homemade garam masala recipe made easy with step by step photos – garam masala powder is one of the essential indian spice mix used in north indian recipes.
homemade spice mixes or masalas are the best. like me if you prepare masalas at home, then you will agree on this point.
this recipe of homemade garam masala is too good. the difference it makes to the everyday dal or curry or sabzi is super. since the masala is very strong and intense, i do suggest to add about ¼ to ½ teaspoon for 4 to 5 servings in a recipe.
a small to medium batch of garam masala is all that you need to liven up the dal, curries and sabzis that you make. its always better not to make a large batch as the aroma wanes out with time.
like the pav bhaji masala post, i have also made an infograph for this recipe too. so it helps as a handy reckoner for the quantity of spices to be used. i have given both the cup, tablespoon and gram equivalents in the recipe card below.
since we are still getting good sunlight during the day, i have sun dried the whole spices for 2 days. though you can roast the spices one by one till aromatic and then grind them. you can also roast them in an oven. the oven has to be set at its lowest temperature. the temperature can range anywhere between 50 degrees celsius/122 degrees fahrenheit to 80 degrees celsius/194 fahrenheit. depending on the temperature range, you may dry them for about 6 hours to 15 hours.
this garam masala recipe has one unique ingredient and that is dried rose petals. now adding them is not at all essential. not everybody will have dried rose petals. if you have then add. if you do not, then no need to add. just skip them.
i had seen addition of rose petals in few garam masala recipes in some books, which i have. so i added them as i have a lot of sun dried rose petals. but even without adding them, the garam masala is still going to be good. i make this garam masala powder without rose petals too. its just that with rose petals there is a hint of the fragrance of rose in the masala.
the garam masala recipe yields about 190 grams of garam masala powder. i have also posted punjabi garam masala powder which is different from this one. you can have a look at it too.
tips before you begin making garam masala powder
- first take all the spices. then check if they have stones, chaffs or husks.
- make sure there is no hidden mold or fungi or insects growing on them. if yes, then discard these spices.
- use fresh spices and not old ones.
- sun dry or roast the spices in a pan or oven.
- while using cinnamon, use the true cinnamon (ceylon cinnamon) and not cassia. to know how to find the difference, you can read this post here.
garam masala powder is added in many popular recipes like samosa, paneer lababdar, bhindi masala, paneer tikka masala etc.
homemade garam masala recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR homemade garam masala recipe
- ½ cup cumin seeds (jeera) or 63 grams cumin seeds
- ¼ cup coriander seeds (sabut dhania) or 18 grams coriander seeds
- ¼ cup fennel seeds (saunf) or 24 grams fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoon caraway seeds (shah jeera) or 9 grams caraway seeds
- 2 tablespoon mace (javitri) or 8 grams mace
- 10 cinnamon sticks (dalchini) - each of about 2 to 3 inches, 7 grams
- 2 tablespoon cloves (lavang) or 12 grams cloves
- 20 green cardamoms (choti elaichi) or 4 grams green cardamoms
- 6 black cardamoms (badi elaichi) or 4 grams black cardamoms
- 1 nutmeg (jaiphal)
- 10 tej patta (indian bay leaf) or 2 grams tej patta
- 2 tablespoon dry ginger powder (saunth)
- 2 tablespoon black pepper (sabut kali mirch) or 20 grams black pepper
- 3 tablespoon rose petals (optional)
HOW TO MAKE homemade garam masala recipe
- first take the whole spices one by one. then check for stones, chaff or any hidden mold in them.
- discard the stones, chaff or husks. if there are any insects or mold or fungi, then discard the spices. don't use them.
- add the whole spices in a plate or tray. keep the plate in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
- while being sun dried, cover with a sieved lid or a muslin or loosely woven cotton napkin, so that dust does not fall on the spices, when they are being sun dried. during the day, i would keep the spices out. during night, i would keep the plate inside with a loose lid covering it.
- after getting sun dried, there is no trace of moisture in the spices and they also become slightly crisp.
