9 Must-Have Spices You Need On-Hand In Your Pantry

I don’t know about you, but I adore flavorful dishes and strong spices in most of my recipes. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a savory or sweet food; there’s nothing like the aroma and taste of a fragrant and pleasing spice throughout a signature dish.

As someone who relies on staples like potatoes, pasta, rice, or noodles as a base for my meals, it’s essential to have certain must-have spices on-hand. If you haven’t had the pleasure of doing so, you can radically transform bland or flavorless foods into something amazing with the right spice.

It was difficult to narrow down this list to less than 10 spices. However, exploring spices is certainly a topic I will continue to revisit. Maybe next time I’ll make a super list of over 20 or 30 unique and delicious spices you must try at least once to add to your next recipe.

Until that time, let’s look at some colorful and powerful herbs and spices that are sure to make your next main course the star of your dining table!

Basil

I adore basil because you can grow it on your kitchen countertop, a windowsill, or a designated patch in your garden. Don’t underestimate basil and shelve it away only for an Italian pasta dish or to add on a slice of pizza.

Basil is wonderful when added to a variety of soups, sauces, salads, and even works with some deserts! Believe it or not, a leaf or two of basil isn’t only an edible garnish.

If this wasn’t enough, there is a wide variety of basil with different flavor profiles. Some basil is sweet, spicy, lemony, or has a taste similar to licorice or sweet anise.

Check out the following types of basil and considering growing some of your own for personal use in the kitchen:

• Greek basil
• Holy basil
• Lemon Basil
• Sweet Basil
• Thai basil
• Purple basil

You may discover basil is a vital addition to not only Italian and American dishes, but also within Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Moroccan, Greek, Spanish, and French recipes.

Choose basil and create your own pesto, sauces with citrus fruit and garlic, flavor tomato-based sauces, or add to rice or stir fry.

Cayenne Pepper

Need a touch of heat in your recipe? Move over chili powder and jalapeno peppers. Check out cayenne pepper.

Not only does cayenne pepper purportedly have health benefits like burning belly fat and aiding digestion, but it also packs a bit of vitamin A, C, and a heck of a fiery punch. 

Don’t worry, if you use a reasonable amount of cayenne pepper in your next dish, you won’t have a five-alarm fire in your mouth or need to down plenty of water. When done right, adding cayenne pepper adds a welcome bit of heat and flavor for savory dishes!

So, what gives cayenne pepper its spicy profile? Cayenne pepper isn’t as dangerous as ghost peppers on the Scoville scale. However, cayenne pepper still contains the compound capsaicin, which brings on the heat. Why not try making your own hot sauce using cayenne pepper?

Not to be confused with chili powder or paprika, cayenne pepper is in a class of its own.

Cayenne peppers are thin, usually green or red, sometimes golden in color, and give dishes a smoky, fiery taste. The cayenne pepper you purchase may contain a blend of multiple peppers or is available in a powdered dried form or even fresh.

Cinnamon

Hailing from Asia, cinnamon is a treasured and regal spice that adds so much to both sweet and savory dishes. Cinnamon has a wonderful fragrance, subtle sweetness, and exudes warmth. You can find cinnamon in pumpkin spice blends, added to curries, sweet buns and breads, and even meats.

Additionally, cinnamon is available as an essential oil and this spice may provide some healthful benefits when regularly consumed. Cinnamon pairs beautifully with cloves, cardamom, star anise, and nutmeg.

If you love savory lamb, chicken, or goat recipes, cinnamon creates a delightful flavor profile that brings out the best of these meats.

For sweet tooths, cinnamon is a must-have for custards, donuts, hot chocolate, eggnog, and rice pudding!

Wake up to a bowl of oatmeal with a dusting of cinnamon. Add cinnamon to French toast. Or, add a bit of cinnamon to your coffee for a special, flavorful treat!

Cumin

At-home cooks can find cumin in powder or whole seeds. Cumin is a strong spice that stands on its own and equally works well when paired with dishes that need to be roasted, braised, or baked.

