11 Effective Asafoetida Substitutes You Need to Know

Which is the best Asafoetida substitute?

Asafoetida – a type of food beginning with the letter A, is not an unfamiliar spice in cooking. This powder works well when pairing with vegetables, curries, meatballs, and even snacks.

Sadly, many people depend on commercial products and do not know what to do for an asafoetida substitute.

I think there is no limit to completing your idea in the kitchen! That is why I will bring you my alternative ideas to help you in case your Asafoetida powder is out of stock. 

So, I was hoping you could take note of my list in your cooking book and remember to do the Asafoetida substitute next time.

Make Your Best Asafoetida Substitute

Once you know clearly about the suitable ingredient for the Asafoetida substitute, you can become a talented chef in your home or anywhere else.

In this post, I have found ten kinds of Asafoetida substitute that give you more choices. I am sure that you will see at least one replacement ingredient in your kitchen. Check them now!

Single Substitute For Asafoetida

1. Garlic Powder
2. Onion Powder
3. Onion Paste
4. Shallots
5. Garlic Flakes
6. Chives
7. Sauteed Garlic

Substitutes For Asafoetida Made From Two Ingredients

1. Garlic And Onion Powder
2. Minced Onion And Minced Garlic
3. Garlic And Leeks
4. Minced Shallots And Minced Garlic

Don’t skip my post so soon! I still have a lot of new information to let you know. Keep reading to explore the Asafoetida spice world.

The Truth About Asafoetida – An Ancient Spice

Before extending your knowledge with the Asafoetida substitute, I want to give you special points about this powder, such as how it works on food and our health.

What Is Asafoetida?

Asafoetida is a dried latex extracted from some perennial herbs, Ferula. Asafoetida is a member of the celery family. You can find a lot of Asafoetida trees in the mountains of Afghanistan or the deserts of Iran, so if you spot Asaafoetida in Afghan cuisine or Iranian foods, don’t be surprised.

And about the smell, it is often called a “stinking gum” because of its pungent smell. However, this disturbing smell will be replaced by a unique one after cooking.

I imagine that I smell the great combination of a “hundred” kinds of leeks and onion in my dish when using Asafoetida. That is why some places consider this spice as a “devil’s dung” due to its seductive scent. ⁽¹⁾

Summary Table For Asafoetida Substitute

My summary chart will help you find out more quickly what you should do to make Asafoetida substitutes.

These ratios are just from my recommendations, and some of them are from experienced people. I hope that you will not find it difficult because of any problems with Asafoetida seasoning.

Asafoetida Substitute	Ratio Suggestion
Garlic Powder	¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida = ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Onion Powder	¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida = 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
Onion Paste	With onion paste making: Use onion (around 3-4 cloves) with some vinegar. Begin with ½ teaspoon of onion paste and increase if you want.
Shallots	Begin with a sauteed clove of shallot with clarified butter or vegetable oil.
Garlic Flakes	¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida = 1 teaspoon of garlic flake.
Garlic Chives	Begin with a few garlic chives and increase if you want.
Sauteed Garlic	½ teaspoon of Asafoetida = 1 teaspoon of sauteed garlic with clarified butter or vegetable oil.
Garlic And Onion Powder	¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida = mix ¼ or ½ teaspoon of onion powder + ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Minced Onion And Minced Garlic	¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida = ½ teaspoon of minced onion + ½ teaspoon of minced garlic.
Garlic And Leeks	Mix garlic and minced leeks in a 1:1 ratio for any cooking time. (teaspoon) ½ teaspoon of Asafoetida = saute the mixture of ⅓ teaspoon minced leeks + ⅓ teaspoon onion powder + a clove of garlic.
Minced Shallots And Minced Garlic	Use the ratio 1:1 when combinating minced shallots and minced garlic (teaspoon). Adjust accordingly. Start with a bit amount and increase if you want.

