Sri Lankan Curry Powder (unroasted)

Name: Sri Lankan Curry Powder (unroasted)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 100 g Coriander seeds; 50 g Cumin seeds; 10 g Fennel seeds

Roshani Wickramasinghe July 7, 2026

The only recipe you need to make Sri Lankan unroasted curry powder at home. This one is very simple and makes the dishes so flavorful and aromatic.

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Unroasted Curry Powder is probably the most used curry powder in my Sri Lankan kitchen for many of my curries. A must-have ingredient for Sri Lankan cooking. It’s extremely easy to make and very versatile. Though this curry powder is available to buy in all Sri Lankan grocery stores, the home-made version is much more flavorful, aromatic, and potent.

Unroasted vs Roasted Curry Powder

If you are not familiar with Sri Lankan curry powders, there are mainly two types of curry powders that we use in the kitchen. One is unroasted curry powder, and the other is roasted curry powder.

Unroasted curry powder is mellow. It has a light brown – khaki color. We use it for mellow coconutty curries where we expect the vegetable to shine. And we only use a very little. The base recipe contains coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds. For my unroasted curry powder recipe, this is the ratio I use:

10g corriander seeds : 5g cumin seeds: 2g fennel seeds

Fennel seeds have a strong aroma and have a sweet licorice flavor. If you use too much of this, the unroasted curry powder could end up too strong.

Roasted Curry powder, on the other hand, is sharper and more potent. Has comparatively a higher percentage of cumin and fennel. The color is dark brown since all the spices are dry-roasted. We usually add them to meet curries such as Chicken Curry and Beef Curry. Or curries that you want to have a strong, smoky flavor, such as Sri Lankan mango curry or Young jackfruit (polos) curry. Although some of these curries use coconut milk, we usually make them spicier (with much less broth) rather than creamy.

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Other Sri Lankan Curry Powders:

Jaffna Curry Powder is also a very popular curry powder in Sri Lanka, especially among the Tamil people living in the north. The curry powder has a very unique aroma and flavor. Great with meat curries such as the famous Jaffna mutton curry.

You’ll also find meat curry powder, which is more like roasted curry powder but with more spices and chili powder added. This is a recent addition to Sri Lankan kitchens. I do not remember having meat curry powders in the stores when I was a kid. Meat curry powders also have some thickeners added, such as roasted rice or gram flour. It has more spices as well such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to make them more aromatic. You can find my Sri Lankan Meat Curry Powder recipe here.

Optional ingredients for Curry Powder

The recipe I’ve given you is the basic recipe to make Sri Lankan unroasted curry powder. When you buy curry powder from the grocery stores, this is the one you get. But when you make the curry powder at home, there are some ways to make it more aromatic. The most common aromatic ingredient people add is Ceylon cinnamon. You can also add dried curry leaves and pandan leaves. For the given recipe (100g of corrinadar), you can add 2 pieces of Ceylon cinnamon that are about 2 inches long. (Make sure not to use Cassia/ Chinese cinnamon, which is very strong and has a different flavor). Add a handful of dried curry leaves and a few pieces of dried pandan leaves/rampe.

Some people also like to add dry roasted ground rice, lentils, or mung beans. This helps to thicken the curries. Some add dried turmeric as well for color.

How to prep the ingredients before making curry powder

If the seeds you buy are already clean of impurities and are very dry, you don’t have to follow this step. But if you are not sure how clean the ingredients are, make sure to give the seeds a quick rinse (don’t soak). Then lay them on a tray and dry the seeds in sunlight. If you don’t have a way to dry them in sun, you can either use a dehydrator or dry them in an oven at a low temperature.

Tips to make bigger batches

I always recommend making small batches because curry powders loose the flavor and aroma over time. But if you want to make a big batch, you can multiply this same recipe however you’d like.

My mother-in-law brings homemade curry powder when she visits me in the US. She usually makes a big batch and vacuum seals them in small packs (about 100g packets). I store them in the freezer and only open one packet at a time. This helps to retain the freshness and aroma.

When you grind the spices, make sure to grind them in small batches because the grinders heat up pretty quickly. Also, give a few minutes for your grinder to cool down between grinds.

Which Curries to cook with this curry powder

You can use this curry powder in most Sri Lankan mild curries, as well as in other stir-fries and savory snacks. Here are a few of my favorites:

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