Mango Powder (Amchur) Substitutes, Ranked by the Job the Sourness Is Doing

Out of mango powder? Tamarind is the closest swap if your dish can take a little liquid and color. For a dry dish, try ground anardana, sumac or a pinch of citric acid. Amchur, ground dried unripe mango, does two things most souring agents don’t: it adds sourness without adding liquid, and without darkening the dish. Gernot Katzer says northern Indian cooks reach for it in place of tamarind, mainly when they want a hint of tartness or when tamarind’s dark color would show.¹

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.

Amchur’s own strength isn’t fixed either, which is one more reason to start low. India’s standard for amchur sets a minimum acidity of 2.0 percent by mass, measured as citric acid, and no maximum (the scan of the standard is partly garbled, but that’s how we read it).² We didn’t find a published measurement of how sour retail amchur actually is.

If liquid is fine: curries, dals and marinades

1. Tamarind

Tamarind is the swap the sources point to, since amchur itself gets used in its place. A 2016 study describes ripe tamarind’s appeal as its “acidic sweetness.”³ Of the common souring agents, that sweet-sour, fruity character comes closest to amchur.

Where it falls short: tamarind is stronger and darker. Katzer calls amchur much weaker than tamarind, and says cooks pick amchur when tamarind’s dark color would show.¹ Paste and pulp also add liquid. And tamarind varies. The same 2016 study found pulp pH differed between genotypes, lowest in sour varieties.³

Ratio (Method): Start with about half as much tamarind paste as the amchur called for, stir it in during the last stage of cooking, taste, and add more.

2. Lemon or lime juice

Lime and lemon juice both contain citric acid,⁴ the same acid Katzer names for amchur’s sourness,¹ so juice gives you the same kind of sour note. Lime juice is the more aromatic of the two, by Katzer’s account.⁴

Where it falls short: juice is mostly liquid and has none of amchur’s fruity, resin-like note. Skip it in a dry rub or a stuffing that has to stay dry.

Ratio (Method): Start with about 1 teaspoon of juice per teaspoon of amchur, added near the end of cooking, taste, and add more.

3. Grated green (unripe) mango

India’s standard says amchur is made from unripe mangoes, generally wind-fallen sour ones,² so fresh green mango is the same fruit before drying. Katzer describes unripe mango as sour and astringent, with a slight resinous overtone.¹ If you can find it, it’s the closest flavor match here.

Where it falls short: it adds moisture and texture, which suits a chutney or salad better than a dry dish.

Ratio (Method): Start with about 1 tablespoon of finely grated green mango per teaspoon of amchur, taste, and add more.

If the dish must stay dry: vegetables, stuffings and rubs

1. Ground anardana

Anardana is pomegranate seed dried with its pulp still attached,⁵ and a 2018 review describes it as an acidulant in many Asian cuisines and in curries.⁶ Like amchur, it’s a dried fruit used for sourness, so it drops into the same dry dishes without adding liquid.

Where it falls short: food writer Susan Jung describes anardana as deeper and stronger than fresh pomegranate, with an astringent note, and says it’s used sparingly.⁷ It’s also dark, and its sourness varies: measured acidity in wild Himalayan pomegranate, the traditional raw material, differs by study and by the trees sampled.⁵⁶

Ratio (Method): Start with about half as much ground anardana as amchur, taste, and add more.

2. Sumac

Sumac is a dried fruit ground to a dark red powder. Katzer describes it as tart and sour with slightly astringent overtones.⁸ It’s dry, so it works where amchur works, and it’s best sprinkled on at the end.

Where it falls short: it’s red and lemony, not pale and fruity, and Katzer notes the ground spice is often mixed with salt.⁸ Check the label before you salt the dish.

Ratio (Method): Start with about half as much sumac as amchur and add to taste.

3. Citric acid

Food-grade citric acid gives you sourness with no color, moisture or flavor of its own. Katzer credits citric acid and related compounds with amchur’s sourness,¹ so this replaces the acid and nothing else.

Where it falls short: none of amchur’s fruitiness, and it’s easy to overdo. The Indian standard only asks that amchur reach 2.0 percent acidity, measured as citric acid,² while citric acid powder is the acid itself.

Ratio (Method): Start with a small pinch per teaspoon of amchur, dissolve it in the dish, taste, and add more a pinch at a time.

4. Ground loomi

Loomi is a lime boiled in brine and sun-dried until dark.⁴⁹ Saveur calls its flavor “at once sour and musky,”⁹ and Katzer notes that powdered loomi flavors rice in Iran and northern India.⁴

Where it falls short: it brings a lime aroma and a dark, musky note that amchur doesn’t have.

Ratio (Method): Start with about half as much ground loomi as amchur and add to taste.

5. Chaat masala, in chaat and snacks

Amchur is what gives chaat masala its tangy taste, according to Tarla Dalal.¹⁰ It’s just one ingredient among several, though. Gulf News’s recipe uses amchur, black salt and roasted cumin at a tablespoon each.¹¹

Where it falls short: you get salt and cumin along with the sourness, so it only makes sense where those belong.

Ratio (Method): Use about the same amount as the amchur called for and cut back on salt elsewhere in the dish.

What isn’t known

• We didn’t find a published measurement of retail amchur’s acidity. India’s standard only gives a minimum.²
• We didn’t find published guidance on commercial tamarind powder as a substitute, or a source for what goes into it, so it isn’t ranked here.

Related

• Mango powder (amchur)
• Anardana and anardana substitutes
• Sumac, loomi and loomi substitutes
• Tandoori masala
• Too much tamarind? How to fix a too-sour dish