Excited to cook some Lebanese food but don’t have any Baharat? I’ve got you covered. Here are my favourite simple Baharat substitutes.
What is Baharat?
Baharat is a Lebanese blend of 7 spices including paprika, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg.
It works well with meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables.
The Best Baharat Substitutes
1. Make Your Own
My go-to spice blend when I’m out of Baharat is a simple mix of equal parts ground cumin, ground coriander and smoked paprika. I sometimes add black pepper as well. The flavour profile is different but I’ve found this blend to be equally delicious.
2. All Spice
Even though Baharat doesn’t contain any All Spice, it had a very similar flavour profile. All Spice tends to be quite strong so start with half the amount of all spice to the recipe requirement for Baharat. You can always add more but it’s hard to subtract spice!
3. Ground Cumin
While this is a completely different vibe, plain ground cumin will give a mellow spice flavour to your dish. For a closer match add lots of black pepper.
More Tips for Cooking with Spice
- Have You Tried this Amazing Spice?
- My 3 Favourite Spice Blends (and their substitutes)
- Interview with a spice master
- How to stock a minimalist spice collection
More Ingredient Substitutes
- Za’atar
- Smoked Paprika
- The Ultimate Guide to Vegetable Substitutes
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Collard Greens
- Miso Paste
- Oyster Sauce
- Pesto
- Tahini
Also see see the Simple Ingredients Substitutes Index.
Have fun in the kitchen!
With love,
Jules x