The Top 4 Alternatives to Saffron

Food lovers often refer to saffron as “the world’s most legendary spice.” It is primarily recognized for giving food a stunning reddish-orange hue and is a necessary component of many dishes, including risotto, paella, breads, and bouillabaisse.

Although this spice gives food a gorgeous color and a rich, sugary flavor, most home cooks may not be able to afford it at $17 for ½ ounce. To ensure that your meals don’t lose out, it can be useful to know what substitutes are available at your neighborhood grocery store.

Even while these alternatives to saffron have different tastes and scents, they are all readily available and can all offer a similar coloring and flavor, so no matter what you’re cooking, a lack of saffron won’t mean a lack of flavor. With saffron costing over $4,000 a pound, it makes perfect sense to utilize one of our guide’s four recommended saffron substitutes.

1. Turmeric

Since turmeric is sometimes referred to as the “saffron of the Indies,” it should come as no surprise that it can substitute well for saffron in most recipes, particularly if you’re aiming for that vivid reddish-orange color. Use turmeric sparingly (the harsh flavor can be overwhelming in big amounts) when substituting saffron. Moreover, saffron and paprika together provide a flavor that is more complex.

2. Safflower

Safflower can be an excellent substitute for saffron in a hurry if the color of deep red is more important to you than the flavor. Though the color won’t be as vivid, the flavor and scent will remain the same. Use at least five times as much safflower as called for in the recipe to achieve the same color as saffron.

3. Marigold Flowers

Grow some marigold flowers if you consider yourself somewhat of a green thumb so that you can use them in cooking instead of saffron. When your flowers are fully blossomed (or you bought a fully grown plant from your neighborhood plant store), you may remove the petals, microwave-dry them, and then grind them into a powder to achieve the same reddish-orange hue in any recipe that calls for saffron.

4. Annatto

If you’re prepared to put in a little effort, annatto, also known as “poor man’s saffron,” can be a terrific substitute for saffron. To achieve that reddish-orange color in your paella or risotto, steep one teaspoon of annatto seeds in a quarter cup of water or oil for thirty minutes.

Then, drain the liquid and use it in your dish. You must modify the other liquids in your recipe to ensure that everything is balanced appropriately because you are adding a liquid.

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