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Home » BEST Curry Powder

BEST Curry Powder

January 28, 2020

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If you’re looking for the best curry powder recipe, look no further!  The flavor and aroma of this curry blend is an absolute feast for the senses and hands down beats anything you’ll find at the store!

curry powder recipe best homemade authentic traditional madras spice blend

Growing up my mom made Indian food on a regular basis and the smell of cardamom, coriander, fennel and other spices wafting from the kitchen was a sure way to spike our appetites.  Here’s a recipe for homemade curry powder, a versatile spice blend you can use in a whole host of Indian-inspired dishes.  This curry powder recipe is the ultimate blend of carefully balanced spices that will bring the flavor and aroma of your food to life!

Where Did Curry Powder Originate?

You may think the answer is obvious:  “Duh.  INDIA.”  But you may be surprised to know that curry powder doesn’t exist on the Indian subcontinent and is in fact an 18th century British invention.

Whereas most Indian recipes use a variety of different individual spices, curry powder was Great Britain’s way of simplifying Indian cooking in a way that was easily accessible to the British home cook who would otherwise have found it difficult to acquire some of these spices.  British manufacturers developed a pre-made blend of Indian spices, called it “curry powder”, and sold it in tin cans (popular brands that still exist include Sharwood’s, The Original Ship/Green Label and Crosse & Blackwell).  Now cooks could take out a scoop or two of “curry powder,” add it to their meal, and enjoy a full array of Indian flavors.

It was during this same time period that British cookbooks started including recipes for “curry sauce,” another British creation.  The term “curry” is the anglicized version of the Tamil word kari, which translates to the generic word “sauce.”  In Great Britain, “curry sauce” referred to a specific dish that used curry powder.  And this “curry sauce” has since become world renowned and conjures up an immediate recognition and expectation of what it will taste like.

What is in Curry Powder?

There is no standard recipe and both the selection of spices and their ratios vary from recipe to recipe and from brand to brand.  However there are several spices that more often than not are included in curry powder and those include coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, fenugreek, fennel, curry leaf or bay leaf, garlic, black pepper and red chilies.  Cardamom is sometimes included though less commonly.  The cardamom flavor is featured more commonly in Garam Masala.  For spicy-hot curry, more red chilies and yellow mustard seeds are added.

These spices can be added in any number of different ratios which will give more emphasis to one flavor over the other.  My goal in developing this curry powder recipe was to create a good balance of all the flavors, each one complementing rather than rivaling the other.  And I also wanted to replicate the flavor of my favorite British curry powder brands that I came to love during the years I lived in England.  This carefully crafted curry powder will give your food a remarkable depth and complexity of flavor and we’re confident you’re going to love it as much as we do.

curry powder recipe best homemade traditional authentic madras

Curry Powder and Madras Curry Powder – What’s the Difference?

They both have the same ingredients and thus the same flavor, but they differ in their level of heat.  Standard curry powder is milder whereas madras curry powder is hot.  This heat come from adding more red chilies as well as yellow mustard seeds.  You can easily adapt this recipe to make madras curry powder by adding these two ingredients.

Do I Have to Use Whole Spices?

No, but we HIGHLY recommend it.  The natural oils in spices is where the flavor is concentrated and these oils are highly perishable once the whole spices have been ground.  The pre-ground spices sold in stores have been sitting in jars for a long time and their flavor is bland in comparison to freshly ground spices.

How Long Does Curry Powder Keep?

Because the natural oils in the whole spices perish fairly quickly one the spices are ground we always recommend making seasoning blends in small batches so that you can use them up quickly.  While this blend will keep for several months (and still taste better than store-bought) the flavor potency will weaken over time, so for maximum flavor it’s best to use it within a few weeks.

curry powder recipe best homemade authentic traditional madras spice blend

How to Make Curry Powder

Making your own couldn’t be any simpler.  The only remotely challenging part may be finding the needed spices.  But I’ve provided links in the recipe box to where you can conveniently find them on Amazon if you can’t find them locally.  Once you have all the spices all you have to do is dry-roast the whole spices in a skillet and then grind the cooled spices together with the remaining spices.

Let’s get started!

