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    Home >> Recipes >> Morocco

    Authentic Moroccan Spice Blend: Ras el Hanout

    Modified: Jul 23, 2025 · Published: May 13, 2018 by Analida · • Word count:719 words. • About 4 minutes to read this article. • This post may contain affiliate links ·

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    Grind up your own homemade Moroccan Ras El Hanout. This spice blend can be up to 100 spices and can vary by the spice maker. Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices to make this Moroccan spice blend. If you want to go old school you can use a mortar and pestle. You can sprinkle this on chicken, kebabs, lamb, add it to your tagine dish or slow cooker. Try some in soups and stews too. The flavors are amazing. #moroccanspice #raselhanout #spiceblend #spice #moroccanfood #grillspice #kebab #tagine | ethnicspoon.com

    What is Ras el Hanout? It's an authentic Moroccan spice blend that is rich and aromatic to say the least. Its name in Arabic translates to top of the shop. This means that the quality of the spices that go into this amazing blend are "top notch" for lack of a better term.

    Here is a DIY recipe for a popular Moroccan spice blend: Ras El Hanout. You can sprinkle this on chicken, kebabs, lamb, add it to your tagine dish or slow cooker. Try some in soups and stews. The flavors are amazing. | ethnicspoon.com

    According to my Middle Eastern friends, spices are normally purchased in the market. As one would expect everyone has their favorite spice vendor.

    My sisters were recently in Istanbul and sent me some fabulous pictures of their adventures in the market. They also bought me some wonderful saffron. I was fascinated by how incredibly beautiful and exotic everything looked. One of these days... Turkey is definitely on my bucket list.

    Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices to make this Moroccan spice blend: Ras El Hanout. If you want to go old school you can use a mortar and pestle. You can sprinkle this on chicken, kebabs, lamb, add it to your tagine dish or slow cooker. Try some in soups and stews too. The flavors are amazing. | ethnicspoon.com

    A perfect addition to your arsenal of seasonings.

    A ras al hanout recipe is definitely the spice blend to have for any number of tagine dishes whether meat or vegetarian.  Remember that the word tagine is used interchangeably for the cooking vessel as well as the finished dish. Use this spice blend  also on soups, grilled meats, vegetables, and on special relishes that can be served with couscous.

    Now, here is an interesting fact:

    The number spices used to make an authentic Moroccan spice blend varies from person to person. For my recipe, I used a total of 12, but I read that there can be as many as 50-100!  It all depends on taste buds, and desired nuances which can be spicy, savory, or even floral. For my blend I decided to experiment a bit and added some crushed lavender which gave my spice blend a subtle floral hint.

    Get your spices ready

    I started with cardamom pods and whole cloves which I placed in an old coffee grinder I keep around just for the purpose of grinding spices. If you want to go old school, you can use a manual spice grinder, or even a mortar and pestle.

    For the remaining spices I went on the recommendation of a Moroccan Fulbright student. One thing he told me is that there are some spices/ingredients which we can't get here because they are native to Morocco and other Mediterranean regions. One of these ingredients is chufa, the tuber of a plant that grows in Southern Europe, North Africa, and the island of Madagascar.

    Here is an easy spice blend to make at home. Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices to make this Moroccan spice blend: Ras El Hanout. If you want to go old school you can use a mortar and pestle. You can sprinkle this on chicken, kebabs, lamb, add it to your tagine dish or slow cooker. Try some in soups and stews too. The flavors are amazing. | ethnicspoon.com

    All in all, ras el hanout, is what gives Moroccan food its characteristic flavor. Making your own spice blend can be very rewarding Ever since I first made my own chili powder a number of years ago, I've been fascinated with making my own spice blends.

    What are the ras al hanout uses? Add it to marinades, just mix with olive oil and pour over beef or chicken. You can also use it as a dry rub. For example, just pat it over a roaster chicken and bake it. It's delicious! Sprinkle over pita bread for a savory snack as well. The possibilities are endless.

    Want more great Moroccan recipes? Take a look at these:

    Moroccan saffron chicken: The delicate taste of saffron shines through.

    Moroccan country bread: Khobz Maghribi is a perfect accompaniment to any Moroccan dish. It's great by itself also, and not difficult to make.

    Moroccan lamb tagine with apricots is a favorite at my house. A perfect blend of spices with a sweet touch.

    If you love soups, then Moroccan Harira: Chickpea and Lentil soup is perfect for you. Hearty and delicious.

    Looking for more recipes?  
    Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week!  You can also find me sharing more inspiration in Pinterest and Facebook.

    Here is an easy spice blend to make at home. Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices to make this Moroccan spice blend: Ras El Hanout. If you want to go old school you can use a mortar and pestle. You can sprinkle this on chicken, kebabs, lamb, add it to your tagine dish or slow cooker. Try some in soups and stews too. The flavors are amazing. | ethnicspoon.com

    Authentic Moroccan Spice Blend: Ras El Hanout

    To give any Moroccan dish and authentic flavor, you need to try this authentic Moroccan spice blend. It's easy to make and gives any recipe a fabulous flavor. 
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Spice blend
    Cuisine: Moroccan
    Keyword: tagine, turmeric
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 12kcal
    Author: Analida Braeger

    Ingredients

    • 6 pods cardamom crushed
    • 6 cloves whole
    • ½ teaspoon lavender crushed
    • ¾ teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon coriander ground
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon pepper white
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon ginger ground
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ⅛ teaspoon allspice

    Instructions

    • Place cardamom pods and whole cloves, in a spice grinder, and grind to a powder. Place in a container.
    • Add in the rest of the ingredients to the cardamom mix, and blend well. Cover container tightly, and keep away from light. It should keep fresh for about 6 months. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 12kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 29mg | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.8mg

     

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    246 shares
    • 4

    Comments

    1. Kimberly Baxter says

      May 14, 2018 at 2:01 am

      Lovely and vibrant!

      Reply
      • Analida says

        May 14, 2018 at 8:58 am

        Thank you Kimberly! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Benjamin J Myhre says

      May 18, 2018 at 6:41 am

      I have not heard of this before, but now I want to give this mixture a try!

      Reply
      • Analida says

        May 18, 2018 at 5:19 pm

        Benjamin, try it out. We just had some the other night, we made kebabs. Ever since I started making my own chili powder a number of years ago, I've experimented with other spice blends.

        Reply
    3. Mather says

      July 23, 2018 at 9:35 am

      5 stars
      Yea. You really need to visit Turkey, it’s an amazing place with good variety of food. Morocco and Turkey share some famous blend of spices.

      Reply
      • Analida says

        July 24, 2018 at 9:53 am

        I would love to visit Turkey someday too!

        Reply
    4. Zandy Loma says

      July 23, 2018 at 7:08 pm

      5 stars
      If the spice can be used on pita bread, then I think there are several other uses that go with the application of the Moroccan spice.

      Reply
      • Analida says

        July 23, 2018 at 7:25 pm

        Sure! You can add this to some olive oil and make a dipping sauce for pita bread too!

        Reply
    5. Timo says

      April 12, 2019 at 8:02 pm

      You put your own spin and made a very Americanized version of a North African spice blend. So it's not really authentic or Moroccan even since it's inspiration came from Turkey. Looks like a nice combination of spices almost like Baharat or Garam Masala. Maybe we can call it Analida 😉

      Reply

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    Analida profile pictureI’ve been researching and recreating ethnic recipes for over 20 years. My passion is sharing easy, affordable, and mostly healthy dishes made with fresh ingredients—always sprinkled with a touch of culture and food history...Read more-->

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