Spice blends to keep in a jar for everyday cooking

Five homemade spice blends cover most everyday cooking: a golden turmeric blend, ras el hanout, za'atar, dukkah and a simple dried-herb mix. Each takes about ten minutes to make: toast any whole spices, grind them, mix with ground spices, and store in a small airtight jar away from heat and light. They lean on the same ingredients an anti-inflammatory kitchen relies on (turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, herbs and seeds) and, more usefully, they make vegetables, pulses and fish taste good enough that you want to eat them every day. Here are the ratios, how to use them and how long they keep.

Why make your own blends?

Shop-bought blends are convenient, but they're often mostly salt, sometimes contain sugar or anti-caking agents, and may have sat on a warm shelf for months. Mixing your own means:

• Better flavour. Freshly toasted and ground spices are noticeably brighter.
• Control over salt. Leave it out and season the dish instead.
• Small batches. Make only what you'll use in a couple of months, so nothing goes stale.
• A faster weeknight. One spoonful replaces five jars and a measuring session.

A word on health: some spices, including turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, contain plant compounds that researchers are interested in, but the amounts used in cooking are small. Their real value is in helping you enjoy the vegetables, pulses, whole grains and oily fish that eating patterns associated with lower inflammation are built on.

The method

1. Buy whole where you can. Cumin, coriander and fennel seeds keep their flavour far longer whole than ground.
2. Toast whole spices. Put them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant and a shade darker. Tip onto a plate straight away so they stop cooking.
3. Cool completely. Grinding warm spices can make them clump or turn pasty.
4. Grind. A pestle and mortar is fine for small amounts; an electric grinder kept only for spices is quicker.
5. Mix and label. Stir in any ground spices, then jar it and write the name and date on the lid.

Don't toast ground spices in a dry pan. They burn in seconds. They get their warming-through later, when you bloom the blend in oil as you cook.

Five blends worth keeping

1. A golden everyday blend

Your workhorse for dals, soups, roast vegetables, rice and eggs.

• 3 tbsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp finely ground black pepper

Use 1–2 tsp, bloomed in oil with onion and garlic, for a pot serving four. The Anti-Inflammatory Spice Mix in the book is built on the same warm, golden idea. For more on getting the most from turmeric specifically, see how to cook with turmeric.

2. Ras el hanout

A North African blend whose name means roughly "head of the shop": the best the spice merchant has. Recipes vary enormously; this is a simple, balanced version.

• 2 tsp cumin seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves and ¼ tsp ground cardamom

Use it in tagines, with chickpeas and squash, rubbed onto chicken thighs or roasted carrots. The book's Ras el Hanout goes into several of its stews and traybakes.

3. Za'atar

Herby, tangy and nutty. The easiest way to make simple food taste finished.

• 2 tbsp dried thyme (or a mix of thyme and oregano)
• 1 tbsp ground sumac
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt (optional)

Stir into olive oil for dipping bread, scatter over eggs, yogurt, roasted vegetables, flatbreads or grilled fish. Za'atar Blend is one of the staples in the book, and it's a natural fit with the ingredients in our Mediterranean kitchen starter guide.

4. Dukkah

An Egyptian mix of toasted nuts, seeds and spices, coarse rather than powdery.

• 60g hazelnuts (or almonds), toasted
• 30g sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds and 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp flaky salt

Pulse or pound to a coarse crumb; stop before it turns to paste. Serve with bread and olive oil, or sprinkle over soups, salads, avocado toast and roast vegetables. Because it's rich in nuts, dukkah keeps best in the fridge and should be used within a month.

5. An everyday dried-herb mix

For tomato sauces, beans, soups and roast potatoes.

• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

How much to use

A good example of a blend doing all the work is the book's Spiced Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas: vegetables, a tin of chickpeas, olive oil and a spoonful of spice, roasted at 200°C (180°C fan) for about 30 minutes.

Storage and shelf life

• Ground spice blends taste their best for about 3 months, and are still usable for up to 6. After that they fade rather than go off.
• Blends with nuts or seeds (dukkah, za'atar) go stale sooner. Keep dukkah in the fridge and use within a month; za'atar within 2–3 months.
• Glass jars with tight lids are ideal. Keep them in a cupboard away from the hob, oven and sunny windowsills.
• Don't shake jars over a steaming pan. Moisture gets in and the blend clumps. Spoon it out instead.

If you're restocking the cupboard to make these, our healthy pantry checklist covers the rest of the essentials.

Common mistakes

• Burning the toast. Seeds go from fragrant to bitter quickly. Medium heat, keep them moving, tip them out the moment they smell good.
• Over-salting. Salt in a blend makes it hard to season the dish properly. Leave it out, or keep it very low.
• Heavy-handed cloves and allspice. These are powerful; a quarter teaspoon too much can dominate everything.
• Making too much. A big batch looks efficient but loses its aroma long before you finish it.

For the full recipes these blends go into, from dals and tagines to traybakes and dressings, The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen has a chapter of dressings, sauces, spice blends and staples, and you can search the recipe finder for chickpeas to see how far one spoonful goes.

This is general information about cooking with spices, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition or take regular medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your diet.

Questions people ask

How long do homemade spice blends last?

Ground blends are at their best for about 3 months and usable for up to 6. Blends containing nuts, like dukkah, should be kept in the fridge and used within a month.

Should I add salt to a spice blend?

It's usually better not to. An unsalted blend lets you season each dish to taste. Za'atar and dukkah, which are often eaten as they are, can take a small pinch.

Can I use ready-ground spices?

Yes. Just make sure they're fresh: they should smell strongly as soon as you open the jar. Whole spices toasted and ground at home will taste brighter.

Do I need a spice grinder?

No. A pestle and mortar handles small batches well. If you make blends often, an inexpensive electric grinder kept just for spices saves time.