Coriander (Ground) substitutes
The best substitute for coriander (ground) is toasted whole coriander seed: 1 1/4 tsp whole seeds, toasted and ground, gives roughly 1 tsp ground coriander. Better flavour than pre-ground because the volatile aromatics are still intact. The only cost is a minute with a pan and a grinder.
Why it matters. Ground coriander seed is warm, citrusy and mildly sweet, and it rounds off the harsher edges of cumin and chilli in a spice blend. Note that in the UK, fresh coriander means the leaf, which is a different ingredient entirely.
BestToasted whole coriander seed
●●●●●1 1/4 tsp whole seeds, toasted and ground, gives roughly 1 tsp ground coriander
Keeps the flavour role.
Better flavour than pre-ground because the volatile aromatics are still intact. The only cost is a minute with a pan and a grinder.
Curry powder
●●●○○1:1
Keeps the flavour role.
Coriander is usually the largest single component, so the flavour is genuinely there, but so is turmeric, which will stain the dish yellow.
Garam masala
●●●○○1:1
Keeps the flavour role.
Contains coriander alongside cinnamon, clove and cardamom, so the dish turns warmer and sweeter. Good in a curry, wrong in a Latin American rub.
Ground cumin
●●●○○1:1
Keeps the flavour role.
Earthy and faintly bitter where coriander is citrusy and sweet, so the blend tips savoury and loses its brightness. A squeeze of lemon helps compensate.
Ground fennel + lemon zest
●●●○○Per 1 tsp: 1/2 tsp ground fennel + 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Keeps the flavour role.
Rebuilds coriander's sweet-citrus profile from two halves. The zest is fresh rather than dried, so stir it in near the end.
Cumin + cardamom
●●●○○Per 1 tsp: 1/2 tsp ground cumin + 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Keeps the flavour role.
Covers both the earthy and the floral-citrus sides at once. Cardamom is powerful, so do not increase it.
Caraway
●●○○○1/2 tsp per 1 tsp ground coriander
Keeps the flavour role.
Shares the earthy-seed character but the aniseed note is loud and quite different. Start low, because it takes over a dish quickly.
Other spice substitutes
Measuring by weight instead? Use the kitchen converter.