10 seasonings, spices, and herbs for a vegan kitchen

When people go vegan, they often start looking at cooking in a new way.

• They try new recipes or produce
• Pick up different cookbooks
• Venture into previously unexplored cuisines
• Think about ways to flavor foods so that they feel familiar

Spices add a lot in terms of achieving the flavors you crave – whether it’s cheesiness, smokiness, or spiciness.

By adding a little dash of this or that, suddenly your meal has new levels of interest.

In this post:

I love having a full spice rack – with spices that literally range from A to Z (allspice to za’atar).

If I get a new cookbook or discover a recipe I’d like to try, I’m almost guaranteed to already have the spice waiting for me.

Truth be told, I love herbs & spices so much that when I travel, I often pick up local seasonings or spice mixes as souvenirs.

However, when you’re stocking a vegan pantry for the first time, you may want to err on the side of brevity.

By buying a handful of spices that have a multitude of uses, you get the most bang for your buck. That’s a good place to start.

(By the way, today I’m only talking about dry spices, herbs, and seasonings. Things like tamari, vinegar, or hot sauce would need a list of their own.)

One of my most popular posts is what is nutritional yeast? The post includes lots of recipes with nooch, and answers on what it does for a dish.

The short version is…

• It can be a supplement.
• It can be a major component in a cheesy sauce or seitan.
• Or it can be used as a seasoning – just sprinkling on some at the end for a cheesy taste.

When I run out of nutritional yeast flakes, we’ve entered emergency territory. I have to run to the store ASAP.

Popcorn just isn’t the same without it.

Use nutritional yeast flakes in:

• Tofu ricotta
• Fully loaded vegan nachos with cashew queso
• Vegan Philly cheesesteak
• Chickpea scramble
• Vegan turkey gravy
• Vegan frittata

Kala namak comes up a lot on my blog. It’s also called black salt, even though the color straight out of the bag is pink.

(Don’t confuse it with Hawaiian pink salt, though. They’re two different things.)

Kala namak is a sulfurous salt that gives food an eggy taste and smell.

(If you didn’t like the taste of eggs, obviously you’ll want to skip this one.)

Kala namak is an Indian seasoning. That’s why I recommend looking for it at Indian grocery stores.

It’s usually just a dollar or two, but you can find it online as well. However, you’ll be paying more for it.

Use kala namak in:

• Vegan egg salad
• Eggy tofu and toast
• Vegan shakshuka
• Vegan tofu scramble
• Toasted sandwich with eggy tofu & seitan bacon
• Vegan eggs Benedict
• Vegan egg mcmuffin

Cumin is the spice-of-all-trades.

It gets around – from India to the Middle East, Mexico to Portugal.

It is used in such a variety of cuisines, that it’s hard to imagine cooking without it.

It stands out in tacos.

It’s used in curries.

It gives an edge to hummus and baba ganoush.

Use cumin in:

• Air fryer falafel
• Vegan burritos with seitan chorizo & tots
• Double hummus wraps
• Tempeh tacos
• BBQ jackfruit sandwiches
• Mixed vegetable ginger & turmeric rice

Onion powder or granulated onion is a flavor agent that has moved way up on my seasonings, spices and herbs list in the last couple years.

On the face of it, it seems unnecessary, because I use onions in my cooking almost constantly. So who needs onion powder too?

But onion powder adds something that is different from the vegetable.

It gives an underlying savory quality that is all its own without the astringent edge of raw onion.

(Onion powder and granulated onion have the same flavor, but slightly different textures. I hate to state the obvious, but onion powder is more powdery while granulated onion has slightly bigger granules.)

Use onion powder in:

• Vegan fried green tomatoes – in the air fryer
• Pizza hummus
• Vegan pasta salad
• Creamy gnocchi soup with sausage & kale
• Vegan ranch dressing

Most kitchen spice racks include chili powder. But for me, it’s all about ancho chili powder.

Typical chili powder is a spice mix that varies by brand. Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s mild.

But ancho chili powder is made from one ingredient – ancho chilies.

(When they’re fresh, the peppers are poblano.)

Ancho chili powder adds warmth to a dish and round flavors without necessarily adding much in the way of spicy heat.

Use ancho chili powder in:

• Vegan taco salad
• Three bean chili
• Plantain & black bean burritos
• Raw tacos with walnut filling
• Vegan tortilla soup

Bursting with bright red color, you can tell paprika is packed with nutrients.

It’s made from grinding mild peppers, but its flavor doesn’t overwhelm.

And if you crave a bit of smokiness, smoked paprika adds a beautiful edge, reminiscent of a campfire.

Use paprika in:

• Crispy fried pickles – in the air fryer or skillet
• The best vegan potato salad
• Sweet potato peanut stew
• Cilantro chimichurri sauce
• Chickpea tacos

Oregano comes from the mint family. It’s a leafy green that is sold fresh or in dried form, which is the way I use it more often.

It has a distinctive smell that’s strongly associated with pizza and pasta dishes.

You’ll see oregano in all kinds of cuisines including Mediterranean dishes and Latin fare.

Rosemary immediately adds such a wonderful fragrant scent & flavor to everything it touches. It tastes vaguely of pine.

Enjoy it fresh or dried, which is a little more convenient.

When you’re using fresh rosemary, it’s especially handy to finely cut it with kitchen shears.

Use rosemary in:

• Roasted delicata squash
• Grilled tofu with lemon & rosemary
• Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms & sausage
• Fully loaded vegan baked potato soup
• Creamy vegan wild rice soup

Thyme adds a lot of of flavor in fresh or dried form.

Fresh thyme also works as an eye-catching garnish, which really completes a dish.

When using fresh thyme, either use a whole spring for flavoring a dish, like I do in my warmed Castelvetrano olives.

Or pull away the leaves and remove the stem to incorporate it with a dish.

Use thyme in:

• Creamy vegan mushroom soup with lentils
• Creamy cashew gravy with chestnuts
• Vegan cauliflower steaks with lentils & romesco
• Olive tapenade
• Baked farro

Both fresh & dried basil deserve to be on your spices and herbs list, because they are entirely different in flavor and uses.

Fresh basil has the smell of summer. It’s beautiful in all manner of pesto and summer dishes like bruschetta.

(Don’t use dried basil for pesto. You’ll seriously regret it.)

Dried basil is handy for cold weather months. It adds a nice balance to savory dishes.

Use basil in:

• Chicken-style vegan pot pie
• Vegan split pea soup
• Pesto rice
• Israeli couscous salad
• Vegan eggplant parmesan

I have my spices organized in the cupboard on a tiered shelf from A to Z.

Once I got used to putting them away in the correct place, my hand memorized just where to go to find turmeric, basil, cayenne, or dill.

It takes a bit of time to set it up, but the pay-off is worth it.

The general advice is that spices shouldn’t be stored where they are exposed to light, because you don’t want them to lose potency. (Light, heat, and moisture are spices’ biggest foes.)

That’s why it’s usually recommended that spices be kept in a dry, dark cupboard.

And for the most part, that’s where I keep my spices – tucked away in the darkness of a cupboard.

However, I do make a few exceptions…

For the handful of spices I use the most, I put them out at arm’s reach – front and center where I can find them.

I go through them fast enough that they won’t really have that much time for light and heat exposure. It makes them easy to access, right at hand.

To keep costs low, I refill my spices by using the bulk spice bins at the grocery store.

Spices usually cost only change for a baggie full, because they weigh so little.

It allows me to buy small amounts and replenish often.

Plus, since my grocery store is also going through spices regularly, I feel certain that they are putting out fresh stuff as well.