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Here is how I make Lebanese 7 spice. Keep in mind, every cook puts a different spin on this traditional Levantine mix. And, while totally essential in recipes like Beef Kafta and Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves, it also adds depth to all sorts of grains, and pairs well with dishes like Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.
What is seven spice?
First, the Arabic word for spices is “baharat.” So, we often refer to the Lebanese seven spice mix simply as baharat and use the terms interchangeably. Baharat is sort of like the Indian mix garam masala. Most importantly, 7 Spice is not to be confused with the Japanese seven spice, or shichimi, a totally different combo of spices.
What’s in Lebanese 7 spice?
Even within the Lebanese community, 7 Spice variations abound between manufacturers and family recipes. Sometimes the mix includes cardamom, paprika, ginger, or fenugreek. Additionally, some cooks roast and grind whole spices. But for convenience, I go with ready-made ground versions for the following:
- Allspice: Contrary to its name, allspice is not a combination of all spices, but the ground powder of the dried berry of a type of myrtle tree called pimenta dioica. It looks like a peppercorn.
- Black pepper: If you have a pepper grinder, this is one spice that is really marvelous when freshly ground.
- Cinnamon: Everyone’s favorite. Some western palates associate it with sweet dishes, but cinnamon has many savory uses.
- Ground cloves: Highly fragrant, cloves come from the flower bud of an Indonesian tree.
- Coriander: Coriander comes from the ground seeds of the cilantro plant.
- Cumin: A signature spice of middle eastern cuisine, cumin is the seed of a plant in the parsley family.
- Nutmeg: The seed of a tropical evergreen tree, whole nutmeg is easy to powderize if you have a Microplane zester.
How to make seven spice mix
- First, measure out your individual ingredients.
- Second, mix together until well combined.
- Finally, decant the mixture into a tightly lidded jar of some sort (a funnel helps) and store for up to six months in a cool, dry place.
Recipes with 7 spice:
- Kafta and Potato Stew
- Beef Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Eggplant
- Beef Kafta
- Hummus with Ground Beef
- West African Beef Kabobs (Suya)
- Lebanese Spinach Stew
- Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Peas and Carrots Stew
- Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)
- Mediterranean Ground Beef and Rice
- Lebanese Bean Stew
- Kousa (Stuffed Squash)
- Okra Stew
Frequently asked questions
Go for it! I won’t tell. The great thing about this mix is you can customize it to your taste, adding a little more of one ingredient, a little less of another, or eliminating something completely.
Of course, everyone has their favorite flavor profiles! For me, allspice, cinnamon, and black pepper are the non-negotiable elements of Lebanese seven spice.
Baharat makes a great basis for a dry marinade or spice rub when grilling chicken. It enlivens rice pilaf and couscous dishes, too.
This custom, homemade 7 Spice lets me flavor my food exactly the way I like it and makes any Lebanese dish super authentic.
For more cooking tutorials:
- How to Cook Rice
- How to Cut Garlic
- How to Freeze Garlic
- How to Cut an Onion
- How to Cut an Avocado
- How to Cook Chickpeas
- How to Make Oatmeal
- How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice
- How to Make Cajun Seasoning
- How to Make Lemon Pepper Seasoning
If you’ve found this cooking resource for How to Make Seven Spice helpful or if you’ve tried any recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience with this technique. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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How to Make 7 Spice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Allspice
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.
- Store for up to 6 months in a cool dry place.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
So good! lol Your chicken and potato recipe made with the seven spice is on regular rotation at our house. It’s absolutely my husband’s favorite way of cooking chicken.
Thank you!
BTW Love your cookbook! 😊
Aww, I love that! So happy your husband loves my One Pan Chicken and Potatoes recipe. Thanks so much, Hilde!!
I have used store-bought baharat in the past & have had varying taste results in my Lebanese cooking. I have used your recipe twice now & all I can say is THANK YOU!!! Will be making my own forever
Yay, I love to hear that! So happy you love the recipe—thank you, Sadie!!
This sounds delicious! Would cardamom be a good add?? I have a jar of Baharat. What might be the spices in that?
I’m also excited to try this mix in my family’s Lebanese rice recipe. It usually just has ground lamb, allspice, salt, lemon, pine nuts and cinnamon. They may object to any change though!!
Baharat is very similar to 7 spice, the terms are often used interchangeably! You could definitely add cardamom to this recipe, it all depends on your preferences. I recommend you experiment to see what you (and your family) like the best. Enjoy!!
I made this for my chicken tagine, delicious and so easy to make
Yay, so happy to hear that!
Loved smelling the different spices as I prepared this simple mixture! Each one special and unique. Used the mixture to prepare kafta.
Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed making 7 spice! Hope your kafta turned out delicious!!
Thank you for this recipe! It was spot on and made my maklooba taste so delicious. I was going crazy trying to find it in the Arabic stores and yesterday I finally made it, it was super simple.
So glad you found this recipe!
I Love Baharat!! I made Baharat chicken and my man who was so tired of chicken growing up. He loved the recipe more than what he was familiar with but requests me to make it everytime we bought chicken thighs!!
I love Mediterranean food very much and I’m glad I found you! Thank you 🙏
Can you substitute mace for nutmeg
Sure!
I posted asking for the mesures to make the spice. Could not find it before, my phone is working all right now. And I found the mesures to make the mix just now. Thank you
Oh thanks for the update, glad you were able to find the full recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
You can find Baharat at sprouts markets if you can’t get all the ingredients to make it
7 spice is a middle eastern mix and not specifically lebanese. It was not invented by a lebanese.
I did not say it was invented by the Lebanese, but we do have a version that we use.
I’m not a fan of buying spice mixes when I can make them, so this is awesome!! I have everything I need, so I will be mixing up a batch pronto.