11 Ingredients For Asafoetida Substitute That You Should Know

Move to the most crucial part – the detail of the Asafoetida substitute. I think the health benefits of Asafoetida will make you want to use this spice steadily.

Are you curious about how to replace this spice? This is the time to extend your knowledge!

Which Seasonings Can Suit Asafoetida Substitute?

This is good news for you! I have up to 7 seasonings that are the best choices for substituting Asafoetida. Look at these spices and come to your kitchen to check how many ingredients you have.

1. Garlic Powder

Garlic powder is often available in most kitchens, and this spice can replace Asafoetida. The strong smell of garlic powder is used in spice mixtures for dishes, especially Mexican chili powder substitute.

On the other hand, garlic powder substitutions are diverse that include both garlic-based and non-garlic ingredients. So if you do not have garlic powder on hand, you can use one of them.

The smell of garlic powder is not disturbing and pungent like Asafoetida. So, if you do not prefer Asafoetida most of the time, I recommend trying this powder.

In some cases, you can be flexible in using Asafoetida and garlic powder because you should not use Asafoetida in all dishes.

For instance, sometimes, I change my recipe by using garlic powder for chicken curry dishes. The ratio I used to make a ¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida substitute is ½ garlic powder.

2. Onion Powder

Another choice for you is onion powder. Onion powder has a bit of garlic inside, so that it will be the best replacement for Asafoetida. Moreover, it is better to use onion powder for those who are not fans of garlic.

If you’re also short of onion powder, you can try some available replacements of onion powder. I’d say that onion salt is the best alternative. However, considering the dissimilarities between onion salt and onion powder, I’d say that you should add onion salt bit by bit until you achieve the desired flavor.

Another benefit of onion powder is to sprinkle it into soups and salad dishes for enhancing the taste. Plus, this powder is also a seasoning for marinating sauces.

Onion powder brings nearly the same smell as Asafoetida, but its smell is not unpleasant as Asafoetida.

About the amount to use, I recommend you to put a teaspoon of onion powder in for ¼  teaspoon of Asafoetida. Plus, you can add more onion powder into your food if you like more onion flavor.

Let’s make onion powder to suit your flavor now! Watch this video:

3. Onion Paste

Onion paste is the onion that is finely chopped. Not only is it a suitable substitute for Asafoetida, but onion is also beneficial for other dishes.

Furthermore, onion paste is a seasoning that has a “meaning” with Indian cooking, particularly Chicken Jalfrezi.

With onion paste, you can keep the flavor of your food like when using Asafoetida. Furthermore, onion paste is very cheap, budget-saving. To get a perfect onion paste, peel off 3-4 cloves of it and put it into a blender with some vinegar or the spice you want. 

If you want to use your own recipe to make onion paste,a suggestion for you is to use ½ teaspoon of onion paste to replace Asafoetida. But, if you like adding more onion paste, it does not matter!

4. Shallots

If you have tried both shallots and Asafoetida, it is not hard to realize the same flavor in cooking between them. So, I have to say shallots is an alternative spice for this pungent powder.

For those who do not know, using shallots in food can help you to reduce the oxidative processes in your body.

Once preferring shallot, cut a clove of shallot and sauteed in clarified butter or vegetable oil you have. Add the new spice to your dish in place of Asafoetida.

5. Garlic Flakes

If your home has garlic flakes, why do not you take advantage of this available spice? I believe that this is the quickest, easiest way to replace Asafoetida.

Another benefit of garlic flakes is an essential spice for stews, soup dishes, steaks, meatloaves, or even sauces.

The flavor of garlic flakes is similar to fresh garlic, but it is less intense because it has to be treated in the production line. So, you should use a more significant amount of garlic flakes than garlic powder to replace Asafoetida.

For ¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida, I suggest you use one teaspoon of garlic flakes or more to suit your taste.

