Tandoori masala that’s easy to make with just a few simple spices you likely already have in your spice drawer. There’s no need to buy ingredients you'll likely never use again! Plus, it’s clean and you control the sodium level!
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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 of the 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.
How to Make Tandoori Masala at Home
It’s as easy as gathering your spices and mixing them. There is no need to roast or grind your herbs. The assumption is that you’ve already roasted them or have bought pre-roasted spices. Because remember, we want a quick tandoori spice mix.
Small Batch
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.
Uses and Storage
You can use this tandoori masala to make marinades and spice rubs, and add it to curries with your favorite protein. I often marinate chicken for tikkas and make salmon tikka bowls with this masala.
Store it in an airtight jar in your pantry or spice drawer.
Homemade Tandoori Masala (with simple spices)
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!