Berbere recipe (Ethiopian spice blend)

Homemade berbere recipe! Berbere spice is a blend from Ethiopia very common in Ethiopian cuisine. Fiery chiles and warming spices make this perfect for soups, stews, or as a seasoning!

Aaaaaaaaand Global Feasts Ethiopia recipes officially begin! First up, the heart and soul of Ethiopian wots, a homemade berbere recipe. Berbere is a fiery Ethiopian spice blend used throughout so much of Ethiopian cooking. It consists largely of ground red chiles, onion powder, fenugreek, and paprika.

So, I believe this is a pretty authentic berbere recipe. I scoured the interwebs and found SO many different recipes with different ingredients! I sort of blended all of the recipes I found together to make my own version, which I have really fallen head over heels for. Mine didn't end up that rich red hue that I have seen in photos, but I'm still a mega-fan.

It's really no secret around here that I am absolutely gaga for a good Indian dish. I go through curry powder like crazy in my house, and keep a stock of naan in the freezer at all times. THIS berbere though, it's like a deeper, more elevated curry powder. I can honestly say that I may have replaced my go to curry powder with berbere!

Recipe

Berbere recipe (Ethiopian spice blend)

Trish Bozeman

Homemade berbere recipe! Berbere spice is a blend from Ethiopia very common in Ethiopian cuisine. Fiery chiles and warming spices make this perfect for soups, stews, or as a seasoning!

4.50 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 minutes mins

Total Time 8 minutes mins

Course Other

Cuisine Ethiopian

Servings 1 cups

Calories 611 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 10 whole cloves
• 16 medium dried spicy red finger chiles, stems removed
• 3 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 tablespoon onion powder
• 6 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Combine fenugreek seeds, peppercorns, and cloves in a small frying pan. Heat over medium high heat until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Do not burn. Set aside.
• Grind the red chiles in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Add the toasted spices and grind until fine.
• In a medium bowl, combine the chile mixture with the remaining ingredients. Whisk together until well blended.
• Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Here's a note from a reader about berbere:

"If you want that “red hue” add gochugaru pepper..or even gochujang sauce."

Nutrition

Calories: 611kcalCarbohydrates: 131gProtein: 26gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 7127mgPotassium: 3851mgFiber: 40gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 26950IUVitamin C: 1043mgCalcium: 463mgIron: 23mg

Keyword spice, vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Still to come this week for Global Feasts Ethiopia: misir wot, a spiced lentil tomato stew. I used lots of this awesome berbere in it!

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Hope you try this fantastic spice blend on some vegetarian dishes!

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