Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Vegan Kitchen

Have you ever walked into the spice aisle and instantly became overwhelmed? No more of that my friend! This guide will give you the Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for your vegan kitchen so you don’t have to stress anymore!

I grew up in a household that used boxed/canned and/or frozen foods for 90% of meals. Salt and Pepper were almost the exhaustive list of what I was used to when it came to seasonings. When I started learning how to cook, I had no idea what spices I should keep on hand. I don’t want that for you.

Enter: The Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Vegan Kitchen

I’m going to work to take the guess work out of your spice cabinet for you. We’ll share our Top 20 Must Have Spices and then some others and why they can be important too.

In addition, I’m sharing my storage tips and solutions so you never have to worry about that either!

Why Spices Are Important for Everyone

When you are learning to cook from scratch, you quickly learn that spices are what truly make a dish go from meh to WOW!

Spices are crucial to make plant-based staples like grains, legumes, and vegetables transform into dishes that are flavorful, aromatic, and tantalize your taste buds by adding depth, complexity and variety.

Simply put, a well-stocked spice cabinet is your secret weapon to culinary success.

Are Spices Vegan?

Single spices are naturally vegan. They’re simply dried seeds, roots, barks, or fruits and should be the only ingredient. However, there are a few exceptions to be aware of:

• Premade spice blends may contain non-vegan ingredients like dairy. For example whey or cheese powder in some ranch blends or elote seasonings or anchovy powder in an umami blend. Check out our milk-allergy avoidance list if you need to know ingredients to look for.
• Cross-contamination can occur in processing facilities that handle non-vegan products. While most vegans don’t worry about cross-contamination, if you’re strict, look for certified vegan labels.
• Flavor additives in some commercial products might include non-vegan components.

When in doubt, opt for single-ingredient spices or carefully read labels on blends.

Whole Spices vs Ground Spices

While most people choose to buy pre-ground spices, there are benefits to having some in their whole form as well.

Ground Spices

These have already been converted from a whole form into a powder for you. They are easier to use because they are ready as soon as you grab them out of your cabinet or drawer.

The pro of ground spices is that when they are fresh they are more potent. The con of ground spices is that they loose their freshness faster. We recommend opting for the smaller containers vs the bulk containers unless it’s a spice that you are going to use very often (within 3-4 months).

Whole Spices

This is literally the dried out form of the part of the plant it comes from. For example, nutmeg, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, star anise are easily found in whole form.

The pro of whole spices is that they last longer than ground varieties. Typically at least a year; however, with proper care like sealing in an air tight container in a cool area, whole spices can last 2-4 years. The con of whole spices is that you have to grate or grind them yourself which takes more time.

Our Top 20 Must-Haves

If you’re wonder if you have the right spices for optimal impact or maybe you’re just starting off in your first kitchen, these are our Top 20 spices that you will used the most, especially if you are using our recipes here!

They are listed in alphabetical order, not by most popular! Each one has a recipe to try beside it!