Heat a skillet over medium heat and roast the whole spices and curry/bay leaves for a few minutes until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will be bitter. Let the spices cool completely.

roasting Indian spices in skillet

Once completely cool, place the toasted whole spices in a spice/coffee grinder along with the remaining ingredients and grind until you get a fine powder.  I’ve been using my KRUPS Electric Spice/Coffee Grinder for over ten years and it’s still going strong.

Store the spice blend in an airtight jar in a dark, cool place. Will keep for several months but for best flavor use within a few weeks.

grinding Indian spices

Enjoy!

curry powder recipe best homemade authentic traditional madras spice blend

 

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curry powder recipe best homemade authentic traditional

For more delicious homemade seasoning blends be sure to try our:

  • Greek Seasoning
  • Old Bay Seasoning
  • Creole Seasoning
  • Garam Masala
  • Chinese Five Spice
  • Chili Powder
  • British Mixed Spice
  • Pain d’épices
  • Shichimi Togarashi
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Berbere
  • Baharat
  • Panch Phoron
curry powder recipe best homemade authentic traditional madras spice blend

BEST Curry Powder

Kimberly Killebrew
The ultimate curry powder, this blend is an absolute feast for the senses and hands down beats anything you'll find at the store!
Print Recipe
5 from 19 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Course condiment, Seasoning Blend
Cuisine British, Indian
Servings 8 tablespoons
Calories 23 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup coriander seeds
  • 4 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds (optional, for added heat)
  • 4 small dried red chili peppers
  • 4 dried curry leaves (can substitute 1 large bay leaf)
  • 2 tablespoons ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Heat a skillet over medium heat and roast the whole spices and curry/bay leaves for a few minutes until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will be bitter. Let the spices cool completely. Place the whole spices in a spice/coffee grinder along with the remaining ingredients and grind until you get a fine powder.
    Store the curry powder in an airtight jar in a dark, cool place. Will keep for several months but for best flavor use within a few weeks.
    Makes approx. 1/2 cup of curry powder.
  • To Make Curry Paste: Combine 1 tablespoon of curry powder with 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix together. You can also add some finely minced garlic and ginger. (You can use larger quantities of the paste ingredients and puree everything together in a blender.) For a Thai curry paste replace the water with fish sauce and add a squirt of lime juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
Keyword Curry Powder
Tried this recipe? We'd love to see it!Mention @daringgourmet or hashtag #daringgourmet

 

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Filed Under: Affiliate, All Recipes, Asia, By Country or Region, By Ingredient, By Type of Dish, Disclosure, England, Food, India, Sauces, Seasonings and Condiments, Western Europe Tagged With: blend, curry, curry powder, India, seasoning, spices

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32 Responses

  1. Patrice says

    January 21, 2021 at 7:16 am

    We have a black and white pepper allergy in the family. Can’t tolerate it at all. How would you recommend adjusting the recipe to accommodate that?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      January 21, 2021 at 10:52 am

      Hi Patrice, you can simply omit the pepper; no other adjustments necessary.

      Reply
  2. H. Liz says

    January 11, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    Two questions!
    First: Does it matter how old the unground whole spices are? The biggest problem I have is finding the constituent whole spices in small enough quantities that I won’t have several cups leftover.
    Second: I often use fresh whole ginger, turmeric, and garlic in my cooking so I always have some of each of these on hand. What is the best method to use to dry and grind these into powdered versions?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      January 13, 2021 at 10:58 pm

      Hi H. Liz, the older the spices the less flavor they will have. Test them by grinding them and see how fragrant they are. For your second question, you could dehydrate sliced ginger, turmeric and garlic in a food dehydrator and once fully dried you can grind them to a powder in a blender or spice/coffee grinder.

      Reply
  3. Roselyne Durand-Ruel says

    January 11, 2021 at 10:57 am

    Hey. Is it possible
    to make Thai green curry without Cumin? Thank you

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      January 12, 2021 at 4:27 pm

      Hi Roselyne, absolutely, if you prefer no cumin simply omit it.

      Reply
  4. Rita Laranjeira says

    December 10, 2020 at 7:31 am

    It seems lovely. How would you convert this into a curry paste? Thanks

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 10, 2020 at 7:43 am

      Hi Rita, simply combine 1 tablespoon of curry powder with 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix together. For a Thai curry paste use 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of oil along with a squirt of lime juice.