Consider adding cumin to potatoes, rice, couscous, lamb, lentils, beans, or vegetables like carrots or Brussel sprouts.

Cumin complements spices like turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, and is often found in curry blends. If you love cooking up dishes from the Mediterranean, North African, Indian, Middle Eastern, or Mexican dishes, cumin add plenty of warmth and a deep flavor profile to your course.

Beyond the pantry, enjoying cumin in your food may help reduce inflammation and aid digestion.

Garlic

One of the most intense and powerful spices out there is probably garlic. Found in so many types of cuisine around the world, garlic is indeed a universal spice. Depending on how you prepare garlic and cook it, you may get an incredibly pungent heat, a richer flavorrofile, or a touch of sweetness.

Create garlic sauces, add to rice, flavor beef, chicken, lamb, or dress up beans and legumes.

Enjoy fresh garlic minced, pressed, rubbed, or diced. Bring out the best of garlic and roast it in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil to release and magnify its piquancy.

If you don’t want to deal with storing garlic bulbs and need a more shelf-stable option, choose garlic in powdered form, dried, or preserved in oil.

Add garlic spice to nearly everything, from potatoes and pizza slices to stir-fry dishes and savory soups. 

Beyond imbuing your dishes with a gorgeous flavor profile or creating a more well-rounded taste, consuming garlic may benefit your circulatory system and give your immune system a boost.

Paprika

Call me fussy or particular, I can’t get enough of adding smoked paprika to many dishes I enjoy regularly. Whether it’s potato salad, deviled eggs, or a sub sandwich, I love to add a dash or two of smoked paprika.

However, you may find it easier to snag a jar of paprika at your local retailer. And not to worry, it’s still going to do wonders for your next savory recipe.

Paprika has a signature vibrant color and is a mix of different ground, dried peppers or chilis. Reputable retailers may provide paprika with a hot, sweet, or smoky profile.

Keep a jar of paprika around to spice up casseroles, create delectable marinades, or make rubs for barbeque or smoked meats. Paprika is popular in cuisine from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Hungary, and Spain.

Feeling adventurous? Add paprika for color and flavor. Plus, this spice works well with garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, pepper, basil, and other premium spices.

Pepper

Okay, you might feel a little bit stumped when it comes to selecting pepper for your kitchen pantry or spice rack. Cooks have a choice between black pepper, white pepper, or opting for both types.

If you try to avoid too much salt in your recipes, try adding pepper to give it a welcome boost of flavor and aroma. In large amounts, pepper can bring on as much heat and spiciness to rival garlic or a chili pepper, so take care when adding this spice to a dish!

Pepper has maintained its dominance in the spice aisle since ancient times. The ancient Romans, India, China, and other societies have treasured pepper for its flavor and medicinal benefits. 

Believe it or not, pepper was once used as currency in Europe and Asia and might have been an ingredient in the mummification process in ancient Egypt!

Pepper is the dried form a berry from the Piper nigrum plant. Enjoy black pepper pre-ground or add whole black peppercorns to a grinder.

In comparison to black pepper, white peppercorns usually don’t have as much heat and may provide an earthy flavor profile. However, be cautious with how much pepper you add to a dish, whether it is black or white.

Cooks may appreciate white pepper for its milder taste and to ensure light-colored recipes maintain a more desirable appearance. Some cooks don’t want to see black pepper specks in their dish, go figure.

Unlike black pepper, white pepper may have a slightly funky tinge as the berries are soaked and left to ferment a bit for processing.

Nutmeg

There’s no hard-fast rule that demands that you have to wait for autumn weather to arrive to pull out nutmeg. Although this spice is a typical addition to gingerbread, pumpkin pie, or eggnog, thre are plenty of sweet and savory recipes that could use a dash of nutmeg.

Nutmeg is popular in stews, curry spice blends, soups, as well as sweet breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, and other desserts.

