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Substitutions · 13 dishes here use it
A blend, not a spice, and every tin is a different blend. It is mostly turmeric, coriander and cumin, and it needs oil and heat to open up — stirred into a finished dish it tastes of raw powder.
Everything below is judged against that job. A swap that covers it is a swap; one that only looks similar is not.
1 of the 13 dishes here that mention curry powder list it as optional — 8% of them. In those, the correct substitution is nothing.
Functional substitution system
For curry powder, the page's working definition is: A blend, not a spice, and every tin is a different blend. It is mostly turmeric, coriander and cumin, and it needs oil and heat to open up — stirred into a finished dish it tastes of raw powder. The swap cards below are judged against that job rather than visual resemblance.
Job → candidate → side effects → small test → correct.
1 · Job
What is the missing ingredient doing?
2 · Candidate
Choose the shelf item that replaces that function.
3 · Side effects
Check water, fat, salt, acid, sweetness, and texture.
4 · Small test
Change a spoonful or small portion first when possible.
5 · Correct
Taste again and move only the axis that is still wrong.
Instead · 1
three parts garam masala to one of turmeric
Instead · 2
two parts cumin, two coriander, one turmeric, a pinch of cayenne
Instead · 3
a tablespoon of paste per teaspoon of powder
These dishes list curry powder as optional. They were written to work without it, so no ratio is needed and nothing has to be bought.
The company curry powder keeps in this library, counted off required ingredients. A swap that argues with the top two is the wrong swap, whatever a chart says.