biryani masala powder

Biryani Masala Powder Recipe

By Swasthi on January 18, 2024, Comments, Jump to Recipe

Biryani Masala is an aromatic spice blend used in the preparation of Biryani, a layered rice & meat/veggie dish. This recipe helps you make Biryani Masala that is super flavorful and is quick to make. Nothing beats the aroma of fresh ground spices & you won’t get the same quality and flavor from the store bought Biryani Masala.

Biryani masala powder

About Biryani Masala

This biryani masala can be used to make biryanis of all kinds – meat, egg and vegetarian. Apart from that you can use it in your korma dishes, meat pilafs and curries. Using even a small amount of this ground spice blend is going to elevate the flavors of your dish.

You may love the convenience of store bought biryani masala but a lot of them do have plenty of additives and artificial flavorings. Some of them even include unnecessary ingredients like fried onions which actually makes the spice blend smell rancid etc.

Artificial kewra flavoring, biryani essence, msg and even citric acid are some of the commonly found additives in a store bought biryani masala.

Homemade biryani masala lets you adjust the flavors to your taste and you know what goes into it. You also have the option to choose organic spices.

I use this Biryani Masala to make Lamb curry and all my biryanis like
Chicken Biryani
Hyderabadi Biryani
Dum Biryani
Vegetable Biryani

Biryani Masala vs Garam Masala

If you are wondering how this biryani masala is different from the Garam masala, biryani masala is much stronger in flavor than garam masala.

The combination of spices used to make both these spice blends is different. Biryani masala has some key ingredients like shahi jeera (caraway seeds) and dagad phool (stone flower, kalpasi) which are not used to make garam masala.

Here is a picture of the caraway seeds. They look similar to cumin but these are thinner, darker and longer than the cumin seeds.

shahi jeera is caraway seeds

Also the quantity of coriander seeds is higher in garam masala to tone down the pungent flavors.

A lot of people do not use spices like nutmeg, mace, fennel seeds and star anise in garam masala but they do exist in a Biriyani masala powder.

spices to make biryani masala

My Recipe

If you intend to try my recipe, I highly suggest you to read the Ingredients & Substitutes section so you know what can be substituted and is it worth.

My recipe does not use dried red chilies & cumin seeds. Usually store bought spice blends have dried red chilies in higher quantities as a cheap filler since other aromatic spices are expensive than the dried chilies.

You can leave out the dagad phool if it is not available. It is a key ingredient in the Hyderabadi biryani and South Indian meat masala recipes.

Here is a picture of the spice. It is not easily available in Singapore for the past 2 years. So I have not used it in the stepwise pictures. It is also known as kalpasi & pathar phool in Indian languages.

dagad phool kalpasi

This homemade biryani masala keeps good for a year in the freezer and for 6 months in the refrigerator. You can also store it at room temperature for 2 months. Store it in an air tight freezer safe jar if freezing. Any regular glass container is best for other storage methods.

More similar recipes you may like
Curry Powder
Chai Spice Powder
Sambar Powder
Idli Podi
Pav Bhaji Masala
Rasam Powder
Cumin Powder

Biryani Masala recipe

How to make Biryani Masala (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Measure and clean all the following spices. Discard any stones & chaffs from them.

  • 1 to 3 bay leaf
  • 2 to 3 star anise (4 grams biryani flower, chakri phool)
  • 15 Green cardamom (3 grams, elaichi)
  • 2 to 3 Black cardamom (3 grams masala elaichi, badi elaichi)
  • 5 to 6 Ceylon cinnamon pieces (2 inch each, 5 grams dalchini)
  • 1 tablespoon cloves (6 to 7 grams lavang)
  • 1½ tablespoon fennel seeds (12 grams saunf, can reduce to 1 ½ tsp if you don’t like the flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper corn (3 grams kali mirch)
  • ¼ cup Coriander seeds (18 grams sabut daniya)
  • 2 tablespoons shahi jeera (16 grams caraway seeds)
  • 1 Mace (2 grams javitri, membrane covering 1 nutmeg, refer notes)
  • ½ teaspoon Nutmeg (grated or crushed, 1½ to 2 grams jaiphal)
  • 3 stone flowers (or kalpaasi or dagad phool – medium sized, optional)
weigh all the spices

2. Here is a close up shot of the cinnamon. You will break them to 2 inch pieces and clean with a kitchen tissue to ensure there is no dust or other pesky things. Make sure you use Ceylon cinnamon also known as True cinnamon. Do not use cassia as the flavor would be much different.

Ceylon cinnamon

Roast the Spices

We will dry roast some of the spices individually as the roasting time is different for each. Some larger spices are roasted together.

