Tikka Masala Substitutes, Ranked by the Job the Blend Is Doing

No tikka masala in the cupboard? Garam masala plus paprika and a little chili gets you most of the way there. The jar is really a shortcut, rolling into one blend the spicing that usually goes in at two stages: a yogurt marinade for the chicken, then a tomato and cream sauce. If you’d rather build it yourself, one chef’s recipe works out to about 2 tablespoons of ground spice for 500 g of chicken, led by Kashmiri chili, cumin and coriander. For a marinade for grilled chicken, tandoori masala is made for the job.

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.

The proportions below come from one chef’s recipe. Treat every amount as a starting point and taste as you go.

Blends also differ in what they contain besides spice. Spices, Inc. sells a salt-free tikka masala,¹ while McCormick’s seasoning mix lists salt and sugar and contains milk.² If your recipe was written for a salted packet, you’ll need to add salt to any of the substitutes below.

If tikka masala is seasoning the whole dish

1. A mix in Alfred Prasad’s proportions

Chef Alfred Prasad’s recipe for Great British Chefs serves four with 500 g of boneless chicken thighs, and it spreads its ground spices across the marinade and two stages of sauce.³ Added together:

The amounts are Prasad’s; the totals and parts are by our math. All together that’s 6 teaspoons, or 2 tablespoons, of ground spice for four servings.

Ratio (Method): Mix the spices in those parts and use the mix in whatever amount your recipe gives for tikka masala. If the recipe doesn’t say, Prasad’s total of about 2 tablespoons for 500 g of chicken is one chef’s guide. He describes his dish as a twist on murgh makhani (butter chicken), so his proportions are one version, not a standard.³

Why it works: you’re building the flavor that a jar packs into one blend, one spice at a time.

If tikka masala is warm, aromatic spice in the sauce

Garam masala, plus paprika and chili powder

Both published recipes season the sauce with garam masala. Prasad uses it in the marinade and the sauce,³ and delicious. magazine’s version uses garam masala, chilli powder and cumin seeds in the marinade, then garam masala and turmeric in the sauce.⁴

Where it falls short: garam masala on its own isn’t red or hot. The Spice House notes that it means warming spices but isn’t hot like chili peppers,⁵ and Bong Eats gives the most basic Bengali version as just cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.⁶ Saveur says there are as many versions as there are home cooks.⁷ So add color and heat separately.

Ratio (Method): For each tablespoon of tikka masala, start with 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala and 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika, then add chili powder a pinch at a time. A pinch of turmeric nudges the color toward orange.

Bloom the spices in the cooking fat before the tomatoes go in. America’s Test Kitchen says ground spices added straight to liquid can taste bland and musty, and that blooming takes anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes.⁸

If tikka masala is a marinade for grilled or roasted chicken

Tandoori masala

Tandoori masala is made for this job. It’s named for the tandoor, a clay oven, and Anjula Devi blends it with yogurt for a marinade.⁹ Anupy Singla’s recipe includes Kashmiri chiles, cardamom, fenugreek and other spices shared with tikka masala blends.¹⁰ NPR describes butter chicken, the dish Prasad’s tikka masala riffs on, as tandoori-roasted chicken doused in buttery tomato sauce.¹¹

Where it falls short: some tandoori blends are salted and colored. Woodland Foods lists salt first and colors its blend with beet powder,¹² and Singla found Red 40 dye on one store blend’s label.¹⁰ Use it for the marinade, and the sauce will still want garam masala.

Ratio (Method): Use a salt-free tandoori masala 1:1 in the marinade. With a salted blend, start with about half and adjust the salt last.

If a yellow, curry-style sauce is fine

Curry powder, plus paprika

The USDA’s purchasing specification says curry powder should include turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, ginger and cardamom.¹³ That covers most of Prasad’s spices except the chili and paprika.

Where it falls short: turmeric turns the sauce yellow, not orange-red, and the USDA list has no chile in it, so a plain curry powder may have no heat at all.

Ratio (Method): Start with about three quarters of the tikka masala amount, then add a teaspoon of sweet paprika per tablespoon for color and chili powder to taste.

What isn’t known

• We found no published heat measurement for tikka masala blends. Heat depends on which chiles go in.¹⁴

Related

• Tikka masala, tikka masala vs. garam masala and tikka masala vs. curry powder
• Garam masala, garam masala uses and garam masala substitutes
• Tandoori masala, tandoori masala substitutes and tandoori masala vs. garam masala
• Curry powder
• Paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom and kasuri methi
• Good spices for chicken