15 Best Spice Plants in India

Do you love growing fruits and vegetables at home? Then don’t miss out on growing these Best Spice Plants in India!

Growing your own spices is just as easy as growing your tomatoes. Plus, you’ll love the feeling of making food at home that’s 100% organic and home-grown. For this, we’ve got all the Spice Plants that will fill your dishes full of flavors and your home full of pleasant aromas. 

Best Spice Plants in India

1. Cinnamon (दालचीनी)

Botanical Name: Cinnamomum verum

Cinnamon has a warm flavor and comes from the tree’s inner bark. You can also grow it as a small plant in your home, but mature trees easily reach 30-50 feet and give the spice its distinct aroma and taste. 

2. Black Pepper (काली मिर्च)

Botanical Name: Piper nigrum

Black Pepper is famous throughout the country and the world for its bold flavor. It comes from dried berries of the pepper spice plant, which is a climbing vine with glossy leaves and tiny flowers. 

3. Cardamom (इलायची)

Botanical Name: Elettaria cardamomum

These spice plants can grow anywhere from 6 to 15 feet tall and have lance-shaped leaves with small clusters of flowers. The spice we use is the seed of the Cardamom plant’s pods. 

4. Turmeric (हल्दी)

Botanical Name: Curcuma longa

Indian food is incomplete without turmeric. The bitter taste comes from the plant’s rhizomes, which are also yellow/orange in color, like the plant’s flowers. It’s a small plant but has a rich flavor. 

5. Vanilla (वनीला)

Botanical Name: Vanilla planifolia

Vanilla is known for its sweet and aromatic flavor. But did you know it actually comes from Vanilla orchids, which are climbing vines with white flowers that also give off a similar fragrance? They’re easy to grow, too!

6. Cumin (जीरा)

Botanical Name: Cuminum cyminum

If you love the warm and nutty flavor of Cumin, you should totally grow it in your home. It needs full sun and fertilizer, well-drained soil. Just pick the seeds when you notice they’ve started browning, and you can use them. 

7. Coriander (धनिया)

Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum

This spice plant has a sweet, citrusy taste and grows just 2-3 feet, so you can also grow it indoors. It will also give you white or pink flowers along with the spice. 

8. Nutmeg (जायफल)

Botanical Name: Myristica fragrans

Nutmeg spice plant is really popular in Kerala, mainly in the Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Kottayam districts. It’s a common spice in meaty dishes, and the tree grows quite tall–almost 60 to 65 feet. 

9. Cloves (लौंग)

Botanical Name: Syzygium aromaticum

Cloves are a staple spice here. The trees need humid tropical areas with a good amount of rainfall–both of which are found in the Southern states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. The finest cloves come from Thalanadu in Kerala. 

10. Fenugreek (मेंथी)

Botanical Name: Trigonella foenum-graecum

Did you know India is the largest producer of Fenugreek spice plants? Most of it is grown in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. 

11. Ginger (अदरक)

Botanical Name: Zingiber officinale

Ginger also comes from the rhizomes of the plant. Plus, India is the largest producer and consumer of ginger. You can relish it fresh, dried, and even preserved as a sweet and spicy candy. 

12. Mustard (सरसों)

Botanical Name: Brassica nigra

The Mustard seeds you use as a spice in the kitchen actually come from the plant. But there are many types of Mustard in India–yellow, brown, gobhi, and black.

13. Saffron (केसर)

Botanical Name: Crocus sativus

Saffron is a precious spice plant with a maroon-purple color. Cultivating saffron takes a lot of time and effort, making it really expensive, but that does not mean you can’t grow it. 

14. Bay Leaf (तेज़ पत्ता)

Botanical Name: Cinnamomum tamala

The Indian Bay Leaf is not the same plant you find in other parts of the world (Laurus nobilis). These trees are native to India, Bhutan, and Nepal and have longer and lighter leaves with a more complex aroma than the Mediterranean ones. 

15. Asafoetida (हींग)

Botanical Name: Ferula assa-foetida

Asafoetida adds a savory and meaty flavor to dishes. People use this spice plant to add more flavor to curries, dals, vegetables, and even pickles. The plant also aids in digestion and has a strong odor.