I made your Greek inspired stuffed peppers the other day. A favorite here!!
Thank you so much! You’ll have to let me know what you think of 7 spice!
Hi,
Did I miss how much of each spice?
Hi there! yes, all of the measurements are list at the bottom of this blog post on the recipe card. You can navigate to it quickly by clicking “jump to recipe” at the top of the page.
i really like this recipe and website is so beautiful
Thank you so much!
Very nice recipe. Thank you.
You’re so welcome!
Can you please tell me the difference between 7 spice and Kamouneh?
7 spice is made up of warm spices, including Allspice, coriander, cinnamon, pepper, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg. It is a finely ground spice mix that can be used to flavor all types of recipes. Kamouneh, on the other hand, will feature cumin seeds instead fo ground cumin, thick dried parsley or mint, whole peppercorns, and even rose petals. The mix is different across regions, but overall it’s a more chunky mix that is used to blend with onions and bulgur to flavor foods like Kibbeh. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this! We use gluten free seasonings and hard to find gluten free Baharat
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy it!
I absolutely hate cilantro, so I would leave out the coriander. I use the spices to make lubiya, kibbe, kafta. I don’t use it in koosa, I just use garlic and mint. I hardly ever make grape leaves but next time I do, I’ll try the spices. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
This blend is perfect. PERFECT. I made hashweh using this blend – I added some to the veggies (onion, garlic, eggplant, carrot, mushroom) and I added some to the meat. Squeeze of lemon juice over the veggies, added rice and nuts to the meat, then mixed it all together. Topped with more nuts and dried fruit. The recipe came out flawlessly, best hashweh I’ve ever made.
I had every spice in the cabinet. This will be my go-to blend from now on.
Thank you! Sounds perfect. That is such a compliment! Hope you continue to enjoy!!
Hi Yumma
I originally got this spice, in a jar made up for me, from a Lebanese lady on the Blue Mountains over 30 years ago, but she wouldn’t tell me how to make it, I just made it up and it is virtually the same– thank you so much
Yay! I’m so glad you came across this recipe. You’re so welcome!!
Finally, I can make my 7 spices abroad now.
Thank you
Yes!! You’re so welcome!
What is all spices
👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
The full recipe can be found at the bottom of the page in the recipe card!
Recipe for all Spice?
I usually purchase it at the grocery store.
You say its 40 servings. How big is a serving. Is a serving one person or a specific measure?
Fantastic flavour
Thanks
Glad you’re enjoying the flavor of this recipe! Rather than going by the 40 servings, I would use it based on how many teaspoons/ tablespoons the recipe calls for.
I made your spice mixture and used it in an Egyptian meat pie (Egyptian goulash) recipe. It worked as I expected. It gave the dish a nice subtle but not over-powering flavor.
That sounds delicious! So glad it worked!
Hello Yumna, I was looking at the 7 spice ingredient list and oddly it’s a bit similar to Garam Massala a spice blend we use in Indian cooking I think I will try it in Tikka masala
There’s definitely a similarity! Let me know how that goes!
Hi, what if i didn’t have nutmeg and cinnamon powder? I have all spices, white pepper, black pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder and ground cloves only. What else should i add?
You could probably use more allspice instead of nutmeg, and you can try using ground cloves instead of cinnamon powder. It won’t quite be the same, but it should work!
Just made this to make a Lebanese mince dish – “lahm bi ajeen or meat pie” originally. The spice amounts are perfectly balanced (which is unusual in internet land), so thank you for your efforts and for saving me £4 buying online 😉
Yummm! That sounds delicious. You’re so welcome!
You can add a little cardamon too. Some people add paprika.
Yes, for sure! There are so many versions of it.
I’ve always loved Syrian food . I was first intrduced to middle Eastern food by the ladies of Grand Rapids, MI. There is a large Syrian population. I love to garden ànd I always planted Kousa for my Syrian friends. I also planted weld grape vines for stiffed.
That’s so impressive! Your friends are so lucky!
I’m mixing some of this right now! Is its intensity affected by long exposure to heat (in cooking)? I’m going to have to use my slow cooker today to make up some Kousa casserole, and am wondering if I should add it in late. Advice appreciated, and thank you for your work!
Yes I highly recommend adding it in the beginning of cooking not at the end. Enjoy!
Have made on numerous occasions it is superb ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you so much!
Are all the spices equal amounts? It’s hard to tell from the photo. Thanks
No, they’re not. The exact amounts of each ingredient is in the recipe card at the bottom.
What is Allspice?
It’s a seasoning!
Can u mention the spices mix in ‘all spices’ seasoning? Please provide more details
While I don’t have a recipe for Allspice on my website, there are quite a few recipes out there on the internet! It’s usually a mix of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg at a 1:1:1 ratio.
Allspice is not a combination of spices. It is one spice that originally comes from the Caribbean/Mexican/central American region. It was named allspice by the British because its flavor is reminiscent of a combination of several other spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc. You would only need a recipe for allspice if you lived someplace where it was not easily attainable. Otherwise, simply look for it the spice section of the supermarket. You can buy it either ground or whole and grind it yourself.
I have to watch my sodium intake and this is perfect.1mg sodium
Awesome
Most welcome!
Very good, I used it in a paleo wild boar meatloaf. Flavor was quite nice. When I first put the spice mix together the smell was mild, but once cooked the flavor really came through. I freshly ground the coriander, nutmeg, and allspice versus using pre-ground.
Freshly ground makes such a different! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor!
In your beautiful images for this recipe, one image shows spices in seven separate prep bowls. Another image shows eight spices arranged in separate mounds in one large bowl. What is the eighth spice?
Actually it’s only 7. It might be the shadows making it seem like an 8th spice but only 7 are pictured 🙂