1. Bay Leaves – Adds a subtle, earthy flavor and usually see in soups and stews. Try it in our Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup!
2. Black Pepper – Black pepper is essential in all kitchens. It adds a smoky and spicy kick to almost any dish. Really want to up the flavor? Try our Black Pepper Tofu.
3. Cayenne – Want even more heat? Cayenne pepper is literally just dried and ground cayenne chili peppers. Try it in our Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken.
4. Chili Powder – A blend of spices that adds heat and complexity and quite literally what gives chili it’s chili name. Many fall and winter comfort dishes use this spice. Try our Butternut Squash Chili!
5. Cinnamon – You likely know this for being sweet and aromatic and used in desserts like our vegan cinnamon rolls; however, don’t skip the ability for cinnamon to level up savory dishes too. Try it in our Winter Kale Salad.
6. Cloves – They may be little whole, but they are intense and aromatic and most often used in baked goods. Like cardamom (see below), a little goes a long way. Try our Vegan Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal.
7. Cumin – Earthy and warm, perfect for curries, stews, and roasted vegetables. You’ll see it a lot in Mexican dishes. Try these Vegan Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.
8. Dill – Has hint of tanginess, citrus, and anise. It is most prominently used when making dill pickles. Try our Vegan Chicken Salad.
9. Garlic Powder – One of the most used spices in our home, this is a quick and easy way to infuse garlic flavor into dishes. We often used fresh garlic and garlic powder in dishes for a balance of flavor and potency. It’s especially good to layer garlic flavors. Try making our Vegan Garlic Bread.
10. Ginger – Known as one of the most healthy spices in both fresh and ground form, this is spicy and warm. Ginger is super versatile and seen in sweet and savory recipes. Our Vegan Gingerbread Cake is a must!
11. Mustard Powder/Seeds – In whole form it’s a tiny little seeds, but also found in ground form. It helps to had tangy flavor with earthy notes and popular in rubs. Try our Vegan Broccoli and Cheese Soup.
12. Nutmeg – Is warm, sweet, and nutty. It’s another spice that you only need a little to go a long way. Try our Nutmeg Spiced Maple Vegan Buttercream.
13. Onion Powder – This is right up there with garlic powder for our house. Again it’s a way to add the onion flavor without onions or in addition to build flavors. pantry staple for soups, sauces, and marinades. Add it in with our Crispy BBQ Chickpeas Grain Bowl.
14. Oregano – Gives lemony flavor with a little peppery taste and used a lot in pastas. You’ll find it a lot in Italian and Mediterranean dishes, but we also like to keep Mexican Oregano on hand for those recipes as well. Try this comforting Vegetable Pot Pie with Biscuits.
15. Paprika – I don’t want to admit how old I was when I realized that paprika is dried red bell peppers. It comes in sweet or smoky variations and we like to have both on hand. Paprika is great for adding color and has a light and sweet note for the regular version or a spicier, intense flavor for the smoked version. For the ultimate paprika dish, you have to try Vegan Tofu Paprikash.
16. Parsley – I call this the savory everything spice. There’s not many things parsley doesn’t help to enhance and it just makes things look more restaurant-inspired with little effort. It has a butter-herby taste alone, but often helps to balance meals when eaten together. Try using it in Marry Me Tofu.
17. Red Pepper Flakes – You can probably guess that this is from peppers, but this is actually a mix of a few peppers including chili peppers which gives it the intense heat. For a quick meal, use it in a 10 Minute Spicy Vegan garlic and oil Pasta.
18. Thyme – Earthy and aromatic, slightly sweet and a little peppery, this spice is ideal for soups and roasted vegetables. Try our Vegan Split Pea Soup with it!
19. Turmeric – Known in our house with kids as the “please be careful this will stain everything yellow” spice, this is a vibrant yellow color with a subtle, peppery flavor. You have to be careful adding too much because the earthy flavor can really overpower what you are adding it too. Use it to make Tofu Scramble as a scrambled egg substitute.
20. Vanilla – If you’ve made desserts, you’ve probably had vanilla on hand. Whole form is very common to be used for this spice, but more widely used as an extract. Try using vanilla powder in our Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe.

Note about Salt

You may be wondering why salt is not list as one of our top spices. Salt is a wonderful addition to food, but it is considered a mineral, not a spice.

While spices add a distinct new flavor, salt is in charge of enhancing that flavor. So while you can’t change a meals flavor by adding salt, you can make the flavor stand out more by adding salt.

We personally like to keep fine sea salt (most used), flakey salt, pink Himalayan salt and Celtic salt on hand.

Additionally, Black salt, also known as Kala Namak, is an Indian spice that has a very sulfer-like taste and smell that is a must when make vegan scrambled egg recipes.

10 More Not as Commonly Used Spices… but Still Wonderful

You may seem some other spices pop up from time to time. These aren’t immediately needed or even used very often depending on what type of food you food; however, they can pop up and have amazing flavors.

They are listed in alphabetical order, not by most popular!

1. Allspice – while you may assume allspice means all spices together, it’s actually just a singular spice from a dried berry that is used a lot in Jamaican and Caribbean cooking as well as many fall baked goods. Try using allspice in our Jamaican Lentil Curry.
2. Basil – Sweet and fresh, a must-have for Italian-inspired sauces. Dried basil has more minty flavor as the oil are extracted when drying. Use it for our Balsamic Salad Dressing.
3. Cardamom – Sweet and floral, used in chai and desserts. A little goes a long way, so use it sparingly until you know it’s potency. For something sweet, try our Vegan Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, but if you’re adventurous and want to give it a go with a savory dish, then you must try our Vegetable Biryani.
4. Celery Seed – Enhances soups, salads, and dressings. They have some sweetness and earthy notes along with citrus. You want to use this one sparingly. It’s great in our Homemade Vegan Tomato Soup.
5. Coriander – Is the seeds from the cilantro plant. The seeds (whole or ground) give a citrus-like and slightly sweet flavor that has a bit of a nutty taste in comparison to the leaves. It’s amazingly in our Green Coconut Curry.
6. Fennel Seeds – Sweet and slightly licorice-like; great for breads and spice mixes. Our Smoky Sheet Pan Oven Roasted Vegetables are perfect for using this spice.
7. Rosemary – this one has a unique earthy taste that is often used in rubs, marinades, and sauces. Try these lemon rosemary roasted potatoes.
8. Saffron – A luxurious, expensive spice with a unique floral flavor. This is a special ingredient that you only add on occasion and not something to keep stocked all the time as you likely won’t use it regularly. Try Plant Based School’s Saffron Risotto.
9. Sage – With it’s earthy and sweet flavor, sage has a very distinct savoriness that you won’t find elsewhere. This Brown Butter Sage Sauce is amazing for date night!
10. Sumac – While Americans don’t use sumac often, this spice is used widely in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. It has a tangy and citrusy flavor, with notes of berry as well. What sets it apart is it’s sourness that balances many dishes. It really helps set our Turkish Chickpea Salad apart from other dishes!

