How much masala does a restaurant actually get through in a month?
Work backwards from covers, not from recipes. A kitchen serving around 40 covers a day typically gets through 8–12 kg of mixed ground masala a month, weighted heavily toward turmeric, chilli and coriander. Blends like garam masala move at a fraction of that. Track one month honestly and the second order becomes accurate.
Published 28 August 2026 · Reviewed by Ajay Singla, proprietor, Rajiv Karyana Store
Why recipe maths gets it wrong
The obvious approach is to multiply the spice in a recipe by the number of plates. It consistently comes out low. Real kitchens re-season during service, lose powder to spillage and scoops, prepare staff meals, and throw away the bottom of a container that has gone flat. Estimating from covers absorbs all of that, because it measures what actually leaves the shelf.
A starting point by kitchen size
| Kitchen | Covers per day | Mixed ground masala per month |
|---|---|---|
| Small dhaba or tiffin service | 20–40 | Around 5–8 kg |
| Mid-size restaurant | 40–80 | Around 8–15 kg |
| Busy restaurant or banquet kitchen | 100+ | 20 kg and upward |
| Catering, per large event | — | 3–6 kg for a 200-plate function |
The split between spices
Ground masala consumption is lopsided. In most North Indian kitchens the base powders dominate and the aromatics are a rounding error by weight — but the aromatics are what customers notice, so they are the wrong place to economise.
- Haldi, lal mirch and dhaniya powder — the bulk of the weight, used in almost every gravy
- Jeera, whole and ground — steady, moderate consumption
- Garam masala and finishing blends — small quantities, high impact
- Kasuri methi — small by weight, but a dhaba gravy is recognisable without it
- Dish-specific blends like chana or pav bhaji masala — driven entirely by how often that dish sells
Match pack size to turnover, not to the rate
The cheapest rate is usually on the largest pack, which tempts kitchens into buying a 25 kg sack of something they use 400 g of a week. Ground spice fades. Aroma compounds are volatile and start leaving the moment a pack is opened, with most of the character gone within about three months in a warm kitchen.
| Spice type | Buy in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Haldi, lal mirch, dhaniya | Large packs, 10–50 kg | High turnover; consumed well before aroma fades |
| Jeera, kali mirch | Medium packs, 5–10 kg | Steady use; whole seed keeps longer than ground |
| Garam masala, pav bhaji, chana masala | Small packs, 500 g–5 kg | Slow-moving blends lose aroma before a big pack empties |
| Kasuri methi | Small packs | Bulky, light, and it flattens quickly once opened |
A simple way to get your own numbers
- Weigh every container in the masala store on the first of the month.
- Buy nothing mid-month unless you run out; note it if you do.
- Weigh everything again on the last day.
- The difference, spice by spice, is your true monthly consumption.
- Add roughly 20% as buffer stock and that is your standing order.
One honest month of this beats any estimate, including this one. Kitchens that do it are usually surprised by two things: how much chilli powder they use, and how long a pack of garam masala actually lasts.