Grinding whole spices just before use gives far more aroma than buying them ground. How to do it by hand or machine, how fine to go, and how to handle awkward spices like cinnamon and cardamom.
Why grind your own¶
A whole seed keeps its volatile oils sealed inside. Once it is ground, the surface area multiplies enormously and those oils start evaporating and oxidising. Ground spices lose their punch within months; whole ones keep for a year or more (see how-long-spices-last). Grinding in small batches, just before cooking, is the simplest way to make food taste more of its spices without using more of them.
Toasting first is optional but makes seeds brittle, easier to grind and deeper in flavour. Always let them cool before grinding.
Choosing a tool¶
| Tool | Best for | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Pestle and mortar (granite or stone) | Small amounts, coarse textures, pastes, bruising cardamom | Slow for large batches; very fine powder is hard work |
| Electric blade grinder (a coffee grinder kept for spices) | Quick, fine powders, blends | Uneven; heats the spice slightly; hard to clean |
| Burr grinder or pepper mill | Peppercorns, consistent adjustable grind | Only suits small, dry, round spices |
| Microplane or nutmeg grater | nutmeg, tonka-bean, cinnamon sticks, ginger | One spice at a time |
| Hand-cranked or electric wet grinder | Pastes with ginger, garlic, chilli | Specialist kit |
See spice-grinders for more on choosing a machine.
Method: pestle and mortar¶
- Put no more than 2–3 tablespoons of spice in the mortar at a time.
- Crack the seeds first with a few firm downward taps, holding a hand loosely over the mortar to stop them escaping.
- Switch to a circular grinding motion, pressing the pestle against the sides.
- For a finer result, add a pinch of coarse salt or sugar if the recipe allows; the crystals act as an abrasive.
- Sieve if you want a very fine powder, and return the coarse bits to the mortar.
Method: electric grinder¶
- Grind in short pulses of 5–10 seconds, shaking the grinder between pulses so pieces fall back onto the blades.
- Stop before the machine gets warm; heat drives off aroma and can make oily spices such as fennel or sesame clump into a paste.
- Tip out, sieve if needed, and regrind the coarse pieces.
- Clean by grinding a tablespoon of raw white rice or a torn slice of dry bread, then wipe out. This removes residual oils so tomorrow's coffee does not taste of cumin. Better still, keep one grinder for spices only.
Awkward spices¶
- cinnamon and cassia. Break sticks into small pieces with your hands or a heavy knife first. True Ceylon cinnamon crumbles easily; cassia bark is hard and can blunt cheap grinders, so grate it on a microplane instead.
- Cardamom. Crack the pods and grind the black seeds only; the papery husk is fibrous and dilutes flavour. Discard the husks, or drop them into tea or rice.
- nutmeg. Grate from the whole nut straight into the dish. A whole nutmeg yields roughly 2–3 teaspoons ground. Large amounts of nutmeg are unsafe; see nutmeg-toxicity.
- cloves and allspice. Oily and intense. Grind with other spices rather than alone, which helps the machine and dilutes their strength.
- saffron. Crumble the threads between your fingers or grind in a mortar with a pinch of sugar or salt, then steep in warm water.
- Dried chillies. Remove stems and, for less heat, seeds. Grind in a well-ventilated room and do not lean over the grinder when you open it; the dust stings eyes and throat (see handling-chillies-safely).
- fenugreek seed. Very hard; toast lightly first and use an electric grinder.
- Sichuan pepper. Pick out the gritty black seeds, which are unpleasant, and grind only the husks.
🛟 The powder is lumpy or oily
Oily seeds (fennel, cumin, sesame, poppy) were ground too long or while warm. Spread the powder on a plate to cool and dry for 10 minutes, then pulse again briefly with a teaspoon of a drier spice from the same blend.
How much to grind¶
Grind only what you will use within a week or two, and store it airtight in a dark cupboard. For quantity conversions between whole and ground forms, see whole-vs-ground-spices.