Top 10 Spice Blends

Many cultures have signature spice blends. That is, a blend of a few different spices that when put together in exact amounts create a flavor impact that is exquisite. It does an amazing job at taking the guess work out of how much to put into each one.

These are the top ones we use, again in alphabetical order.

1. Adobo – This blend starts with cumin and salt and then garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and oregano is added. This is a widely varied spice depending on culture and can usually be found in Caribbean, Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. It’s a must in Puerto Rican Rice (Arroz con Gandules).
2. Cajun – You’ll find this blend in very Southern cuisine as it originated in Louisiana. It pulls from Native American, West African, French and Caribbean cultures. It’s bold and spicy and has cayenne, garlic, paprika, salt, and then depends on the blend whether other ingredients are added depending on region and personal preference. Try our Cajun Sweet Potato and Black Bean Rice Bowl.
3. Curry Powder – A versatile blend for quick and flavorful meals. It typically contains turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper. Curry powder is another spice blend that is very region dependent. For example, Jamaican curry powders are traditionally spicier than an Indian curry powder. Our Easy Chickpea curry is amazing!
4. Everything But the Bagel – This is a great snack-y type of spice blend that can be added to so much. It’s a blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Make your own homemade Everything Vegan Bagels.
5. Garam Masala – A warming blend of spices, essential for Indian cuisine. It typically contains cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves and more depending on the region that it’s coming from. Use it to make the best Masoor Dal recipe.
6. Italian Seasoning – A mix of oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme. This blend is often added to pasta sauces. Use it year round for our Italian Vegan Pasta Salad.
7. Jerk – A distinct Jamaican seasoning that can be made into a dry rub or wet marinade. While it still depends on the specific region on Jamaica, you can usually find allspice berries, scotch bonnet peppers, cloves, thyme, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Use a blend instead of the individual seasoning in our Jamaican Jerk Tofu.
8. Old Bay – A very popular seasoning based out of Baltimore, Maryland. This blend is a mix of celery salt, red pepper, black pepper, and paprika. Try our copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
9. Taco – This blend makes seasoning Tex-Mex dishes easier! The blend varies on region, but often has chili powder, cumin, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. You have to use it in our Vegan Black Bean Tacos.
10. Umami – Is known as one of the five taste categories. Umami as a seasoning blend was introduced in the 1900s in Japan, but it took almost 100 years for it to become popular and easily available in America. The main ingredients is dried mushrooms, but also contains onion powder, garlic powder, salt, tomato powder, and more depending on brand and region. Try Vegan Reset’s Oven Roasted Umami Potatoes.
11. Za’atar – A Middle Eastern mix featuring thyme and sumac. Try Vegan Richa’s Za’atar Spiced Vegan Chickpea Burgers.

Best Ways to Organize Your Spices

Keeping your spices organized can save time and enhance your cooking experience. Here are some tips:

1. Alphabetize Them – Arrange spices in alphabetical order for easy access.
2. Use Clear Jars – Transparent jars let you see what’s inside at a glance.
3. Label Everything – Use clear, easy-to-read labels for quick identification.
4. Spice Racks or Drawers – Invest in a rotating spice rack or a pull-out drawer organizer.
5. Store in a Cool, Dark Place – Keep spices away from heat and light to maintain freshness.
6. Group by Cuisine – Organize spices based on cuisines (e.g., Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern) for quick meal prep.
7. Declutter Regularly – Discard old spices every 6-12 months as their potency diminishes over time.

With these essential spices and organization tips, your vegan cooking will be elevated to new heights. Start exploring flavors from around the world and make every meal a celebration of taste and creativity!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!