Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Spices & seasonings · Ground spices

Ground cumin

Cumin seeds ground to a fine brown powder, mixed into masalas, rubs, sauces and spice blends.

Also called: cumin powder, jeera powder

A kind of cumin

32 recipes with it

Read the full spice guide: flavour, history and how to use it

What it is

Ground cumin is cumin seed milled to a fine khaki-brown powder. It mixes evenly into sauces, marinades and spice blends where whole seeds would be too prominent. Roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera) is made by dry-roasting the seeds first and is darker and nuttier. Ground cumin loses its aroma faster than whole seed.

Cuminum cyminum

How it’s used

  • Curry bases with ground coriander and turmeric
  • Chilli con carne and taco seasoning
  • Hummus, falafel and kofta
  • Rubs for grilled meat
  • Roasted cumin powder over raita and chaat

Characteristics

Taste
Warm, earthy, slightly bitter.
When cooked
Burns in seconds in very hot dry fat; add with onions or a splash of water.
Sold as
ground
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight jar away from light; best within a few months for flavour.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
375 kcal
Protein
17.81 g
Carbohydrate
44.24 g
Fat
22.27 g
Fibre
10.5 g
Sugars
2.25 g

USDA FoodData Central: Spices, cumin seed.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Cumin seeds — Toast and grind seeds yourself; about 1¼ tsp seeds per tsp ground.

Related ingredients

Recipes with ground cumin

See all 32

20 more

More ground spices