- before you begin, grinding the whole spices, take the nutmeg in a mortar-pestle and crush it coarsely. keep aside.
- now add all the whole spices in the dry grinder jar. break the cinnamon, tej patta and then add. you can also use a coffee grinder. add according to the capacity of the jar.
- then add the coarsely crushed nutmeg powder.
- next add 2 tablespoons ginger powder.
- grind to a smooth powder. tiny grits of the spices are fine in the masala. you can grind in 1 or 2 batches.
- if using dried rose petals, then add them at this step. if you don't have rose petals then skip adding them. again grind.
- if you want, you can seive the garam masala powder and grind the tiny bits left on the seive.
- let the powder cool down. you can spread it in a plate or allow it to cool in the grinder jar itself. then spoon the powder in a clean glass jar.
- cover tightly and keep in a cool dry place. you can also keep the garam masala powder in the fridge or freezer. this recipe yields about 190 grams of garam masala.
how to make homemade garam masala powder recipe
1. first take each spice in a plate or bowl and check for stone, husks, or any hidden mold or insects. discard the stones or husks. if the spices have mold or there are insects or worms in them, then discard the spices and do not use them. below is an infograph of the spices required. i have not included rose petals as adding them is optional.
2. add the whole spices in a plate or tray. keep in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
3. while sun drying, cover with a sieved lid or a muslin or loosely woven cotton napkin, so that dust does not fall on the spices. during day time, i would keep the spices out. during night, i would keep the plate inside with a loose lid covering it.
4. the below pic is of spices after being sun dried for 2 days. after getting sun dried, there is no trace of any moisture on the spices and they also become slightly crisp.
5. before you begin, grinding the whole spices, take the nutmeg in a mortar-pestle and crush it coarsely. keep aside.
making garam masala powder
6. now add all the whole spices in the dry grinder jar. break the cinnamon and then add. you can also use a coffee grinder. add according to the capacity of the jar. grind in batches of 1 to 3. i ground all the masala at once. if grinding in batches, then after each batch, remove the ground masala powder in a plate. then lastly mix very well with a spoon, before storing in a jar.
7. then add the coarsely crushed nutmeg powder.
8. next add 2 tablespoons ginger powder.
9. grind to a smooth powder. tiny grits of the spices are fine in the masala.
10. if using dried rose petals, then add them at this step. again i mention here that adding rose petals is optional and you can skip if you do not have.
11. again grind.
12. if you want, you can seive the powder and grind the tiny bits left on the seive. let the powder cool down. you can spread it in a plate or allow it to cool in the grinder jar itself. then spoon the powder in a clean glass jar.
cover tightly and keep in a cool dry place. you can also keep the garam masala powder in the fridge or freezer. this recipe yields about 190 grams of garam masala.
few of the popular recipes where garam masala is added are – chole, paneer butter masala, kadai paneer, palak paneer, rajma, kadhi pakora, malai kofta and so on.
Best and equivalent ratio
Ok ..thank you for your reply 🙂
welcome juhi
Hey can u please suggest which is best garam masala available in the market ?
juhi, i do not know. i use homemade garam masala. its been many years since i purchased garam masala from outside.
Hi please help we dry roasted everything and stored in dry pearlpet bottle. The masala is good. It caught bugs in spite of storing with hing khada. What to do or how to store. I stay nearby sea its humid usually
okay. in humid atmosphere, usually even dry roasted spices or powders get bugs or mould. you can keep the spices or masala in the fridge. i also do the same with spices like ginger powder or where coconut or peanuts have been used. i keep them in the fridge. now don’t use the masala as bugs are there. better to discard it.
Hello mam which ready made garam masala brand is good apart from 24 lr mantra? Kindly reply
jes, i use homemade garam masala powder only. many years back i used to use brands like everest, mdh and badshah, but never liked their garam masala powder. in organic brands, i have tried pav bhaji masala, chaat masala and vangi bath masala powder of phalada brand. all these three masala powders were good. i have not tried their garam masala as i make garam masala powder at home. but i think their garam masala powder will also be good, since all their three masalas have been good.
