Homemade Berbere Spice Mix

18/05/2023

Ethiopian Berbere Spice mix is one of my favorite spice mixes, and here’s how you can make it at home! 😎

As the name suggests, this spice mix originates from Ethiopia and it’s a stable in Ethiopian cuisine! This spice mix is great for (roasted) veggies, marinades, rubs, proteins, stews, roast potatoes soups, curries.. The blend contains warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chili, and allspice, so it’s a great all-purpose seasoning whenever you want to add a warming flavor & depth to your dish.

There are toons of different versions of this spice mix, with different proportions and herbs/spices. Each person has their own version of this but here’s how I have been making my spice mix. (it’s bomb)

I use both whole and ground spices. When you give your whole spices a quick toast in a hot pan (and grind them into a semi-fine powder), it will give at least 155% more flavor compared to preground spices! If you can’t find whole spices or don’t want to do the extra step, you can use pre-grounded spices too 🙂

HOMEMADE BERBERE SPICE MIX RECIPE

Time to make 10 min

Makes a small jar

Ingredients

3 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp chili flakes / dried whole chilies
2 tbsp (whole) cumin seeds
1 tbsp (whole) coriander seeds
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cardamom
1 tbsp curry powder (use 1 tbsp of fenugreek instead of curry powder if you have access to it! I used a premade curry mix with fenugreek in it since it’s hard to find where I live)
1 generous tbsp all-spice berries
1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
1/2 tbsp cinnamon (Ceylon)
1/2 tbsp ginger
1/4 tbsp ground cloves

Instructions

Toast black peppercorns, allspice berries, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds on a hot pan for a few minutes. Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind them into a (semi) fine powder. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and store at room temp.