The Daring Gourmet

Grappling Each Dish By The Horns

Sign up for our newsletter!
No SPAM. Ever.Check out our privacy policy
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Home & Garden
  • Travel
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
  • Shop

Home » Baharat (Middle Eastern Spice Blend)

Baharat (Middle Eastern Spice Blend)

June 17, 2013

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
510shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

baharat recipe middle eastern spice blend homemade authentic best

Baharat, Arabic for “spice”, is a special an all-purpose spice blend widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine.  Just a pinch of it adds depth and flavor to sauces, soups, grains, vegetables, stews and meat.

Middle Eastern food is phenomenal.  Those of you who have taken the time to explore the various cuisines of the Middle East will agree.  I have spoken to many people who say they would love to be able to make authentic Middle Eastern food at home, but are intimidated by some of the recipe ingredients, such as Baharat.  What is it?  What’s in it?  Where can you find it?

Unless you have a Middle Eastern store in your area or order it online, this spice blend can be challenging to find.  However, as with any spice blend, it makes such a difference in the flavor outcome of your dish when you make it fresh in your own kitchen anyway, so I’m going to share my recipe for it with you!

Now that you’re equipped with this magical blend, you can make some phenomenal-tasting Middle Eastern food right at home!

Two fantastic and authentic Middle Eastern dishes you can try that call for Baharat:

Koshari (Egyptian Rice, Lentils and Macaroni with Spicy Tomato Chile Sauce), the national dish of Egypt.

Egyptian Koshari

Chicken Machboos (Bahraini Spiced Chicken and Rice), the national dish of Bahrain:

Chicken Machboos Middle Eastern Biryani Rice

4.7 from 3 reviews
Baharat (Middle Eastern Spice Blend)
 
Print
: The Daring Gourmet, www.daringgourmet.com
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
  • 1½ tablespoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and dry roast the whole spices/seeds (set aside the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg) until they become very fragrant, about 3-5 minutes, tossing regularly to prevent scorching. Transfer them to a bowl and allow them to cool completely before grinding them in a spice or coffee grinder along with the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep stored in an airtight glass jar.
3.2.2045

 

510shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Filed Under: Affiliate, All Recipes, By Country or Region, Disclosure, Food, Gluten Free, Middle East, Paleo, Sauces, Seasonings and Condiments Tagged With: authentic, baharat, blend, gluten free, middle east, paleo, recipe, seasoning, spice

« Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Ultimate Chicken Chow Mein »

45 Responses

  1. Kevin says

    October 27, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    Hi Could you tell me the correct ratio of ground spices to make this please.
    Can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  2. june nel says

    April 25, 2020 at 11:08 pm

    Do you need to mix oil with the spice blend before rubbing it into lamb shanks

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 26, 2020 at 8:35 am

      Hi June, you can but you can also use it as a dry rub and just rub the meat down with the dry spice blend.

      Reply
  3. Hasna says

    April 20, 2020 at 1:58 am

    Hi! This recipe looks easy and simple. But can I use this as an substitute for red curry paste, to cook pumpkin?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 20, 2020 at 8:29 pm

      Hi Hasna, it’s not the same thing as red curry but you can certainly use it for cooking pumpkin.

      Reply
  4. Gerda Halvorsen says

    January 16, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    We often use it on grilled chicken, also with a dash of lemon juice

    Reply
  5. Mahazin says

    December 27, 2019 at 10:08 pm

    Hi Susan,

    Can this mix be used as rub to grill chicken?

    Reply
    • Ricki Danielle says

      December 21, 2020 at 4:42 pm

      Hello, it is a common spice blend that can be used universally on meats and vegetables you could also try grilling egg plant with the spice blend and olive oil. With pomegranate molasses (found at Mediterranean stores) with pomegranates and a mint with yogurt sauce…. very delicious

      Reply
  6. Susan Sobon says

    November 12, 2019 at 12:17 pm

    Thanks so much for this spice blend. Im plant based so I am always on the lookout for new spice blends to try. I noticed pepper is the first ingredient, but they are peppercorns. Would you call this a hot blend? Im so pleased to see you are still answering after all these years.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      November 13, 2019 at 4:48 pm

      Hi Susan, yes, it’s a fairly spicy blend. You can adjust the ratios according to your own taste.

      Reply
  7. Neyha says

    September 19, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    How much would you recommend using per pound of ground beef?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      September 19, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      Hi Neyha, it depends on how you’re using the ground beef and what other ingredients you’re adding to the dish. As a general guideline I’d say 1 to 2 tablespoons depending on how flavorful you want the meat to be.

      Reply
  8. commercialservice says

    September 6, 2019 at 10:37 pm

    Some genuinely interesting details you have written.Aided me a lot, just what I was looking for
    :D.

    Reply
  9. Nadia says

    June 3, 2019 at 3:19 am

    Thanks for this recipe and the very helpful responses to all the comments/queries. I look forward to making this! Just back from a visit to the Middle East, which included several days in Cairo.
    NM

    Reply
  10. Bethany says

    May 31, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    Do you have a particular spice grinder that you’ve found to be good?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      June 4, 2019 at 2:40 pm

      Hi Bethany, I’ve used my little KRUPS spice/coffee grinder for about 13 years. It was less than $20 and they still make a similar model.

      Reply
  11. Lorraine says

    April 18, 2019 at 10:38 am

    Green or black cardamom?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 18, 2019 at 3:22 pm

      Green.

      Reply
      • Jeanne says

        November 28, 2020 at 9:03 am

        Do you use the whole cardamom pod, or open it up and just use the seeds?

        Reply
        • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

          November 28, 2020 at 1:36 pm

          Hi Jeanne, you just use the seeds and discard the pod.