Consider adding nutmeg to roasted cauliflower or carrots. Balance out baked fruits, custards, or a Carribean-inspired punch with a touch of nutmeg. Transform potatoes, spinach, or a pudding by including a welcome spoonful of nutmeg.

Combine the power of nutmeg with cinnamon, cloves, or allspice. Add nutmeg to lamb or squash for a woody aromatic or a slightly sweet flavor. 

Be careful not to go overboard and include too much nutmeg. A large amount of this spice will overpower your dish and may cause it to take on a bitter or soapy taste which is undesirable.

Salt

One of the oldest spices prized by the ancient world and still going strong in modern day is salt.  Before the use of paper or coin money, salt was a worthy form of currency to settle debts, purchase items, and highly valuable.

Salt is a versatile ingredient that serves as a flavor enhancer, improves the texture of foods, and acts as a preservative. Think about salted fish, boiling potato, ensuring vegetables stay crispy, and to help pickle foods.

Beyond savory, salt is helpful when added in small amounts to sweet icings, cookies, improving breads, and even fixing bitter coffee!

Depending on the type of cuisine you most enjoy, try a pinch of salt on fruits, desserts, vegetables, meat, and enhance starches. 

Additionally, salt may provide a valuable daily amount of iodine as well as ensure certain foods shelf-life and stability.

Where To Find Spices

Here’s a shortlist of some spice companies that I think offer fantastic quality products and customer service. Check out the following retailers the next time you need a specific spice, herb, or spice blend. Plus, spices make for fantastic gift ideas for passionate at-home cooks!

• Penzy’s Spices (Trial size offerings of spices, gift boxes, salt-free blends, baking spices, and herb blends for salads, soups and grilling.)

• Burlap & Barrel (Shark Tank approved, partners with small farmers, pay what you can for spices available, and convenient spice bundles.)

• The Spice House (Signature blends, culinary herbs, and spice gift sets available.)

• World Spice Merchants (Delightful spice blends, teas, gift sets, and recipes.)

• My Spice Sage (Enjoy wholesale prices, hard to find items, and unique spice blends.)

Food For Thought

How long will my spices stay fresh and retain potency?

After investing so much time and money to procuring the most premium spices, you certainly don’t want it to expire all too soon. Depending on the type of spice and your method of storage, your most prized spices should stay for fresh and remain highly flavorful for years.

Whole spices may stay potent up to 4 years or as little as 2 years. Many ground spices stay fresh and flavorful between 1 to 3 years. However, do the smell and taste taste to check for freshness and potency.

Spices like whole peppercorn, cloves, and cinnamon stick may last longer than suggested lifespans, maintaining a desirable flavor and pungent aroma.

If your spices lack a pungent aroma and smell like nothing, it’s likely time to toss them in the rubbish bin.

Some argue that ground spices should only stay in your kitchen under 3 months and whole spices should get chucked after 10 months.

Fresh spices are usually good up until 1 week.

Only spices like salt retain an immortal quality and don’t lose its flavor and power over the years.

When in doubt, investigate how various spices were processed and the ideal storage solution for each type.

What’s the best way to store spices?

Do your best to keep spices out of direct sunlight, heat, and store them in a cool, dark space. Keep your spices stored upright in a glass container or other food container. If you buy spices in bulk you may want to consider keeping them in an airtight container and clearly marking the expiration date.

Some sources argue against storing spices in the freezer or refrigerator, as you want to reduce the chance of moisture entering or oxidization.

When should I toss out my spices?

If the color, odor, or texture of your spices seems off, throw it out. Spices should maintain a strong aroma, good flavor, and desirable color. If your spices don’t have a scent, they need replacing.

Take care when purchasing, storing, and using fresh, ground, or whole spices to ensure their quality and flavor profile. Avoid using expired spices in your dishes.

Is it better to use whole spices or pre-ground spices?

Stocking up on whole or ground spices is more about preference, a sense of quality, and maintaining peak flavor and freshness. For some spices, it is better to purchase them whole, ground, or even fresh.

Depending on how often you use specific spices and what you need for a recipe, make the best decision for you.