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Writer's pictureEmilie Berger

Make your own Ayurvedic Spice Blends

Preparing Ayurvedic spice blends ahead of time is a great way to make cooking easier and less labor intensive. Here are a few tips:

  • Buy spices whole, rather than already powdered. They are fresher and more potent in terms of their qualities and efficacy

  • Buy smaller quantities, more frequently

  • Store in jar glasses. Embrace reusing jars!

  • Using spices is a great way to ensure all 6 tastes are present on the plate. Read more about the 6 tastes here.

  • Use on sautéed vegetables, stews, soups, dressings, as a rub if you eat animal protein etc


Food is medicine, and when considering spice blends that are supportive for the season or for a doshic imbalance, we need to remember 3 important components:


  1. Rasa (taste) - is it a balancing or aggravating taste for the dosha we want to address?

  2. Virya (digestive effect) - either cooling or heating

  3. Vipaka (post-digestive effect) - this is a lot more complicated for the scope of this short article, but good to keep in mind


There are as many spice blends as there are practitioners, each person has their own nuance in their approach to masala making, but here are a few examples to get you started.


Sweet Masala - from Divya Alter's book What to Eat for How you Feel

1 Tbsp fennel seeds

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 Tbsp organic rose petals

1 1/2 tsp ceylan cinnamon

3/4 tsp cardamom seeds


Vata Balancing Masala

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds 1/2 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp turmeric powder


Pitta Balancing Masala

2 Tbsp coriander seeds

2 Tbsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cardamom seeds


Kapha Balancing Masala

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp black pepper



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