          Reply
  12. Debra says

    April 17, 2019 at 5:47 pm

    Hi. I just picked up this spice and was delighted to find out how to use it. Just picked up lamb chops also!!

    Reply
  13. Carol says

    December 21, 2018 at 9:47 am

    Used this Baharat Blend from Kroger (of all places). I was making Lamb Chops, and I had just read your posting, so I mixed it with salt & pepper, and used it for a rub. And then just a pinch in a orzo/spinach/feta cheese side dish. Everyone loved the meal even more than before. I can’t wait to experiment with this new spice blend for me. Thanks for the information.

    Reply
  14. Adina says

    December 4, 2018 at 1:54 am

    Hi Kimberly. I mixed this yesterday and used some of it to bake a bread. Just wonderful! Thank you.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 4, 2018 at 9:29 am

      Hi Adina! That’s fantastic, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

      Reply
  15. Dan says

    November 20, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    When you say “set aside” do you mean add the spices to the seeds after 3-5 mins of dry roasting?
    How long do the spices need to be dry roasted for after adding to the seeds?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      November 20, 2018 at 2:19 pm

      Hi Dan, meaning you don’t dry roast the ground spices, only the whole spices. So dry roast the whole spices, let them cool completely, then grind them along with the other spices.

      Reply
  16. Della says

    July 20, 2018 at 2:44 am

    Hi. Thanks ever so much for this receipe, as i couldnt find it anywhere & us belly dancers went to Egypt together in April & having a get together & I’m making Koshari. Thanks again

    Reply
  17. Greg says

    March 13, 2018 at 3:59 pm

    This is great. I’m looking for ways to substitute spice blends for salt. I have heard that some baharat recipes have sumac and saffron. How would I find out what the ratio of these are to your recipe?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      March 13, 2018 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Greg, there are no set ratios, everyone makes their blends differently. So it would just be a matter of experimenting to determine what ratio you like.

      Reply
  18. emileljanson says

    June 23, 2017 at 12:40 am

    Hi Kim, i think Iraqi biryani is another version of Baharat. Maybe it will be same cause its also a middle east dish. Anyways love to experiment and keep experimenting. Loved it!!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      June 23, 2017 at 10:29 pm

      Awesome, I’m so glad you liked it, Emile, thank you!

      Reply
  19. Su says

    December 7, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    Sounds more Indian that middle eastern

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 7, 2016 at 2:01 pm

      There is a lot of overlap, Su.

      Reply
  20. HARRY says

    December 19, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    What is the difference between Mixed Syrian Spices and Baharat?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 19, 2015 at 7:52 pm

      Hi Harry, I’m not familiar with the first term but when I did an online search using that term it seems to be synonymous with baharat. So it appears they’re the same thing (or at least similar), and that “Mixed Syrian Spices” is simply the Anglocized term for Baharat.

      Reply
  21. Jane CunninghamTally says

    May 25, 2015 at 9:08 am

    I was so glad to see your recipe for baharat. Many of the other recipes I have read call for considerably more nutmeg and cloves and it really overpowers the other flavors. This seems more balanced.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      May 25, 2015 at 10:16 am

      Hi Jane! Yes I experimented with various ratios and am very pleased with this balance, I think you’ll enjoy it.

      Reply
  22. marcy says

    May 5, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    can you make this spice blend with the ground forms of these spices and if so would the amounts be the same?
    Thanks, had Koshari for the first time yesterday and loved it. Would love to make my own.

    Reply
    • The Daring Gourmet says

      May 5, 2014 at 1:26 pm

      Hi Marcy! Yes, you can. Ground spices are more densely packed than freshly ground, so the quantity won’t be exactly the same, but as long as you use the same ratios of each spice it’ll turn out fine.

      Reply
  23. sarene (fringefood) says

    August 3, 2013 at 12:25 pm

    Thank you for this great post! Baharat is this month’s featured ingredient in Tasting Jerusalem, our global, virtual cooking community based on the Jerusalem Cookbook by Yotam Ottelenghi and Sami Tamimi. We’d love for you to stop by and share your experiences and recipes from cooking with baharat! Tasting Jerusalem is on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and on Twitter as #tastingjrslm.

    Reply
    • The Daring Gourmet says

      August 3, 2013 at 1:10 pm

      Thank you, Sarene, I’ll come by for a visit! :)

      Reply
  24. jesusan says

    June 17, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    Thank you for posting this. I was doing research on this spice and have record of at least 8 different versions, so it’s nice to have yours. It’s a really nice seasoning. Question: you list cardamom seeds in the ingredients. Should we empty the pods and just use the seeds? Thanks.

    Reply
    • The Daring Gourmet says

      June 17, 2013 at 6:57 pm

      You’re very welcome! Yes, I’ve no doubt there are countless versions of this. I experimented with various ratios and this was the final result that I was most happy with. Yes, empty the pods and just use the seeds. The only time I use the pods whole is when making saucy dishes – I allow the cardamom pods to simmer in the sauce and then usually discard them at the end, though that isn’t necessary. I just prefer not to bite down on a whole cardamom pod while eating – they’re pretty potent!

      Reply

Add your Response Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Welcome!  I’m Kimberly and I share delicious originals, revitalized classics and authentic dishes from around the world.  Come travel the world through your taste buds!

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:
The Daring Gourmet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Receive the latest from The Daring Gourmet!

No SPAM. Ever.Check out our privacy policy
  • About
  • Request
  • Contact
  • Privacy

· Copyright © 2021 The Daring Gourmet - All Rights Reserved ·

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Home & Garden
  • Travel
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
  • Shop