Turmeric Substitutes for Color, Earthy Flavor and Curry, Ranked by the Job

Turmeric is the ground rhizome of Curcuma longa, a plant in the ginger family.¹² It does two jobs. Curcumin gives it its yellow color,¹ and turmerone, ar-turmerone and zingiberene give it its aroma, with a taste one reference describes as bitter, slightly acrid, yet sweet.³ No other spice does both. Decide which job matters in your recipe, then choose.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship, with the source named.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. We show each one and do not average them.
• Method: we found no published ratio. We give a direction and a cautious starting point, and say so.

The published turmeric-substitute ratios we found are rules of thumb from a food writer and a merchant. None says how it was arrived at, and no study compares turmeric’s flavor or coloring strength with any substitute.

If turmeric is there for color

In many recipes, especially when only a pinch or 1/4 teaspoon is called for, turmeric is mostly coloring the dish. It is also regulated in the US as a color additive.² Prasad and Aggarwal note that it is traditionally used to turn boiled white rice golden.³

1. Saffron

Saffron’s color comes from a different pigment, crocin.⁴ Frontier Co-op recommends it for its golden color and “delicate floral flavor.”⁵ That flavor is the catch: Britannica describes saffron as having a strong aroma and a bitter taste,⁴ and it will not taste like turmeric. It is also the most expensive spice in the world,⁴ which makes it a strange choice for a dish that only needs color.

Ratio (Disputed): Three figures, two of them from the same writer, answer the same question: how much turmeric matches one large pinch of saffron.

Frontier Co-op says only to use “a small pinch” of saffron threads.⁵ Our starting point (Method): for each teaspoon of turmeric, steep a small pinch of saffron in a spoonful of the recipe’s warm liquid, add it, and judge the color before adding more.

2. Annatto

Annatto seeds take their color mainly from bixin, which dissolves in oil, and norbixin, which dissolves in water.⁹ Katzer notes the seeds have a weak, perfumed smell that does not carry into food,¹⁰ so annatto adds color with little flavor. A Couple Cooks lists annatto (achiote) powder as a turmeric substitute but gives no amount.⁶

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Warm the seeds in the oil at the start of cooking, take them out when the oil is well colored, and cook with that oil. With annatto powder, start with about half the turmeric quantity and add more for color.

3. Ground mustard

Frontier Co-op and A Couple Cooks both list dry mustard as a substitute.⁵⁶ Frontier describes it as bright yellow, pungent and slightly bitter.⁵ Neither gives an amount.

Ratio (Method): Start with about half the turmeric quantity. Mustard brings heat that turmeric does not, so taste before adding more.

If turmeric is there for earthy flavor

1. Ground ginger

Ginger and turmeric belong to the same plant family, Zingiberaceae.¹¹¹ The chemistry overlaps a little: zingiberene is one of turmeric’s aroma compounds³ and is among the compounds usually detected in ginger’s essential oil.¹² The difference is heat. Ginger’s pungency comes from gingerols and shogaols,¹² and turmeric has no equivalent bite. Ginger adds no yellow color.

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks suggests trying half as much ground ginger as the turmeric called for.⁶ Frontier Co-op lists ginger without an amount and advises starting small and increasing to taste.⁵

2. Cumin (Method)

Cumin is a different kind of earthy, and no source we reviewed recommends it for turmeric. If the dish already contains cumin, a small increase can fill some of the gap in a stew or dal. Start with about 1/4 teaspoon for each teaspoon of turmeric, and expect no color.

If turmeric is one spice among several

Curry powder

Curry powder is the obvious blend to reach for. The USDA’s federal purchasing specification lists turmeric first among the ingredients curry powder should include, along with coriander, fenugreek, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, ginger and cardamom.¹³ Prasad and Aggarwal credit turmeric with curry’s distinctive yellow color.³ The proportions are not standard. Atlas Obscura’s history of curry powder says there has never been a set combination of spices.¹⁴

Ratio (Attributed): A Couple Cooks says to use slightly less curry powder than the turmeric the recipe calls for.⁶ Frontier Co-op lists curry powder without an amount.⁵ Because curry powder brings other spices with it, check them against the recipe.

Leave it out

Method: We found no published ratio. If turmeric is one of many spices and the recipe calls for only a little, leaving it out changes the color more than the flavor. In our judgment, that is often a better result than adding a spice the dish was not built for.

If you have fresh turmeric

Fresh turmeric is used where it is the defining flavor of a dish. Thai food writer Mark Wiens calls it an absolute necessity in southern Thai gaeng som.¹⁵

Ratio (Computed): McCormick’s conversion is a 1-inch piece of fresh root for 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric.¹⁶ This is McCormick’s kitchen figure; it does not account for the size of the rhizome or how fresh it is.

What isn’t known

• No published measurement compares the coloring strength of saffron, annatto or mustard with turmeric.
• “A large pinch” of saffron is not defined by weight in any source we found.
• No source reviewed here supports the claim that smoked paprika and mace together make a turmeric substitute. It is not repeated here.
• No published ratio was found for annatto, ground mustard or cumin in place of turmeric.

Related

• Turmeric, fresh turmeric vs powder, cooking with turmeric, too much turmeric
• Turmeric vs curry powder, turmeric vs ginger, turmeric vs cumin, saffron vs turmeric, galangal vs turmeric
• Saffron, annatto seeds, ginger, curry powder, mustard powder
• Saffron substitutes, ginger substitutes