Let’s make your best garlic flakes to use in the kitchen. Watch this video:

6. Garlic Chives

Garlic chives is another vegetable that is a member of the family with onion. This kind of vegetable tends to have the same flavor and be more comfortable than onion and Asafoetida.

Although garlic chives bring a lower level of flavor when cooking, I still believe it is not a bad choice for the Asafoetida substitute because it is rich in vitamin C. So, thanks to this feature, food with garlic chives are considered a good “medicine” to release fever.

Plus, a special point of chives is ensuring the flavor and texture of your food. That is why there is no limit to using chives in your dishes, just depending on your hobby.

I think you can try to begin with a few garlic chives in your next cooking time, you will be surprised!

Don’t hesitate to explore a new food taste with Chives! Let’s see this video to collect more understandings:

7. Sauteed Garlic

What do I often do if I just have some garlic cloves at home? Grab a decent saute pan and saute garlic to make a new spice!

Sauteed garlic is a very crucial seasoning. Besides replacing Asafoetida, I also choose sauteed garlic for sauteed Kale, beans, or dishes decorations, etc. There are plenty of garlic types that you can try for a slightly different flavor. 

I use two cloves of garlic and saute it with clarified butter to finish the Asafoetida substitute. Is it so easy, right? In addition, you can change clarified butter to vegetable oil if you want.

A teaspoon of this spice is in place of ½ teaspoon of Asafoetida, and you can add it to many kinds of foods, such as lentils, chicken peas, or beans.

Garlic has the same functions as Asafoetida to support your digestion system.

4 Best Mixture Options For Replacing Asafoetida

If you apply the 4 mixtures below, I assure you to create new Asafoetida powders but they still keep the unique flavor of this Indian seasoning.

Go with me to make everything easier!

8. Garlic And Onion Powder

As you know, the smell of Asafoetida is a mixture of onion and garlic scent. Using onion and garlic powder separately does not matter, but why don’t you put these ingredients together if you have both?

I believe it brings you the highest result of the Asafoetida substitute.

I prefer using the ratio of ¼ teaspoon of each onion and garlic powder for ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida when cooking. In some cases, people will increase the amount of onion powder from ¼ to ½ teaspoon to raise the onion flavor for the dish.

This is just my suggestion, so you can modify the amount of onion and garlic to suit your desire.

Additionally, once you mix these powders together, it also works well on soups, stews and a good base of marinating sauces. 

9. Minced Onion And Minced Garlic

Besides onion and garlic powder, you can use minced garlic and onion as the replacement. This mixture is also working in case your kitchen is out of stock.

Not only in cooking, but fresh garlic is also a precious part for medicinal purposes. That is why using garlic regularly will be beneficial for health.

However, cutting fresh onions and garlic will make some of you feel uncomfortable and even tear because of the onion’s smell. That is why I highly recommend you prepare the available minced onion and garlic which you buy from the supermarket.

This combination does not change your dish’s flavor and also helps you to avoid overusing Asafoetida. I have a good ratio for you; you should use ½ this mixture for substituting ¼ Asafoetida in any dish.

Before making this Asafoetida substitute, you should know how to mince garlic properly. Watch this video:

10. Garlic And Leeks

“Double garlic flavor”? That is the word I use to describe this Asafoetida substitute.

Leek is a kind of vegetable in which the edible part is a bundle of leaf sheaths (someone calls stem or stalk).

But why is this combination “double garlic flavor”? What is the flavor of leeks? There is no doubt that leek has a close scent to onion and garlic because they are in the same genus. You can find leek easily in groceries or markets.

There is no doubt that leek has a close scent to onion and garlic because they are in the same genus. You can find leek easily in groceries or markets.

There are two ratios for you to replace Asafoetida with garlic and leeks. I will show you here:

• The first one for you is to try my recipe. I put an amount of garlic and leeks together in the ratio 1:1. Then saute it with clarified butter or vegetable oil. That is done for substituting Asafoetida in most situations.
• The second way is to use ⅓ teaspoon of minced leeks with a clove of garlic. After that, I add ⅓ teaspoon of onion powder to complete my mixture. As a result, this mixture suits ½ teaspoon of Asafoetida.

