Wheat Free Berbere Spice Blend
Berbere is one of those spice blends that transforms everything it touches — deeply aromatic, warmly spiced, and just the right amount of fiery. This homemade version layers toasted guajillo and arbol chiles with whole coriander, fenugreek, cardamom, and cloves before grinding them into a fine, fragrant powder. Finishing with sweet and smoked paprika, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice gives it that signature complexity that store-bought versions rarely nail. For anyone navigating wheat sensitivities, making your own spice blend from scratch is genuinely the safest move — commercial blends can hide fillers or be processed on shared equipment where cross-contact is a real concern. Every ingredient here is naturally free of wheat, so you get full control without sacrificing any of the bold, layered flavor. Toast the whole spices until they bloom and your kitchen will smell absolutely incredible. Stir it into stews, rub it on roasted vegetables or meat, or swirl it into a marinade — a jar of this in your pantry is a serious kitchen upgrade.
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Learn more →Ingredients
12 servings
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 1 dried arbol chile, stem removed
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 4 green cardamom pods
- ¼ tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Tear the guajillo and arbol chiles into rough pieces and place them in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, pressing them flat with a spatula, for about 1–2 minutes per side until they darken slightly and smell fragrant — watch closely, as they can scorch quickly.
- 2
Add the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, cardamom pods, and whole cloves to the same skillet. Toast over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until the seeds are fragrant and the coriander turns a shade darker.
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