What Are Cumin seeds and How Can I Use Them?

Cumin seeds is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 489 recipes to get you started.

What are cumin seeds?

Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world after black pepper.

Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses such as Leyden cheese, and in some traditional breads from France. It is commonly used in traditional Brazilian cuisine. Cumin can be an ingredient in chili powder (often Texan or Mexican-style), and is found in achiote blends, adobos, sofrito, garam masala, curry powder, and bahaarat.

Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds. Cumin was also used heavily in ancient Roman cuisine. It helps to add an earthy and warming feeling to cooking, making it a staple in certain stews and soups, as well as curries and chilli.

Although cumin seeds contain a relatively large percentage amount of iron, extremely large quantities of cumin would need to be consumed for it to serve as a significant dietary source.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 tbsp, whole (6g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 22Calories from Fat 12

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 1.3g 2%

Saturated Fat 0.1g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 10mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 2.7g 1%

Dietary Fiber 1g 3%

Sugars 0.1

Protein 1.1g

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 6% • Iron 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find cumin seeds: Cumin seeds are usually found in the spices section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Cumin seeds are a member of the Spices and Herbs US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 小茴香种子
British (UK) term: Cumin seeds
en français: graines de cumin
en español: semillas de comino

How much do cumin seeds weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 tbsp, whole	6 grams
1 tsp, whole	2 grams

Spices and Herbs

Allspice 904 Allspice berries 37 Star anise 178 Aniseed 23 Bay leaves 2049 Caraway seeds 321 Cardamom pods 100 Cardamom seeds 317 Celery seeds 283 Chervil 65

Recipes using cumin seeds

There are 489 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Always Loved Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili with bulgur and vegetables--Vegetarian chili: hot satisfying dish for fans of meatless mains.

Pressure Cooked Chili Con Chickpeas

Pressure-cooked chickpea chili swaps beef for nutty garbanzos, building heat from toasted cumin seeds, chili powder, and a generous handful of fresh cilantro. A meatless one-pot weeknight chili.

Aloo Mathar Paratha (Sides)

The quintessential Indian-Singaporean meal accompaniment. Unfortunately, all too often it is made using highly processed white flour and margarine. Here, the parathas are made with whole-wheat flour (you could also try using spelt flour) and stuffed with peas and potatoes, for a lighter but more wholesome take on the original. Serve hot with yoghurt and herbs.

Spicy, Tasty Chicken Tandoori

Chicken tandoori is basically a snack which can be eaten in the evening or at night. Chicken marinated in tandoori masala, grilled in the oven is a super tasty, mouthwatering dish. Try it now.

Chasing Chili

Chasing chili builds a slow-simmered base with ground beef chuck, lean pork, soaked pinto beans, and whole cumin seeds. A two-meat, scratch-bean chili built for a crowd.

Malabar Chicken Curry Recipe

Malabar chicken curry is a spicy and aromatic dish that hails from the Malabar region of India. This curry is made with a unique blend of spices that include cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and fennel, which gives it a distinctive taste and aroma. The tender chicken pieces are simmered in a rich and flavorful coconut milk-based gravy, making it a perfect dish for any occasion. The curry can be adjusted to your preferred level of spiciness, making it versatile for all tastes. Whether you're looking to explore new flavors or simply want to add a bit of spice to your meals, Malabar chicken curry is a must-try recipe for any home cook.

Chicken a la goose

Czech beer-braised chicken with caraway and onions, roasted until golden. Dark beer creates rich gravy in this Central European comfort dish. Serve with red cabbage and dumplings.

Falafel, Vegetarian Style

Vegetarian falafel with a clever bake-then-fry hybrid technique: oven-baked first to set, pan-crisped in olive oil to finish. Tucked into pita with cucumber, tomato, and yogurt sauce.

Lemon Rice & Pea Chapatis

Indian-style lemon rice and pea chapati wraps with brown rice, mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, and a bright lemon-tamari finish. Vegan, ready in 25 minutes when rice is pre-cooked.

Best Black Bean Chili

Black bean chili built on home-ground spices and dried ancho chile. Vegetarian, vegan-adaptable, with toasted cumin and homemade chili powder. Serve over melted cheese with creme fraiche and roasted poblanos.

