Indian Spices List: 10 Must-Have Spices for Your Kitchen

The 10 essential spices in Indian cooking are cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chilli powder, garam masala, and fennel seeds. Once you have these in your pantry, you can make almost any Indian dish from scratch.

This guide covers what each spice tastes like, how to use it, and which dishes it appears in most. If you want to go deeper on any one spice, each section links to a full guide.

Cumin (Jeera)

Coriander (Dhanya)

Coriander seeds come from the same plant as fresh coriander (cilantro), but they taste completely different. The dried seeds are sweet and gently citrusy, with none of the sharpness of the fresh herb. They're almost always paired with cumin. Coriander adds brightness where cumin adds depth.

Use ½ to ¾ teaspoon of seeds (or ¼ teaspoon ground) for a curry serving 4. Like cumin, coriander is usually tempered in oil at the start of cooking. You can also toast and grind the seeds fresh just before cooking for a noticeably better flavour.

Coriander appears in Chicken Tikka Masala, Dhana Jeera powder, and most spice blends. If you only buy one ground spice alongside cumin, make it coriander.

Turmeric (Haldi)

Turmeric is the spice that gives Indian curries their golden colour. It comes from a root similar to ginger and has a warm, slightly bitter, earthy flavour. On its own it can taste almost medicinal, but in a dish it adds depth and colour without overpowering anything else.

Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder for a curry serving 4. Add it early, either into hot oil or with the onions, so it cooks out fully. Raw turmeric powder in a finished dish can taste harsh and chalky.

It goes into almost every savoury Indian dish: Yellow Dal, Aloo Gobi, Chicken Curry, rice dishes, and more. It's also the base ingredient in golden milk.

→ What is Turmeric Powder? Everything You Need to Know

Cardamom (Elaichi)

Green cardamom pods contain small black seeds with an intensely aromatic, floral, slightly sweet flavour. It's one of the more expensive spices, but a little goes a very long way. A single packet lasts months of regular cooking.

For savoury curries, add 3-4 whole green cardamom pods to a dish serving 4. You can crush them lightly to release more flavour, or add them whole and let them soften during cooking. For ground cardamom, use just ⅛ teaspoon as it's much more concentrated.

Cardamom is essential in Biryani, Masala Chai, and rice dishes like Pulao. It also works in Indian sweets and desserts, making it one of the few spices that crosses between savoury and sweet cooking.

→ What is Cardamom (Elaichi)? Complete Guide to Green Cardamom

Cinnamon (Dalchini)

Cinnamon is the dried bark of the cinnamon tree, sold as sticks or ground into powder. In Indian cooking it's used in its savoury form, added to rice dishes, meat curries, and spice blends for a warm, gently sweet depth. It's less prominent than in Western baking but quietly important in the background of many dishes.

Add 1-2 cinnamon sticks to a curry serving 4, or ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Whole sticks go in early and stay in the dish. Eat around them or remove before serving. Ground cinnamon is added midway through cooking.

It's a key spice in Biryani, Butter Chicken, and garam masala blends.

Mustard Seeds (Rai)

Black mustard seeds are tiny and bold. Raw, they're bitter and pungent. But when they hit hot oil, they pop and crackle within seconds and turn warm and nutty, completely different from how they started.

Use ½ to 1 teaspoon for a dish serving 4. Add them to hot oil and wait for the popping sound before adding anything else. That sound is your cue that the oil is ready and the seeds have done their job. Don't let them sit too long or they'll turn bitter again.

Black mustard seeds are common in South Indian cooking, dals, pickles, and vegetable curries. They're also a key part of the tempering for Yellow Dal.

→ What are Mustard Seeds? Everything You Need to Know

Fenugreek (Methi)

Fenugreek seeds are small, hard, and yellowish-brown with a distinctly bitter, earthy flavour and a faint hint of maple underneath. They're strong, so use too much and they'll overpower a dish. Most recipes call for a very small amount.

Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of fenugreek seeds for a dish serving 4. Temper them in oil at the start of cooking like cumin or mustard seeds. Some cooks soak them in water for a few hours first to soften the bitterness.

The dried leaves (kasoori methi) are a separate but related ingredient used as a finishing herb, most famously in Butter Chicken. If you've eaten at an Indian restaurant and noticed a distinctive savoury herb flavour at the end of a dish, it was almost certainly kasoori methi.

→ What is Kasoori Methi? Everything You Need to Know

Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch)

Red chilli powder is ground dried red chillies and is what gives Indian food its heat. The heat level varies depending on the type. Standard red chilli powder is hot, while Kashmiri chilli powder is much milder and prized more for its deep red colour than its heat.

Start with ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder for a curry serving 4, then adjust to taste. It's easier to add heat than to take it away. Add it early with your onions or oil so the heat distributes evenly through the dish.

It goes into virtually every savoury Indian curry and spice blend. If you're cooking for people who are sensitive to spice, Kashmiri chilli powder is a good substitute. You get the colour and a hint of chilli flavour without the burn.

→ What is Chilli Powder? Complete Guide to Types, Uses & Substitutes

Garam Masala

Garam masala is a spice blend rather than a single spice, typically a mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. The name means "warming spices" in Hindi. Every family and region has its own version, which is why garam masala can taste quite different depending on the brand or recipe.

Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder for a curry serving 4. Unlike most other spices, it's added near the end of cooking in the last 2-3 minutes, so the volatile flavour compounds don't cook away. A small amount stirred in at the finish adds warmth and complexity that ties everything together.

It's used in Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chana Masala, and most meat and vegetable curries.

→ What is Garam Masala Powder? Everything You Need to Know

Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

Fennel seeds are pale green, oval-shaped, and have a sweet, anise-like flavour that's lighter and more delicate than most other spices on this list. In India they're also eaten after meals as a digestive and breath freshener. You'll often find a small bowl of them near the exit of Indian restaurants.

Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds for a dish serving 4. Temper them in oil at the start of cooking where they'll pop gently and release their sweetness. They work particularly well in fish curries, vegetable dishes, and spice blends.

Fennel seeds are the most delicate spice on this list. They're a good one to reach for when you want to balance out bolder, more pungent flavours in a dish.

Where to start

If you're building your spice collection from scratch, start with cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and red chilli powder. Those five cover the base of almost every recipe. Add cardamom and mustard seeds next, then the others as you cook more.

All of these spices are available in our online spice store with Australia-wide shipping. If you want a ready-made starter kit, our Indian Cooking Essentials Kit has everything you need to get started.

About the author

True Indian Spices is an Australian family-owned business dedicated to bringing authentic, fresh Indian spices to home cooks across the country. We're passionate about helping people cook authentic Indian food with confidence.

Last Updated: 25/01/2026