Common in Bangladesh, Indian and Pakistan cuisines Garam Masala is a general-purpose Indian seasoning. A traditional ingredient in Indian dahl, kormas, samosas and tandoori, Indian cooks use it primarily to flavor meat and poultry. Garam Masala originated in northern India and is also known as masala curry or masala curry powder. As with many regional seasoning blends around the globe the exact ingredients in Garam Masala will vary according to region, village/city and family. Without the constraints of a standard recipe, this blend can be made by each individual family to suit their own tastes.

While there is no concrete recipe for the “perfect” garam masala, you will find that there are some key common ingredients, it is only in the proportions where there is a true difference. The spices you will find in Garam Masala will almost always include black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. These give the blend pungency, but not punchy heat. “Garam” means “hot” and “masala” means “spices.” Hot spices refers to the warming affect of the spices, not the spiciness. While this is typically not a “spicy” blend, you may find that the further south you go into India, the more likely it becomes that red pepper flakes are part of the blend. Southern Indian cuisine tends to be a bit more spicy than Northern Indian cuisines in general.

Our Garam Masala was crafted to reflect the standard common ingredients, with a few additional spices we found frequently in recipes across multiple sources for this delicious blend. While there are many different versions of this blend, there is no one version that is considered more authentic than the next. Some Garam Masalas you may encounter are a paste, not a powdery spice blend at all! It just depends on who the cook is!

This salt-free blend contains: Black pepper, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and saffron.