Chicken Satay with Coconut Marinade

Chicken satay marinated in a fragrant coconut-turmeric paste with garlic, shallots, and cumin, then grilled on skewers until charred and juicy. Golden Southeast Asian skewers made for peanut sauce.

Amazing Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati's iconic chili simmers with warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cocoa powder, creating a Greek-influenced meat sauce perfect for ladling over spaghetti.

Chili Super Bowl

Big-batch Super Bowl chili with ground beef, pinto beans, and tomato juice base, simmered low for hours with a deep spice blend of cumin, cayenne, and paprika. Feeds a crowd.

Bullard's Best Yet Chili

Bullard's chili pairs lean venison with pork in a hearty bowl of pinto beans, tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro, seasoned with chili powder and cumin. A from-scratch wild game chili worth cracking a beer for.

Leek & Potato Soup with Country Ham

Hearty leek and potato soup with smoky country ham, red cabbage, and dry-toasted cumin, caraway, and fennel seeds for a rustic, deeply flavored bowl.

Dal Makhnai

Dal makhani or maa di dal, as it is popularly known in the punjab, with its smooth velvety texture and lovely flavour is a delicacy that is very much a dish of the punjab. Every punjabi restaurant, roadside eating place and food stall vendor makes the claim that this is a delicacy that they alone can make to perfection. This my own tested recipe dare i claim it as the best? dal makhani is traditionally cooked on a low flame overnight and allowed to thicken. Using a pressure cooker helps cook the dal in a jiffy. Serve hot with naans.

Garlicky Cumin Oven Fries

Instead of deep-frying, these oven baked crispy-garlicky fries are much lower fat but will still well satisfy your appetite. Serve it with ketchup or any your favorite dipping sauce along with your grilled burger.

Yogurt with Cumcumber & Mint (Kheere Ka Raita)

Cool, creamy yogurt stirred with grated cucumber, fresh mint, roasted cumin, and a pinch of cayenne. This classic kheere ka raita is the essential Indian side dish that calms the heat and refreshes the palate.

Indian Stuffed Tomatoes

Stuffed tomatoes or bharva tamatar is a good recipe for potlucks, picnics and very easy to cook. They look very pretty and delicious. These go well with naan, plain parathas or pulao (aromatic fried rice)and some raita as a side dish

Aromatic Cabbage

This simple recipe actually turned out very tasty, which definitely amazed me, especially with only these a few ingredients. The cumin, fennel and sesame seeds gave the dish load of yumminess. A great summer side dish.

Tomato Chutney

Mango chutney sounds very familiar with us, but you can make tomato chutney as well, and the savory flalvor goes well with all kinds of dishes. Here it is.

Chickpea Salad with Parsley, Lemon & Sun-dried Tomatoes

It was a chickpea day for me yesterday. Made two different chickpea salads, this is one of them and comes from our member "Franklinfamily". The flavor was refreshingly delicious.

Potli samosas

This is simply the 'BEST' and most 'UNIQUE SHAPED' samosa I have seen in all my life!These little potli samosas will sure make your guests ooh and aah o'er them. I promise you will love them. This is another one of the Diwali special dishes lined up on my list of things to make this year for Diwali:) This is also something I'd love everyone to try for this coming Cookathon as the theme is appetisers, and this sure is one!

Harissa

A spicy paste of Spanish origin that contains garlic, caraway, cumin and coriander.

Sindhi Curry

One of my favourite things to have for a meal is Sindhi curry with plain boiled rice accompanied by crispy vegetables. The Sindhi Curry is by far the nicest curry I’ve had. Sour, spicy and tangy – some of the flavours I’m especially biased towards. This is also good because I end up eating a variety of vegetables.

New Delhi-Style Chick Pea Hummus

Hummus, perfect for dipping all kinds of veggies or for pita bread or a replacement from mayo.

Rajasthani Aloo Baingan (Potato & Eggplant)

I have never met an eggplant I didn't love! Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. The nice thing is you can make it so many ways. This recipe is really easy and turns out a delicious dish that tastes great when served with hot Chapatis.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

Just made this roasted curried cauliflower for lunch, and it was very tasty. Loved how sweet the onions came out after the roasting with the strong caramelized flavor as well, yum. The cauliflower florets were tender with a little bit crisp, perfect texture :)