Sara's Top 10 Spices That Vegans Need in Their Arsenal

Sara Tercero, better known as @betterfoodguru on Instagram, has been in the food industry for over 25 years as a chef and a teacher, encouraging others to make small changes to their diets to achieve a healthier lifestyle. She currently runs a blog and Instagram, where she posts colorful and easy vegan recipes inspired by flavors around the world.

After seeing her informative feed and her passion for healthy eating, we decided to contact her to prepare an article. She says, "Most people think food needs to be salty, sweet, or full of fat to be delicious, but I disagree.

There are so many tasty and distinct spices that really kick up the natural flavors of healthy foods like vegetables and whole grains without adding tons of salt. Here, I'll be sharing my favorite spices that really elevate whole foods to a new level and will help you gain a new appreciation for meatless dishes."

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Trader Joe's
Crushed Red Chili Pepper
$8.25
Sara Tercero
Crushed red pepper flakes are a cook's best friend. If you like heat, but the rest of your family doesn't, then sprinkling some chili pepper is an easy and quick way to bring up the spice level in your dish. That way, you can make mild-flavored dishes for everyone else, but heat up your own plate of food.

It makes a great topping on pizza, pasta, curries, noodles, and even salads! In hot foods, the pepper flavor intensifies with cooking and, when added to oil for sauteeing, they can smoke up a kitchen pretty fast - so you'll want to be careful when cooking with them as those noxious fumes will get everyone coughing!
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McCormick Gourmet
Organic Chili Powder
$3.99
Sara Tercero
Chili powder is a perfect and mild Southwestern spice blend that makes creating flavorful chilis a breeze! It's also great for using to flavor vegan taco fillings like tofu, jackfruit, mushrooms, or walnuts. It is the perfect seasoning to use when you want your food to be "spiced" but not spicy.

The blend of roasted and ground mild chilies lends a nice depth of flavor to any dish. Less commonly, people use chili powder as a topper for fruits like melons and mangoes, which may sound strange but is delicious.
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Mother-In-Law's Kimchi
Chili Pepper Flakes
$10.18
Sara Tercero
Gochugaru are Korean red chili flakes. They are much milder than crushed red pepper and they have a slightly smoky and fruity flavor. The best way to use this spice is to dust half an avocado with it or top a noodle dish or salad with it.

The color is super pretty, and the flavor is delightfully different from other chilis. I also like to add them to tofu as I am frying or baking the protein because they lend a smoky depth which I am partial to.
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Eden
Organic Seaweed Gomasio
$11.36
Sara Tercero
Seaweed Gomasio is a blend of black and white sesame seeds, sea salt, and sea vegetables like dulse, nori, and kombu. It gives a great, mild seafood flavor to recipes like chickpea mock tuna, vegan sushi, stir-fried noodles, or steamed rice and it's also a wonderful seasoning for vegan caesar dressing.

The spice flavor really elevates a dish without adding in too much sodium and it gives dishes a distinct seafood flavor, without tasting fishy. It's also a great source of iron, calcium, magnesium, and iodine.
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Navitas Organics
Turmeric Powder
$8.49
Sara Tercero
For centuries, turmeric has been regarded as an important ingredient in many parts of the world for its medicinal properties. The list of health benefits from turmeric consumption is great and includes cancer prevention and anti-inflammation. It also increases brain levels and improves memory, plus is an antioxidant.

Turmeric lends a beautiful golden color and a mild, almost citrusy flavor to tofu scrambles, soups, and curries. Just a touch of turmeric can transform rice into a yellow-hued masterpiece, and some people also add it to their oatmeals or breakfasts to start the day. Personally, I use turmeric every day in my cooking.
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McCormick Gourmet
Organic Ground Cumin
$4.04
Sara Tercero
Cumin is a spice used in many kinds of cuisines - namely, in Indian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern foods. It's also used heavily in American vegan cooking, as it is a healthy spice, and the flavor it provides to dishes is widely loved.

I use cumin in hummus, chili soups, curries, and recipes involving rice and beans. The spice has an earthy, musky, sweet, and bitter taste that is a great compliment to other flavors. It is also used medicinally for indigestion, is good for diabetics, and is a good source of iron.
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Frontier
Seasoning Blends Indian Curry
$6.94
Sara Tercero
Curry can be made from scratch using a bunch of spices, but for a novice cook, curry powder works best. Curry powder is an all-encompassing blend of spices that makes cooking curry dishes a breeze. The color, flavor, and odor of curry powder are especially intoxicating.