Ok thank you very much.
Hi Dassana! i prepared this masala minus rose petals but this is a wonderful masala.very versatile.i’ve added it to subzis,aloo stuffings for sandwiches & even to gujarati dal.Thank you once again for sharing this recipe.
thanks a lot meveera. yes this is a very versatile masala. even i add to sabzi, dals, biryanis, pakoda and sandwiches too.
Hello…i want to thank you gor your very very amazing and wonderful site…you are great and i have made many of your recipe and i must thank you a lot…i am from iran but many years ago i had a travel to india and from there i fell in love with indian dishes…i always admire the simplicity and low calorie being of indian foods…they are so simple and i think everyone can make them easily…i have a question…in iran i can,t find black cardamom and mace…can i skip them?
thanks parham for your positive feedback. it will make around 10-12 medium sized besan ladoos.
Hi,
I want to ask u that whether we will dry roast all the spices or skip some like black cardamom, sonth and nutmeg.
if dry roasting, then dry roast all except nutmeg and saunth. you can even dry roast black cardamom.
Hi Dassana
As I don’t have whole nutmeg can I substitute with nutmeg powder. If yes then how much can I add?
And how do you dry the rose petals(like can we put them in the oven if you don’t have enough sunlight)
you can use nutmeg powder. 1 t0 1.5 tablespoon of nutmeg powder should be fine. i dry them in shade when there is no sunlight. just keep them in a plate. cover with a muslin or a loosely woven cotton towel and then dry.
Hi,
One more thing. Should I dry roast each spice separately or can add them all together in a pan to roast?
purvi, dry roast each spice separately, till they become fragrant.
Hi,
Yayy finally made it. Thankyou so much for the recipe and also for solving my queries so patiently.:)
most welcome purvi and thanks. hope you like the aroma of the garam masala.
are the cardamoms (green and black) to be takes as whole , i mean along with coverings or only the seeds??
also should we use only the seeds of green and black cardamom in sweets and curries respectively?
whole. while making any masala powder, i always add them whole. the peels also have some flavor. in sweets, only the seeds are used – either powdered or whole. usually green cardamom seeds are powdered and black cardamom seeds are used whole or crushed/powdered. in curries you can use them whole.
Okkay. Thanks a lot:)
welcome purvi.
Hello mam,
I dont know the taste of garam masala because I hate the taste of it.This is my biggest problem when i made any dish.sometimes dishes taste bitter.can u please tell me taste and use of the ingredients of garam masala.And 1 tsp means how much????.please help me. ur help can improve my cooking skills.
you are adding too much of garam masala. thats why the taste is becoming bitter. at times just one or two pinch is also enough. generally for most recipes having 4 servings 1/4th to 1/2 teaspoon can be added. you can add 4 to 5 pinches which is about 1/2 teaspoon. 1 teaspoon is a measuring spoon. so for 1 teaspoon you will need to get measuring spoon sets which are available in indian markets.
make me easy to get taste food
Hello! Thanks a ton for all your efforts. You are bringing out the best in all of us. Made this version of garam masala today along with Punjabi garam masala ..of course from your recipes. .both have a heavenly aroma but still are quite different!
Just a little query… can the paneer lababdaar recipe can be multiplied proportionally as per your recipe card?
Your recipes are kind of beautiful presents for us.
thanks a lot sonal. both the masalas are different. though you can use either of them in any curry or gravy. for paneer lababdar you can increase all the ingredients except the spice powders. add the spice powders in such a way, that there is a balance in the dish. you can also add them once the gravy is done and still hot and then check and taste. but add before you add cream.
can u pls upload jackfruit recipe
manisha, i have three jackruit recipes posted on website. you can check them.
jackfruit milkshake
jackfruit pulao
jackfruit biryani
looks nice.
thanks priya.
awesome
thanks rajoshree.
I make my garam masala by scratch too! This looks so great!
thankyou jessica 🙂
Wow.
So simple
thanks kusum