3. On a medium heat, dry roast coriander seeds until crunchy, light brown but not burnt. Keep stirring as you want to roast them evenly. Transfer to a large tray placed over a cooking rack. This ensures your spices or the tray won’t sweat while they cool.

roast coriander seeds for biryani powder

4. Break the nutmeg to 2 portions with a nutcracker or a mortar pestle. Add half (1.5 to 2 grams) of it to the pan along with cinnamon, mace, star anise, black cardamoms and bay leaf. Dry roast on a medium heat until the spices begin to smell aromatic. This takes me about 3 mins. Transfer to the tray.

roast other whole spices

5. Add cloves, black pepper and green cardamoms. Dry roast until they begin to smell good, for 2 to 3 mins. Transfer them to the tray.

cloves pepper and cardamoms getting roasted

6. Dry roast the fennel seeds until you begin to get a floral smell for 3 mins. Transfer to a tray.

roasting fennel seeds for biryani masala

7. Dry roast caraway seeds on a low to medium heat until fragrant. Be careful with this spice as they can burn faster. Transfer to the tray.

roast shahi jeera

8. If you are using other spices like dried red chilies or dagad phool, dry roast them until they begin to smell pungent. Cool all the roasted spices completely.

cooling biryani spices

Make Biryani Masala

9. Add them to a grinder jar.

grind the spices

10. Grind to a fine powder (as fine as possible). I do it thrice in intervals, letting the grinder rest for a few minutes in between. Do not let your grinder become hot.

biryani masala in a grinder

11. I prefer to sieve the biryani masala and it is up to you. Add it to a sieve or a fine strainer. I don’t use the floor sieve as we don’t need it super fine. A fine strainer works well for me.

sieve the ground spices

12. You will get some coarse particles (I get about 12 grams) which you may grind again. Sometimes I just store separately and add half a teaspoon to my chai while boiling. It is mostly the fennel coriander and star anise grits which are actually good to discard.

13. You will notice the difference after sieving. It is finer.

Store this in an air tight glass jar.

store biryani masala in a glass jar

Use as needed in your biryani and meat dishes.

briyani masala recipe

Ingredients & Substitutes

Bay Leaf: I don’t use a lot of bay leaf in my recipe and prefer to add a leaf to the biryani and rice while cooking. It is just a filler. So you are making it for commercial purpose, you may add up to 12 to 15 leaves.

Red Chilies: I do not use red chilies and prefer to use only while cooking the dish. It is again a filler, if you want it for commercial purpose use up to 12 to 18 dried red chilies.

Fennel seeds add a mild floral aroma to your dish without overpowering. It is highly recommended to balance out the pungent flavors of black cardamoms, cloves, black pepper and mace. It also helps in digestion.

Cinnamon: Use only Ceylon cinnamon and not cassia. You can easily identify and differentiate between the 2. Ceylon cinnamon is thinner and cassia is thicker. Apart from that you feel the flavor of Ceylon cinnamon is milder as opposed to the stronger aroma of cassia. It is okay to use whole cassia for flavoring but when you grind, it is better to use Ceylon Cinnamon.

Shahi Jeera imparts a smoky, pungent and earthy flavor that is unique to itself. There is no substitute and I would suggest not to make biryani masala without that. Though you can use cumin as a substitute, your biryani masala will be similar to the garam masala and you don’t need to make a batch of this. Instead use garam masala.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

briyani masala recipe

Biryani Masala Recipe (Biryani Masala Powder)

Biryani masala powder or chicken masala powder is a spice mix that is used to prepare fragrant biryani rice like chicken biryani or vegetable biryani. It can also be used to make chicken masala curry.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time7 minutes
Cook Time13 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings65 grams
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 1 to 3 bay leaf (tej patta)
  • 15 green cardamom (3 grams, elaichi)
  • 2 to 3 black cardamom (3 grams, badi elaichi, masala elaichi)
  • 2 to 3 star anise (4 grams, biryani flower, chakri phool)
  • tablespoons fennel seeds (12 grams, saunf, refer notes)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper corn (3 grams, kali mirch)
  • 5 to 6 pieces cinnamon (2 inch each, 5 grams, dalchini)
  • 1 tablespoon cloves (6 to 7 grams, lavang)
  • ¼ cup coriander seeds (18 grams, sabut daniya)
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds (16 grams, shahi jeera)
  • 1 mace (2 grams, membrane covering 1 nutmeg, javitri, refer notes)
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg (1½ to 2 grams, grated or crushed, jaiphal)
  • 3 stone flowers (optional, kalpaasi or dagad phool – medium sized)


Instructions

  • Clean up the spices one after the other to pick and discard stones and debris, chaffs etc. Wipe clean bay leaf and cinnamon pieces with a tissue. Break the nutmeg to 2 portions with a nutcracker or a mortar pestle.

Roast Spices

  • You can skip roasting and just sun dry the spices for several hours until crisp. Cool them completely.
  • On a medium flame dry roast coriander seeds until aromatic, crunchy and light brown. Transfer to a wide tray placed over a cooling rack. This way your roasted spices & the tray won't sweat.
  • Add half of the nutmeg (about 1.5 to 2 grams) to the pan along with cinnamon, mace, star anise, black cardamoms and bay leaf.
  • Dry roast them on a medium flame until the spices begin to smell aromatic. Keep stirring so the spices roast evenly. Transfer to the cooling tray.
  • Add cloves, black pepper corn and green cardamoms (with the shell). Dry roast until they begin to smell good, for 2 to 3 mins. Transfer them to the same tray.
  • Dry roast caraway seeds on a low to medium heat until fragrant. This spice can burn faster so be attentive. Transfer to the tray.
  • Dry roast the fennel seeds until you begin to get a floral smell for 3 mins. Transfer to a tray.