      Reply
      • Rita Laranjeira says

        December 11, 2020 at 11:39 am

        Thank you! No minced ginger or garlic?

        Reply
        • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

          December 11, 2020 at 7:11 pm

          Hi Rita, some fresh garlic and ginger are great additions, especially if whatever you’re adding the paste to doesn’t already include them.

          Reply
  5. Kerri says

    July 2, 2020 at 1:47 pm

    I love making my own curry! Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  6. Allyson Zea says

    July 2, 2020 at 12:10 pm

    Wow I never even realized that you could make this at home yourself! Thank you for the easy recipe!

    Reply
  7. Toni says

    July 2, 2020 at 10:31 am

    This is awesome! Just in time for my curry dish I’ll be making soon!

    Reply
  8. Suzy says

    July 2, 2020 at 9:58 am

    This is the best blend of flavors around! So easy to put together too!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 2, 2020 at 12:38 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Suzy, thank you!

      Reply
  9. Catalina says

    July 2, 2020 at 6:46 am

    wow it’s so easy to make curry powder at home! I use curry a lot!

    Reply
  10. Erin says

    July 1, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    What a great curry powder recipe!
    I have to put this on my menu!

    Reply
  11. Amanda says

    July 1, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    I love curry powder I will be trying these ASAP!

    Reply
  12. SueV says

    April 15, 2020 at 6:02 am

    I used to buy a certain curry powder that I loved, unable to get it any more I created my own, from the small sample that I had left, I lost the measurements and ingredient list I had taken great care to keep. I came across yours recently but today found the one I had created. Mine has 13 ingredients, as does yours, 2 are different, I add no salt, instead of dried red chili peppers I used cayenne. I used cardamom in mine. I even heated the whole spices in a skillet. Our ingredient list was almost exactly the same, great minds think alike. You take care, crazy world we live in now.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 15, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      Great minds indeed, SueV! :) I still remember when I was developing this blend years ago – I probably had close to a dozen different small bowls of homemade curry powder on my counter, each made with slightly different ingredients and different ratios, testing each curry powder out on little pieces of chicken and beef and tasting them and having family members sample them until I honed in on my favorite version. I’ve been using this curry blend ever since. Stay safe and well!

      Reply
  13. JD says

    February 9, 2020 at 8:53 am

    Terrific tutorial. And the pictures could not be better. Will be trying for sure.
    BTW, we made your millionaires shortbread a couple days ago. Outstanding.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      February 9, 2020 at 9:27 am

      Thanks so much, JD! I’m so glad you also enjoyed the millionaire’s shortbread. Thanks again!

      Reply
  14. Jacque Hastert says

    February 4, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    I have been craving curry and I love that I can make the powder at home and satisfy my craving. I now need a big bowl of this!

    Reply
  15. Beth says

    February 2, 2020 at 8:23 pm

    I love how easily this is made at home! Perfect!

    Reply
  16. Katerina says

    January 30, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Homemade curry powder sounds fantaaaastic!! I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  17. Cathy says

    January 30, 2020 at 8:25 am

    Wow I had NO idea you could make this at home! It sounds like the perfect blend of flavors!

    Reply
  18. Catalina says

    January 30, 2020 at 5:20 am

    I use a lot of curry in my kitchen. It’s awesome to make it at home now.

    Reply
  19. Dorothy Reinhold says

    January 29, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    It’s confession time… It has never occured to me to make my own curry powder

    Reply
  20. Stephanie says

    January 29, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    This curry powder was amazing! Definitely going to use it in all my recipes that use it in the future.

    Reply
  21. Nat says

    January 29, 2020 at 9:14 am

    Oh my goodness, I am so happy I found this recipe. I would love to cook with curry more in 2020, this recipe wil be a staple for sure.

    Reply
  22. Trang says

    January 29, 2020 at 9:11 am

    D’oh! I feel so stupid. I didn’t realize that you could make curry powder at home and have it fresh! I was always just buying it so thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  23. Aimee Shugarman says

    January 29, 2020 at 9:03 am

    This is the ultimate blend of flavors. Thank you!!

    Reply

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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.

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