for, add a pinch of ground cinnamon or cloves if you have them, and taste before adding more.

2. Baharat

Ottolenghi calls baharat the Middle East’s equivalent of India’s garam masala. Its label lists pepper, cumin, coriander, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice, which covers most of garam masala’s usual spices, along with paprika, chilli and cayenne.⁷ Frontier Co-op suggests baharat for savory dishes.⁵ Check the label: a blend with chile adds heat that garam masala doesn’t.

Ratio (Method): Start with half the amount and taste.

3. Ras el hanout

The Oxford Companion to Food gives ras el hanout’s standard ingredients as cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg.⁸ Frontier Co-op suggests it in place of garam masala in dishes like tagines.⁵ Expect turmeric’s color, and note that cloves aren’t on that standard list.

Ratio (Method): Start with half the amount and taste.

4. Pumpkin pie spice, for sweet dishes only

Frontier Co-op suggests pumpkin pie spice in sweet dishes and warns you may need less of it.⁵ McCormick’s version is cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.⁹ There’s no cumin, coriander or cardamom, so keep it out of savory food.

Ratio (Method): Start with half the amount, going by Frontier’s warning.

5. Chaat masala, with care

The Spice House lists chaat masala as an option without saying how to use it.³ It’s a very different blend. Tarla Dalal credits dried mango powder (amchur) with chaat masala’s tang and black salt with its distinctive aroma,¹⁰ and one Gulf News recipe uses a full tablespoon of black salt.¹¹ So it brings sourness and salt that garam masala doesn’t have.

Ratio (Method): Use a pinch, taste, and cut back the salt elsewhere in the dish.

What isn’t known

• You’ll often read that garam masala contains 30 or more spices. We found no source that supports this; the published recipes above use three to seven.⁴²³
• Chaat masala sometimes gets called a “cooling” blend, the opposite of garam masala. We found no source for that.

Related

• Garam masala, garam masala uses, cooking with garam masala and too much garam masala
• Garam masala vs. curry powder, garam masala vs. allspice, chaat masala vs. garam masala, ras el hanout vs. garam masala, tandoori masala vs. garam masala
• Cumin, allspice, cardamom, cloves, coriander
• Curry powder, baharat, ras el hanout, pumpkin pie spice, chaat masala