How to make Biryani Masala

  • When all the spices cool down, add them to a grinder jar or spice jar. Grind to a fine powder. The spices can also be milled to a fine powder in a mill.
  • Sieve and store biryani masala powder in an airtight glass jar. You can use the coarse particles to make masala tea. Biryani masala can also be freezed for an year without losing the flavor.
  • Use biryani masala powder as needed while making any kind of biryani. To make chicken masala curry, use as needed based on the recipe. 


Notes

  1. Nutrition values are per gram of the Biryani masala.
  2. Left over coarse powder after sieving can be used for curries or for making masala tea. Do not use coarse masala for making biryani as it totally spoils your dish.
  3. Roasting and sun drying are done to bring out the aroma of the spices and to prevent the masala powder from getting worms or going rancid.
  4. Saunf or fennel seeds can be reduced if you do not like the flavor. But it is essential to balance the pungent flavor of other spices.
  5. Mace is the outer membrane or aril surrounding the nutmeg. This recipe needs 1 full mace with several strands. Nutmeg usually comes with the shell. Do not mistake the shell of the nutmeg to be mace.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Biryani Masala Recipe (Biryani Masala Powder)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 4 Calories from Fat 2
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.2g0%
Saturated Fat 0.02g0%
Trans Fat 0.001g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.02g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g
Sodium 1mg0%
Potassium 17mg0%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 0.4g2%
Sugar 0.02g0%
Protein 0.2g0%
Vitamin A 2IU0%
Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

Biryani Masala Powder Recipe

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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How much masala in grams is used for 1kg chicken and 1 kg rice and also tell the quantity of red chilli powder , haldi powder and salt for 1kg chicken

5 stars
How much masala to use for 2 cup of rice and half kg mutton?

5 stars
Can I use this masala made including kalpasi in chicken curry instead of store bought chicken masala?

Hello, I’m looking to try this recipe and have a question regarding Mace. Would powdered Mace be fine as I’m not exactly sure about the outer membrane of a nutmeg, little over my head?

I bought some whole made from Rani and they’re all different sizes. Your recipe says 2 grams so I’m assuming if I weighed it out it’ll be enough, ignoring the piece size?

5 stars
I ended up using 2g of the whole Mace I ordered. Chicken is marinating now, might have slightly toasted the coriander a little longer, but I had just enough left for recipe. Mix didn’t come out to a cup though, not after we strained it, so curious if I missed something or if sizes of seasonings are off. Your bay leaf for instance is like 5x the size of one leaf I have.

I tried it and it’s really delicious 😋

5 stars
Best description ever!

A couple of questions:

1. Can I use ground mace and ground nutmeg? If so, do I use 1/2 tsp of each? Also, since it is ground, do I still roast them?

2. I did not see any mention of the stone flower being roasted and then ground. How long should they be roasted?

Going to make this masala soon…

5 stars
Very good recipe

5 stars
Thank you Swasthi, I made the masala mix as per your recipe and made mutton biryani. Was amazingly great. I have been trying to replicate the restaurant taste for a long time but I knew I was always missing something. Your masala mix was spot on. Thank you so much!

5 stars
Mam, can I use this biryani masala for chicken fried rice ? If yes then when to put / add masala while cooking ? For 750 gram rice what should be the quantity ?

5 stars
Very precise info on doubts that I had. I came here after watching your biryani recipe video and I am very happy with the aroma and taste of these spices. Although I admit I did take out things that I dint have! Awesome tips and thank you

Hi, how many tea spoon I should use for 1 kg of chicken?
Thank you so much for your recipe.

5 stars
Very good birayani masala powder, I made it today birayani was very very tasty, thank u for receipe

5 stars
Thank you for your biryani masala recipe. I had missed out some of the spices but now I will try with your recipe. God bless.

5 stars
Good

5 stars
Hi Swasthi,
I love your recipes. I have made many of them and they all come out great. I’m getting ready to make dum biryani so I tried this recipe, but it seemed very heavy on cinnamon when I made it.
5 two inch pieces came out to be about two of the common quills i buy.
Is it possible to provide a weight of the cinnamon? I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake or am just not used to fresh ground spices.
Thank you for all your awesome recipes!

Thank you greatly. Looking at the picture i can clearly see the difference in what I used.
Thank you for clarifying.
I love your recipes!

5 stars
I tried in prawns biryani and it turned amazing. Can we use the same masala for chicken biryani also?

5 stars
Tried in prawns biryani and it turned amazing. Everyone loved it.
Can we use same masala for chicken biryani also?

5 stars
Do you mind sharing what brand and name of the spice grinder you have? I need one but I haven’t found a good one.

Preethi is good I am using since 2009

Do i shell the cardamoms’ or use them whole?

5 stars
What kind of saunf do I use? The thick one,which is usually used in pickles or the fine one which is eaten as a mouth freshener?