Chaat Masala: What’s in It, Why It Smells of Sulfur, and How to Use It

Chaat masala is a ground Indian seasoning that tastes sour, salty and faintly sulfurous. It is the finishing sprinkle on chaat, the family of savory snacks such as papri chaat and sev puri, and on cut fruit. Its character comes from two ingredients most spice blends never use: dried mango powder (amchur), which supplies the sourness, and black salt (kala namak), which supplies the eggy aroma.¹ This page covers what goes into it, the chemistry behind that smell, how to use it, and how to buy and store it.

At a glance

What is in it

There is no fixed formula. Two published recipes show the common core and where cooks diverge:

Both recipes rest on the same four ingredients: amchur, black salt, roasted cumin and black pepper. Tarla Dalal adds asafoetida; Gulf News adds optional Kashmiri chili and a little pink salt.¹² In the Gulf News version, black salt makes up a full tablespoon, as much as the amchur or the cumin, so this is a salty seasoning as well as a spice blend.² Coriander, which often appears in lists of chaat masala ingredients, is in neither recipe.

Tarla Dalal assigns each ingredient a job: amchur gives the tangy taste, and black salt gives the classic chatpata aroma and flavor.¹

Flavor and the chemistry behind it

Chaat masala hits sour first, then salt, then a toasty cumin warmth and a mild bite from pepper. That description is ours. The compounds behind it are known for some ingredients and not for others:

The black salt finding comes from a 2003 opinion by Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), which assessed hydrogen sulfide in black salt using a sample imported from Britain. The BfR describes the salt as a very light, finely ground special salt, used mainly in fruit salads and chutneys, and notes that its sulfurous taste is the one cooks want.³ No analysis of a finished chaat masala blend was found.

How chaat masala is used

Tarla Dalal calls chaat masala multipurpose. It goes over sukha puri, sev puri, papri chaat and fruit or vegetable chaat, and into drinks and sandwiches.¹ Gulf News suggests sprinkling it over fruit, crisps, curries or yogurt.² It is generally a finishing seasoning rather than something cooked into a base; neither recipe asks for it to be fried or simmered.¹²

Practical points, from common practice rather than measurement:

• Taste before salting. Because the blend carries black salt, a dish seasoned with it may need less ordinary salt.
• To make your own, roast the cumin only until fragrant. Tarla Dalal warns against burning it.¹

For a ready-made swap, see chaat masala substitutes.

Buying and quality

The USDA’s specification for spice blends names fifteen blends, from barbecue to jerk seasoning, but not chaat masala,⁴ and no other standard for it was found. The ingredient list is the guide. Look for amchur and black salt near the top; a blend without them will not taste like chaat masala. Some recipes add ordinary salt as well as black salt (Tarla Dalal’s does),¹ so check whether salt is listed.

Storage

Tarla Dalal says the blend keeps 2 to 3 months in an airtight container, refrigerated or at room temperature.¹ Gulf News says simply to store it in an airtight jar.² These are recipe guidance, not measured shelf lives. If it has lost its sour, eggy smell when you open the jar, it has faded.

Safety

Black salt. The BfR concluded that, although the available data did not allow a firm statement on the toxicological relevance of hydrogen sulfide in black salt, the salt poses no health risk to consumers when used as intended in Indian cooking. Its reasoning noted that black salt is used very sparingly and that such consumption is only occasional.³

Lead in spices generally. A New York City health department review of 1,496 spice samples collected from 2008 to 2017 found detectable lead in more than half.⁷ The abstract does not break results out by blend, so it says nothing specific about chaat masala.

Salt. Because black salt is a major ingredient, chaat masala adds sodium. No published sodium figure for chaat masala was found among the sources checked.

Health claims

Widely repeated lists credit chaat masala’s spices with treating diabetes, lowering blood pressure and aiding digestion. No regulator or systematic review we found supports such claims for the blend, and this page makes none.

Substitutes and comparisons

• Chaat masala substitutes
• Chaat masala vs. garam masala (see also garam masala)

The main ingredients: mango powder, black salt, cumin, black pepper, asafoetida, chili powder and Himalayan salt.