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Warm, aromatic cumin seeds have been used as a spice for thousands of years. They’re thought to have originated in Asia or the Mediterranean and were brought to the Americas by Spanish and Portuguese colonists. Cumin is popular in cuisines across the globe, especially prevalent in Indian, Mexican, North African, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern dishes. It’s used to flavor all kinds of foods — and even some desserts, such as Cumin and Jaggery-Glazed Apple Pie. We especially like it paired with lamb, eggplant, or both (check out Cumin Lamb Noodles with Eggplant). Browse our favorite cumin recipes to find new ways to feature this spice’s unique taste.
Cold Poached Salmon with Cumin Yogurt Sauce
Julia Hartbeck
Chef and television personality Andrew Zimmern used this recipe in Boiling Water 101, a class he taught for 10 years at a school in Minnesota. He developed the recipe to teach a basic cooking skill — how to poach salmon — that also delivers complex flavors. He serves the fish chilled with sliced cucumber, sliced lemon, and a delicious yogurt sauce packed with herbs, capers, and a healthy amount of ground cumin.
Spicy Cumin-Braised Pork
Just a tablespoon of Kwame Onwuachi’s Pepper Sauce brings plenty of heat and tenderizing flavor to this reverse braised pork shoulder. As the liquid and delicious fat from the pork cook off, the resulting Geera Pork is coated in a richly seasoned paste, ideal for eating with rice or leftover bara flatbreads.
Kaera Na Cutless (Spicy Green Banana Cutlets)
If you like hash browns, you’ll love these flavor-packed patties made from more than just potatoes: The recipe also includes bananas, spices, onions, garlic, and chile. The cumin and coriander seeds are toasted first to bring out their flavor before grinding in a mortar and pestle or a spice mill.
Ande Ki Bhurji (Scrambled Eggs with Cumin and Fragrant Herbs)
A traditional Indian scrambled egg dish, ande ki bhurji includes an almost equal amount of fresh yellow onion to eggs. As the beaten eggs cook (until they are fully set but not browned), the onion sweetens and mellows. Topped with toasted cumin seeds, cilantro, and fresh green chiles, this meal is fragrant and savory, with a distinct vegetal crunch.
Lamb Loin Chops with Red Wine Pan Sauce with Cumin and Chiles
Toasty cumin and piquant chiles, offset with fresh cilantro and lime zest, balance bold red wine in this quick pan sauce. The rich flavor of lamb is delicious here, but you can substitute cuts of beef, such as skirt steak, hanger steak, or filet mignon, which would work just as well with the red wine-based sauce.
Cardamom and Cumin-Spiced Pea Pilaf
“I like to add whole aromatic spices to the ghee, which releases their oils and infuses the ghee and rice with their warm and intoxicating flavors,” says cookbook author Nik Sharma. For this recipe, he cooks cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaves in ghee until they’re fragrant before adding the peas and rice.
Spicy Cumin Lamb Meatballs
Nothing compares to the taste of meat the day it was ground, and grinding meat at home allows you to choose your own flavors. Perfect this meatball recipe to arm yourself with an easy dinner solution for any weeknight. With a crisp crust and tender interior, these cumin-scented meatballs feel at home in Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Indian dishes.
Fried Catfish Sandwiches with Cumin Slaw
Tender catfish fillets marinate briefly in garlic and pepper before being breaded and fried for these extra-crispy sandwiches. Don’t skip the creamy coleslaw: In addition to the usual cast of green cabbage, red onion, and matchstick carrots, it’s punched up with cilantro, bread-and-butter pickles, and a roasted cumin, mayo, and vinegar dressing.
Cumin and Jaggery-Glazed Apple Pie
Cookbook author and chef Asha Gomez’s striking apple pie gets a glossy finish from melted jaggery — a deep amber sugar —and piquant cumin seeds. Save any extra glaze for a last-minute drizzle before serving.
Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cumin
© Quentin Bacon
Cookbook author Paula Wolfert visited the kitchens of Dar Yacout in Marrakesh, where the cooks still use charcoal fires to make dishes like lush and smoky roasted eggplant salad.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Cumin
For this deeply satisfying soup, chefs Anna Trattles and Alice Quillet roast cauliflower with cumin seeds and curry powder to intensify the flavor, then simmer it with onion and water to make an unfussy, spice-inflected puree.
Cumin Chili
You’ll get a clear taste of cumin in this great cold-weather chili made with ground beef, beans, and green bell pepper. If you want a hotter chili, add as much cayenne as you like.
Spicy Sichuan-Style Lamb with Cumin
Cooking pieces of lamb shoulder in a super-hot cast-iron skillet makes them wonderfully browned and tender.
Swiss Chard with Ginger and Cumin
“I often use just one or two spices, such as the ginger and cumin in this Swiss chard,” says cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey. “It’s a very northern Indian approach.”
Roasted Carrot and Cumin Puree
Roasting carrots until they’re golden brown brings out their sweetness and provides a perfect foil for tart lemon juice and musky cumin. Our silken puree is a particularly good side dish for lamb or roasted chicken.
Chunky Guacamole with Cumin
Choosing a guacamole recipe that will please everybody is no easy task, but this one is a winner because of its subtle tartness, nicely balanced heat, and creamy-chunky texture.
Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Cumin
“I love this hot or cold, by itself or as part of a larger meal,” says chef Sera Pelle about this roasted cauliflower recipe. The dish is a vibrant yellow from turmeric and fragrant with cumin, cilantro, and mint.
Cumin Lamb Noodles with Eggplant
Blogger Ashley Rodriguez creates a rich, creamy lamb ragù with delicious Greek flavors; it’s a total crowd-pleaser and a nice alternative to more common Italian pasta dishes.
Spiced Roasted Chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas make a simple and delicious hors d’oeuvre or snack. Here, they’re tossed with cumin, coriander, chile powder, and olive oil, then oven-roasted at a high temperature.
