Mild Homemade Curry Powder
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This mild homemade curry powder is a simple, customizable spice blend that’s perfect for people who want great flavor without too much heat. It’s made with common pantry spices, costs less than store-bought blends, and can be adjusted for sensitive palates—including kids.
This blend is intentionally mild, but you can easily increase the heat if you prefer a spicier curry powder.
Do you (like me) just like making your own homemade seasoning blends to save time and money (no more scurrying off to the store to get something you could just make yourself)?
For years, we used a certain brand's mild curry powder, and we loved it, but I decided to try my hand at making my own mild homemade curry powder recipe.
Well, one morning, with a bit of trepidation, I did a blind taste test using my family as the judges, and the result was 100% unanimous. My blend won over the ever-popular brand that we have been using for oh, about 6 years now.
And it is a LOT cheaper. Yippee!
This homemade curry powder is perfect for use in this Ground Beef Curry recipe (my most requested recipe), this Butternut Squash Pear Soup, and also in this Chicken Thigh Curry.
I recommend making your own Homemade Seasoning Blends for a number of reasons. But curry powder is an especially great blend to make on your own since you can control the amount of spicyness.
A lot of curries are just plain too spicy for children, but this curry powder recipe is not. But if need be, you can even cut the cayenne in half or leave it out altogether.
But I don't think you'll have to since we've never had a complaint about the “heat” of this blend, even from those who are a “neko jita”, which means cat's tongue, in Japanese.
In Japan, they call those with tongues that are sensitive to heat, “neko jita”. “Neko” means “cat” and jita come from “shita” for “tongue.”
Ingredients
- turmeric – loaded with anti-inflammatory qualities
- coriander
- cumin
- cinnamon
- ginger
- yellow mustard
- white pepper (hard to find. Omit if necessary.)
- fenugreek (organic ground mustard can be substituted if need be)
- cardamom
- cloves
- nutmeg
- cayenne pepper
- black pepper
How to Make Curry Powder Spicier
This blend is intentionally mild, but you can easily increase the heat to suit your taste
| Heat Level | Cayenne Amount |
|---|---|
| Mild | Use recipe as written |
| Medium | Add 1/8 teaspoon cayenne |
| Spicy | Add 1/4 teaspoon or more cayenne |
- Increase cayenne gradually to control the heat level.
- Add red pepper flakes for a sharper, more noticeable heat.
- Add black pepper for warmth without too much spiciness.
- For even more heat, add fresh chili when cooking dishes with this curry powder
Recipes That Use Curry Powder
Here are some recipes that you definitely should try using this curry powder in.
- Ground Beef Curry – our favorite recipe hands down
- Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup – hearty comfort in a bowl
- Indian Lentils – a super fast, delicious dish
- Butternut Squash Pear Soup – a lovely soup that can be made festive too
- Thai Green Curry Chicken Thighs – delightfully crispy outside and juicy inside
More Homemade Seasoning Blends You Will Love
- Taco Seasoning – much better than packets!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Chat Masala – a wonderful “goes-with-everything” Indian blend that was the results of a kitchen mistake.
- Vegetable Broth Powder – a great substitute for broth that has a special way to use it!
Mild Curry Powder
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (hard to find. Omit if necessary)
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (all are ground spices) in a bowl.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
I'd love to hear what you think about this curry powder!
Do you just add spices to water
You add them to whatever recipe you are using–does that answer your question?
good and tnx
Simple and flavourful, excellent recipe. White pepper adds heat with less complexity than black, better to just stick with the blac. If you want to be a little more adventurous, some of these spices you can grind yourself from whole seeds. Fenugreek seed should be toasted lightly first to remove the sour taste, 30 seconds in dry skillet on medium, or it will go really bitter. Fenugreek gives the characteristic ‘curry’ flavour that most people recognise, so it is worth finding. Coriander and cumin seed may benefit from lightly toasting before grinding, although not everyone agrees. Nutmeg is best grated fresh from the whole nut. Also, I use the long red dried Kashmiri peppers (when I use any type of peppers). They are very mild but flavourful, and add a nice red-ish colour to the curry (can be found whole/dried or as a powder in Indian grocery stores). Oh, and ground cardamom is from the seeds, don’t use the whole (green or black) cardamom pods. Happy experimenting!
Is there any substitute for for fenugreek? Can it be left out? I do not have it as a spice and would be concerned to use it as it can have an effect on nursing.
Curry is a blend that is very individual so you could leave it out or use a sub. My understanding is that it boosts milk supply. I’m not sure it would do that in this small amount but that’s up to you to decide. Thanks for reading and hope you like it!
Hi, thanks so much for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
Quick question – how much curry powder does this make? How much of the powder would I use for say, a meal for 4 people?
Thank you. Sandy
I just updated the recipe – just over 12 tsp. Enjoy. The amt you would use depends on your specific recipe.
Thanks for the delicious sounding recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
I have a coffee grinder that I use to grind flax seed, etc. with and I tried to grind some cloves tonight. They didn’t grind very fine and it was like chewing on wood. I guess I’ll just have to buy ground cloves for now. How do you grind them?
Thx,
Lori
I typically grind mine in my spice / coffee grinder. I just bought this one and I love how the cups are washable. https://amzn.to/1UCdqg2 This is an affiliate link.
Thank you for this–we’ve had it multiple times now and it’s delicious, especially in your Pakistani kima! I’ve even mixed up batches for gifts.
You are so welcome. That’s a lovely gift idea!
Dear desi only found this site today.I am amazed at your talent in making presents of curry.Where would one start in bulk .Or do you do one by one.Never tried Sweet curry but will make the power .Dont like hot curries.
Novice Hazel
I personally LOVE Frontier for bulk spices. For example, I would easily use up 2 lbs of cumin in the seed format. The shelf life is good b/c it isn’t ground. Here is an affiliate link: https://amzn.to/1RXD139
I would like to take this recipe and post it on a cooking site, with your permission.
I am going to make a few changes but it is basically your recipe.
Hello there, I don’t allow reposting of my recipes – what site are you doing this on please? Thank you.
I always enjoy seeing what folks put in their own curry. So many different varieties. Looks like you’ve landed on a good one!
Thanks and welcome!
Hi! If you can’t find white pepper, just take some regular peppercorns and rub them till the black skin comes off. What’s left is white peppercorns which you can grind down in a blender, coffe grinder (probably best if you don’t use the one you use for your coffe) or a mortar and pestle into white pepper powder.
No kidding, really? I had no idea! I have so much white pepper right now – happy to share :). Do you have a good way to use it?