Top 30 Basic Spices to Keep in Your Spice Cabinet

If you are just starting to learn to cook or want to expand your cooking skills, it can be a little overwhelming at first to decide which spices to stock up on and which ones to leave behind for now. Perhaps you’ve just moved out of your parents house and are living on your own for the first time or you’re newly weds and want to learn how to cook fancy meals for you and your spouse to enjoy. There are a lot of choices out there and it can be a little daunting to build your spice cabinet, so let’s start with the basics.

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Here are my top 5:

If you don’t want to jump into stocking up on a lot of herbs and spices at first, these 5 are the ones I recommend everyone start with. They all will add a significant amount of flavor to your meals with little extra effort.

1. Salt. Not an herb or spice but a mineral, salt is very essential in cooking and baking, as it helps to bring out the natural flavor in food.
2. Garlic powder. I go through so much of this stuff; I add it to most of my dishes, because it adds so much flavor and just a hint of spice/bite that can easily turn a meal from bland to delicious.
3. Italian seasoning. This is typically a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. I go through a lot of this too, often times adding it to a dish when I’m not sure what else it needs but I know it needs something.
4. Paprika. This ones fun because along with a adding subtle but tasty flavor, it adds color too! I don’t cook with a lot of black pepper, so I’ll use this in its place a lot of the time.
5. Ginger. When I want to change things up a bit, ginger, it’s a great way to do that. I add this to a lot of Asian dishes but I will use it in odd ball ways too, like in beef Stroganoff.

Basic:

Mild but delicious, these herbs are used in a lot of Italian and everyday cooking. You can add them to baked chicken, mix them in your burger meat or use them to give vegetables a little extra flavor.

1. Oregano
2. Basil
3. Thyme
4. Dill
5. Rosemary
6. Sage
7. Onion Powder
8. Minced Garlic
9. Minced Onion
10. Marjoram

Warming:

Used in a lot of Asian cooking, these spices are great for reducing inflammation as well. These are also used in a lot of baking around the holidays.

1. Cinnamon
2. Clove
3. Nutmeg
4. Turmeric
5. All-spice

Savory:

These are used in a lot of Mexican food but also in others to add spice and create mouth watering dishes.

1. Chili Powder
2. Cayenne Pepper
3. Black Pepper
4. Cumin
5. Ground Mustard

Whole Seeds:

These have their own unique flavor and texture, often milder than the ground version.

1. Celery seed
2. Dill seed
3. Caraway seed
4. Mustard seed
5. Coriander

Have fun playing with different flavor combinations and ratios!

Some of my favorite combos include:

• Dill weed, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard.
• Chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, paprika, and salt.
• Sage, garlic powder, salt, and mustard seed.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, and Ginger.

You can even experiment mixing different types together to create unique combinations like I mentioned before by adding a touch of ginger to beef Stroganoff, you may be surprised by what can go together! Have fun and don’t be discouraged if a combination you try doesn’t work out, it’s a learning process.

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Now that you have an idea of what herbs and spices to start with, you can look into organizing your spice cabinet on a budget, by clicking here!

What are some of your favorite herbs and spices to cook with? Leave your thoughts down below!