Chaat Masala is a flavorful Indian spice blend known for its tangy and slightly spicy taste. It originated in North India and is often used to season chaats, fruits, salads, and even drinks like chaas and nimbu pani. This homemade version is made with roasted cumin, coriander and some more whole spices, along with amchur, black salt, and a few more ground spices. Just a pinch adds a burst of flavor to your favorite street-style snacks.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • Total time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 · 1 Small Jar
  • Category: Spice Blend
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon carom seeds ((ajwain))
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida ((hing))
  • ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder ((saunth/sonth))
  • 2 tablespoons dry mango powder ((amchur) - green mango powder)
  • 1 tablespoon black salt ((kala namak))
  • ½ teaspoon pink salt (or regular salt)
  • ½ teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder (or ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar (- optional)

Method

Roast Spices

  1. Measure and set aside both the whole spices and ground spices.
  2. In a dry pan, lightly roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, carom seeds, and fennel seeds on low heat for about 5 to 7 minutes until fragrant and well roasted.
  3. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
  4. Turn off the heat. Remove them from the pan and transfer to a plate to cool.
  5. Keeping the heat turned off, place the hot pan back on the stovetop. Add asafoetida and dry ginger powder.
  6. Stir to roast it in the pan. These ground spices will get cooked with the residue heat of the pan.
  7. Next transfer the asafoetida and ginger powder to the plate containing the whole spices.

Grind Spices

  1. Once the roasted spices have cooled down, transfer them to a mixer-grinder or spice grinder. Also add sugar.
  2. Grind these ingredients into a fine powder.

Make Chaat Masala

  1. In a bowl, transfer the ground roasted spices.
  2. Add dried mango powder (amchur), black salt, pink salt or regular white salt, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Mix thoroughly.

Storage

  1. Transfer the mixed Chaat Masala to an airtight container. Let it rest for a day or two so the flavors meld together. It can be used as needed in your chaat dishes.
  2. It keep well for up to 1 to 2 months. You can also refrigerate or freeze for a longer shelf life.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.