A pantry well-stocked with essential spices is a cook’s best friend. In culinary terms, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring in cooking. Using one or more in your day-to-day cooking can take an ordinary meal and turn it into something extraordinary, so having them on hand in your kitchen can be just as important as your pots and pans.
You only have to walk down the spice aisle at your local grocery store to know what a huge selection of spices and spice blends are available. There are so many choices, it could be easy to feel overwhelmed. With everything from A (allspice) to Z (za’atar) to choose from, we’re here to help you decide which ones are must have spices for you!
When you’re building your own basic spice collection, there are a few things to think about, like quality and freshness, and most importantly, which spices to buy.
Luckily, not all the spices you’ll see in the grocery store’s aisle are essential kitchen spices. Spices can be versatile, so it only takes a few key spices to take your cooking from meh to memorable.
Quality and freshness are important elements when determining whether a spice will be able to pack a flavorful punch. And while there's no rating system when it comes to spices, look to see if the label states where the spice comes from and gives a "best-used-by" date. Premium spice brands will often give that information, and it's a good indicator of quality. If you can't find a best-used-by date, make sure you are shopping at a place that seems to turn over its product quickly. If you have to brush a layer of dust off the jar just to read the label, you can likely assume the spice isn't fresh.
Since the clock starts ticking on the potency of a spice the minute it's been ground, you have two top options when it comes to spice freshness. The first is using the best-by-date, or putting in a bit more work by stocking up on unprocessed spices. If it makes sense for you, buy your spices whole as much as possible and grind them yourself, just before using.
How to Decide what Spices to Buy
Trying to decide which spices should be the first ones in your spice rack can be, well, trying. So, we’ve created a few categories to get you started on the building blocks of your budding collection.
The Basics
Let’s lay the groundwork for which humble yet essential ingredients will form the backbone of your spice cabinet for culinary exploration. While you will definitely need more than these few basic spices, these will be the easiest for making memorable meals unlocked through seasoning. Here’s a list of a few absolutely essential spices to start with.
Salt: Of course, when it comes to basic spices, you can’t beat salt and pepper. While salt is not officially considered a spice, it is such an essential seasoning in almost every type of cooking and baking, that we feel it’s important to mention. It serves not necessarily to make a dish salty, but to heighten the flavors of every other ingredient in the dish, as it does here in our recipe for Classic Beef Stroganoff perfectly. There are many types of salt available. Sea salt, kosher salt, flaky salt, table salt, and many more each have distinctly different qualities and are worth exploring.
Black Pepper: Where there is salt, usually there is black pepper. Unlike salt, black pepper is considered a spice. It adds a piney, citrusy flavor, aroma, and bite to many dishes.
Red Pepper Flakes: If you like a bit of heat in your meals, having red pepper flakes on hand, with it’s clean flavor and assertive spiciness is the way to go.
Thyme: Thyme is a must have spice in any kitchen. It’s one of the most versatile spices with citrus, mint, woody, and floral notes. Dried thyme is fantastic for elevating a variety of dishes, including pasta, soup, roasted vegetables, pizza, sauces and proteins like chicken, fish, pork and beef.
The Baker
Whether you only bake for the holidays or find yourself up to your elbows in cookie dough on a daily basis, your spice cabinet deserves to be an essential part of your baking pantry. Looking for inspiration? Check out our collection of baking recipes.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a beloved baking spice that most of us reach for at the same time as we are pulling out our electric mixers. It has a complex flavor, with sweet, woody, slightly sour, spicy, and citrusy notes. From cinnamon rolls to apple pie, it’s hard to imagine baking without it.
Vanilla: While most of us think of vanilla in the liquid extract form, that extract actually comes from the vanilla bean, which falls into the spice category. Vanilla adds richness and extra flavor to everything that you make. The extract is commonly used in most baked goods, but vanilla in bean form gives extravagant flavor to ice creams, pastry creams, sauces and many other desserts.
Nutmeg: Nutmeg is a warm spice with slightly nutty, sweet, woody flavors. It comes pre-ground, but we prefer the whole seed form, as the flavor is more fragrant, to be grated into pies, cakes, and cookies.
Ginger: Ground ginger is extracted from the dried roots of ginger and provides a subtle earthy spice and warm aroma to some of your favorite baked goods, like gingerbread cookies, spice cakes, and pumpkin pie.
Spicy Food Lover
If you can handle the heat, there are definitely some must-have spices for cooking that you’ll want in your pantry at all times. Each promise to ignite your senses and elevate your culinary creations as you embrace the thrill of heat and discover how these fiery seasonings can add a kick to every bite.
Red Pepper Flakes: There is almost nothing that a dash of red pepper flakes doesn’t make better, especially if you like your food hot. Use a pinch or two of the flakes to boost the flavor of other ingredients like the enchilada sauce in our Easy Beef Enchiladas recipe.
Cayenne: While red pepper flakes can vary in heat, ground cayenne peppers are a reliable source of fairly intense heat. Used carefully, a pinch of this ground spice can add a little heat, but also heighten the flavors of other ingredients, like it does in our Spicy Peanut Chicken recipe.
