A tandoori masala recipe that’s easy to make with just a few simple spices you likely already have in your spice drawer. No complicated ingredients you probably won’t use again, plus safe from all the preservatives and junk in conventional store-bought masalas, yes please!🙋🏻♀️
Once you have this homemade tandoori masala recipe in your back pocket, it’ll be super simple to make all kinds of tandoori recipes like this tandoori chicken recipe and this salmon tikka bowl, too.
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The most popular South Asian recipe on my blog is my Tandoori Chicken Curry. So it’s a wonder why I never thought to develop a tandoori masala recipe until now, but better late than never!
What I love about this masala is that you can swap it for the ground spices in so many Pakistani/Indian recipes on the site. The Masala Lamb Chops, the One-Pan Tandoori Chicken, and even most any curry dish, and it works! Like my easy keema recipe or even the beef curry in the khao suey recipe.
What is Tandoori Masala?
Tandoori masala is a blend of warm, earthy spices like cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Most commonly used to season grilled meat and curries, this spice blend is heavy on chilies, with both red chili powder and black pepper powder.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 5 minutes.
👪Yield: 5 tablespoons.
🍽 Calories and Protein: 15 kcal.
📋 Main Ingredients: Red chili powder, cumin, coriander, and garam masala.
📖 Dietary Notes: gluten-free, vegan.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It:
- Versatile. You can use this tandoori masala to make marinades and spice rubs, and add it to your curry base with your protein of choice.
- You control the ingredients. There is no salt or sugar ( yes, one very popular brand has sugar in their blend!) in this spice mix, so you control both the sodium and the sugar.
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Ingredient Notes
Cumin and coriander: I usually buy these whole and dry roast them in a pan before grinding them in a spice grinder and storing them in my spice jars.
Red chili powder: For the heat. I use this brand.
Kashmiri red chili powder or Paprika: For the color. Kashmiri red chili powder is available at most desi/ethnic grocery stores. You can also use “Reshampatti”, a type of red chili powder also vibrant in color.
Regular or smoked paprika both work.
Black pepper: Like cumin and coriander, I like to grind peppercorns in small batches to get the most out of them.
Cinnamon: Ceylon cinnamon is the better alternative to Cassia, which is commonly used in South Asian cooking. Use that if you can find it.
Garam Masala: I either make my own or buy this one.
Turmeric: I get turmeric in bulk from Pakistan or buy this one.
Variations
Make a paste. Add fresh ginger and garlic to make a paste and use it as a dairy-free marinade for chicken tikka.
How to Make Tandoori Masala
Step 1: It’s as easy as gathering your spices and mixing them.
Step 2: Mix and store in a clean and dry spice jar.
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Pro Tips
- I prefer to make a small batch of masalas. Be it garam masala, roasted cumin, coriander powder, or even this tandoori masala. When you make spices in small batches and use them up before making more, they retain their freshness, potency, and flavor.
- Many tandoori spices include dried fenugreek leaves. I find them to have a really strong aroma that lingers for days after cooking, so I leave it out, but you can add 1/2 teaspoon if you like.
- I also prefer to use fresh garlic and ginger in my food, so I have left them out of this tandoori spice blend.
- There is no salt in this blend, so add it to your recipe as needed.
If you tried this tandoori masala recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter.
Homemade Tandoori Masala
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika * See notes
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
Instructions
- Combine all the spices and store in an airtight jar.
- Use a tablespoon per 2 pounds of meat.
Notes
- Kashmiri chili powder is available at most Ethnic or Desi grocery stores. It is used to give a brighter red color to recipes. Can’t find it? Use paprika instead.
- I have intentionally omitted the salt in this spice mix so that you can control the amount of sodium in your recipe.
Donna M Utsch says
Can’t wait to make this. Can this be used to make into a Tandoori Paste for a recipe I’m making? And if so, to make it “creamier” when cooking, is there something else I can use besides yogurt or sour cream? I don’t want to take away from the spiciness of the tandoori paste. Thank you!
Wanting to make Tandoori chicken tonight if possible :).
Zeeshan Shah says
Hi Donna! If you add minced garlic and ginger, you’ll get a paste:) I am assuming you want to use it as a marinade? I would recommend adding 1/4-1/2 teaspoon more or the red chili powder to retain the spiciness lost by adding yogurt. Or you could try decreasing the amount of yogurt in the recipe which is essentially there to soften and make it juicy more than anything. I have a One-Pan Tandoori Chicken recipe that turns out amazing and no spiciness is lost :). Hope this helps! Happy cooking and let me know how it goes!
Shah Zeeshan says
This is such a time saver! I make this in bulk and use it to marinate meats and make quick curries!