However, you should store leek in an airtight container and keep it carefully because leek can damage the other foods around it.

11. Minced Shallots And Minced Garlic

Some people told me that Asafoetida creates a pretty good flavor for food, but its smell might be too much for them. At that time, I will help them with my list, and it must have a combination of shallots and garlic.

The flavor of shallots and garlic tends to be similar to Asafoetida, but it is not as intense. Thanks to this creation, you can enjoy cooking many Indian foods without fearing the Asafoetida smell.

To get this substitute ingredient, simply saute shallots with minced garlic. On my own, I often use the ratio 1:1 between minced shallots and garlic to create Asafoetida replacement while cooking.

However, you can start with a few minced shallots and garlic and increase the amount as you wish.

Why Should We Use Asafoetida?

If you have a chance to try Indian, Mexican, or some European foods, it is not hard to realize the flavor of Asafoetida on these dishes. Although it is not a common spice in some countries, I can not deny its health benefits. Here are some outstanding advantages:

A Good Antioxidants Sources

When you use Asafoetida in your dish, chemical compounds such as tannins and flavonoids (phenolic) will help you protect your cells from inside damage.

These damages are caused by unstable molecules (free radicals). That is why Asafoetida is known as one of the best Antioxidant sources from nature.

Thanks to this Antioxidant property, it will support you to build a “protective wall” against cancer, heart diseases, and type 2 diabetes.

However, I believe that you should use this spice regularly to reach this target. I am not clear whether a small amount of Asafoetida can work well or not.

Digestion Supporting

In a study, many people with moderate to severe indigestion were surprised after this symptom was reduced when they used Asafoetida two times a day.

So, scientists demonstrate that using this spice regularly will increase the activities of digestive enzymes.

In detail, the bile from your liver will release firmly with the help of Asafoetida. These emancipations are essential for fat digestion processes.

As a result, it can prevent gas after eating food that contains a lot of fat.

IBS Reduction

IBS (or Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is a common chronic gastrointestinal condition of many people. Its symptoms are bloating, discomfort, gas, or even cause constipation in some cases.

As mentioned, Asafoetida helps you improve your digestion process, so this spice can help you fight against IBS symptoms.

Besides that, this spice can be used as an alternative ingredient to garlic and onion in cooking. If you often meet IBS after eating garlic or onion, Asafoetida will be the best option to cook some foods that need scents of onion and garlic.

Other Possible Advantages

There are not many studies to prove the actual functions of Asafoetida with health. But, I have found here some other benefits that scientists suggest:

• This spice can prevent the appearance of many kinds of bacteria, especially Streptococcus bacteria, from your body.
• Besides that, eating Asafoetida helps you to lower the sugar level in the blood. I think those who have diabetes should use it regularly in their foods.
• When conducting animal research, scientists realized that Asafoetida creates protection to reduce memory loss and nerve damage.⁽²⁾

FAQs

Once you still have some questions about the Asafoetida substitute, this part belongs to you. I spend my time discussing some frequent questions with you. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section.

Time To Enjoy Indian Food World With Asafoetida Substitute

Well, it is so easy to make Asafoetida substitute with these common ingredients in your home. You can make a small jar of your favorite replacement Asafoetida to use next time.

Asafoetida has been used commonly in ancients and is not easy to find in some places now.

Do not forget to use my list if your family members and you are inspired by Indian food like Tadka Dal, Grilled Salmon with Mango Masala, Red Lentil Soup, etc.

Lastly, I would like to receive your sharings and other ideas to make Asafoetida substitutes. Additionally, you can save this post and send it to your friends as new suggestions in cooking.

References

1.  En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Asafoetida – Wikipedia. 
2. Healthline. 2021. What Is Asafoetida? Benefits, Side Effects, and Uses.