Chili Powder: Unlike chile powder, which is a ground spice made from just one dried chile, chili powder contains other ingredients like oregano, paprika, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and/or salt too. It’s perfect to use as a dry rub on grilled steak or to bring flavor and heat to your favorite chili recipe.
Smoked Hot Paprika: While a little less common, this spice, typically produced in Spain, is made by grounding peppers that have been dried over an oak burning fire. The result is an essential spice for anyone who likes a little smoke with their heat. Use it in your favorite BBQ spice rub or in soups, with beans, or in stews.
International Cuisine
When we say, “There’s a world of spices out there!” we are referencing spices that are used in cuisines all over the world. Here’s a few commonly used around the globe.
Cumin: Cumin is a seed found in recipes all over Latin America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia in everything from Indian curries to Mexican enchiladas. Cumin brings a warm, earthy, and complex flavor with hints of pepper and citrus.
Oregano: While oregano is often thought of sprinkled over pizza, it’s also included in many Mediterranean and Latin American dishes like marinara sauce and chimichurri. It has a slightly pungent, spicy, “this is Italian” flavor into any dish.
Coriander: You’ll find ground coriander seeds in everything from Middle Eastern falafel to Moroccan chicken kebobs. Coriander adds a citrusy, floral note to a dish.
Dill Weed: Dried dill weed is used frequently in Scandinavian, Greek, Slavic, and Turkish cooking. It lends it’s warm, grassy aroma with hints of anise and lemon to dishes like Scandinavian grilled salmon, yogurt sauces or Greek marinated shrimp.
Top 10 Essential Spices from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
The term “essential” can mean many different things to different people, so when coming up with a list of essential spices, we went with the ones we in the Betty Crocker Kitchens tend to use on a regular, if not daily, basis.
Black Pepper: Considered a basic seasoning in almost everyone’s kitchen, black pepper is often thought of as salt’s less exciting partner. We disagree. Black pepper has a unique piney, citrusy flavor and bite all its own. We recommend you buy whole black peppercorns and grind them as you need them. This helps to preserve their flavor, which can be lost in cans of pre-ground pepper.
Cinnamon: One of the spices most likely to be found in anyone’s spice cabinet! Cinnamon’s warm, earthy sweetness makes everything taste like home. Use cinnamon sticks to add flavor to cider or hot cocoa. Use ground cinnamon in baked goods, soups or stews.
Red Pepper Flakes: Made from crushed dried red chiles, these flavor boosters can be anywhere from mildly hot to incendiary. Use it to shake over a slice of pepperoni pizza or add a little pizzazz to your marinara sauce.
Cumin: The smoky, citrusy, pleasantly musty spice shows up in a diverse range of recipes from regions all over the world. Use them whole or freshly ground for the best flavor.
Garlic Powder: While garlic powder is the dehydrated and ground version of the fresh allium, the two ingredients are very different. Garlic powder has a milder flavor than fresh garlic, without any of the moisture. Use it in your favorite dry rubs or party mixes.
Nutmeg: We like to buy nutmeg whole and grind it into our baked goods or sauces as we need it. It's quite potent and aromatic and is generally best used in small amounts.
Bay Leaves: While it’s difficult to explain the flavor of bay leaves, their unique herby and earthy notes somehow make almost all soups and stews better.
Oregano: Slightly bitter, minty and peppery, dried oregano is commonly used in everything from spaghetti sauce to roasted chicken.
Thyme: It’s hard to imagine making a pot of chicken and dumplings or even turkey stuffing without the versatile flavor of thyme. It’s earthy, warm, slightly peppery flavor finds its way into many comfort food classics.
Coriander: Made from the seeds of cilantro plants, this spice adds a floral, citrusy flavor to dishes in a variety of different cuisines, such as Mediterranean and Middle Eastern.
Classic Spice Combinations
Explore an array of spice blends that are commonplace in daily cuisines. Some you may know and even have store bought on hand already, while others may be a pleasant new surprise! Among our selection, you'll find a harmonious mix of herbs and spices to experiment with bold and familiar flavors in your kitchen.
Chile Powder: Made from a combination of ground dried chile, oregano, paprika, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and/or salt too. It’s mild heat and complex flavor is perfect to use in BBQ dry rubs or your favorite chili recipe.
Italian Seasoning: While each blend may be slightly different, most contain a combination of Oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and sage. It brings a variety of herbal flavors to many dishes.
Lemon Pepper: Dried lemon peel and coarsely ground black pepper brings loads of bright flavors to grilled steak or chicken or roasted vegetables.
Pumpkin Spice: Typically a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, you’ll find this spice blend in your favorite pumpkin pie recipes, as well as cakes and cookies.
Spices are an important tool in any good cook’s tool belt. They are an easy way to turn a good dish into a great one. From the comforting familiarity of basic kitchen spices to the exhilarating thrill of spicy seasonings, the world of flavors is vast. We hope we’ve given you lots of ideas on how to use these essential spices, but don’t be afraid to explore with your own combinations too. Making your own custom blends is a great way to spice up your cooking while learning your favorite flavors and their potentially delicious new combinations!