Curry is a vegan's best friend, as the addition of a creamy curry gravy to cradle your legumes and vegetables in makes any vegetable dish taste sinfully good. Warm, slightly spicy, and ultimately comforting, a big bowl of curry and rice is a tasty, easy way to eat flavorful and healthy foods.
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McCormick Gourmet
Organic Za'atar
$5.70
Sara Tercero
Za'atar spice is an amazingly flavorful Middle Eastern seasoning blend that is delicious on crispy potatoes, as a topping for dips like hummus and baba ganoush, or to make any roasted vegetable sing. The flavors are so different and so unique, once you have tasted za'atar it will become one of your go-to spices for cooking.

In the blend is usually thyme, marjoram, and oregano which are earthy, herbal spices. It also has sumac in it, which adds a bit of tang, and roasted sesame seeds to add some nuttiness. Sprinkle za'atar over salads or even on garlic bread for a distinctly different treat.
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McCormick Gourmet
Smoked Paprika
$5.98
Sara Tercero
Smoked Paprika is the king of spices in any kitchen - you'll be guaranteed to become addicted to the slightly sweet and smoky depth it lends to soups and sauces. You can also combine it with a little pure maple syrup and soy sauce and use the mix to transform tofu or tempeh into a delicious and healthy mock bacon.

I use smoked paprika every day in my cooking. It gives curries, chilis, veggie scrambles, and even salad dressings a real flavor boost; but, my favorite application of the spice is using it to make smoky, crispy baked chickpeas. Smoked paprika is so versatile and much better than regular paprika.
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McCormick Gourmet
Italian Seasoning
$4.94
Sara Tercero
Italian Seasoning is such a great and flavorful blend of herbs. The ingredients vary but normally include basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, and marjoram. You can use Italian seasoning in tomato sauces, herbed plant yogurts, salad dressings, soups, and anywhere else you need a herbal punch.

Using herbs is great because it brings up the flavor of a dish without adding extra sodium. And, although fresh herbs are usually best, this dry blend of Italian seasoning is convenient and good to use when you run low on stock.
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Sara Tercero's favlist

Sara's Top 10 Essentials for Any Home Chef

With two decades under her belt as a professional cook, we can say with confidence that Better Food Guru (or, Sara) knows her stuff when it comes to keeping a well-stocked and efficient kitchen. We asked for her insight on tools you can use to improve your experience in the kitchen. Here's what she had to say:

"These are my top ten essential cooking tools for cooking in your home. They run the gamut from hand tools like my favorite chef knife, peeler, and can opener to my favorite cookware like a half sheet pan and wok.

These are all the things you need to outfit your home kitchen in order to cook many different styles and dishes successfully. All of them are as versatile as can be, have great quality and functionality, and won't break the bank."

Sara Tercero

Vegan Food Influencer, Blogger, Chef

.css-1rj4q2e{display:block;font-size:24px;font-weight:700;line-height:137.5%;}@media (min-width: 768px){.css-1rj4q2e{font-size:24px;}}Sara's Top 10 Spices That Vegans Need in Their Arsenal

Trader Joe'sCrushed Red Chili Pepper$8.25

McCormick GourmetOrganic Chili Powder$3.99

Mother-In-Law's KimchiChili Pepper Flakes$10.18

EdenOrganic Seaweed Gomasio$11.36

Navitas OrganicsTurmeric Powder$8.49

McCormick GourmetOrganic Ground Cumin$4.04

FrontierSeasoning Blends Indian Curry$6.94

McCormick GourmetOrganic Za'atar$5.70

McCormick GourmetSmoked Paprika$5.98

McCormick GourmetItalian Seasoning$4.94

.css-risg80{display:block;line-height:137.5%;}Sara Tercero's favlist

Sara's Top 10 Spices That Vegans Need in Their Arsenal

Trader Joe's
Crushed Red Chili Pepper
$8.25

McCormick Gourmet
Organic Chili Powder
$3.99

Mother-In-Law's Kimchi
Chili Pepper Flakes
$10.18

Eden
Organic Seaweed Gomasio
$11.36

Navitas Organics
Turmeric Powder
$8.49

McCormick Gourmet
Organic Ground Cumin
$4.04

Frontier
Seasoning Blends Indian Curry
$6.94

McCormick Gourmet
Organic Za'atar
$5.70

McCormick Gourmet
Smoked Paprika
$5.98

McCormick Gourmet
Italian Seasoning
$4.94

Sara Tercero's favlist