Originally published on April 14, 2021; Updated and republished on December 4, 2025.
This list of 5 amazingly delicious spices that can be the perfect saffron substitute.
Keep reading to find out what to do when you need a saffron substitute.
Table of Contents
What is Saffron?
Saffron powder is a spice that’s been used throughout history as a cooking agent, natural dye, and perfume. The Bronze Age is how far saffron dates back to 3000-1200 B.C.
Zafaran is the name saffron comes from, which is Arabic for yellow. In traditional medicine, saffron has helped treat seizures, vomiting, insomnia, dental pain, liver disease, spasms, and many other ailments.
Where Does Saffron come from?
Saffron powder comes from dried stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower. It is said to have originated in Iran.
What color is Saffron?
Saffron’s golden yellow color may sometimes look more orange depending on the stamen’s color.
Why is Saffron Powder so Expensive?
If spices were royal, then saffron would be king.
Saffron powder is the most expensive spice in the world.
Why?
It takes more than 225,000 Crocus flowers to produce one pound of saffron. There’s no doubt that harvesting saffron takes a lot of work for only small amounts.
What does Saffron taste like?
Some describe saffron as being slightly metallic and bitter.
Others say saffron tastes like honey. Saffron is also said to have an earthy taste, intense, and fruity flavor. All of these descriptions show the complex flavor in the taste of saffron powder.
How to Cook with Saffron
To taste its bold, distinctive flavors, you can buy saffron in powder form or in whole form– also known as saffron threads. Recipes that call for saffron require just a pinch because it doesn’t take much to flavor up your dish.
It’s popular in seafood dishes like paella, bouillabaisse, and Indian cuisine. Tomato sauce, rice, stew, and risotto are examples of foods you might make with saffron powder.
Saffron Substitute List
Because saffron is costly and not always easy to shop for, it may be absent from your spice rack. If your recipe calls for saffron, you can create a delicious dish with a saffron replacement.
Let’s be real, there isn’t an easy substitution for this one-of-a-kind spice.
It’s still possible to mimic its color and flavor by using another spice in your recipe. Why use a saffron substitute? The answers are simple. A saffron substitute might be easier to find in stores and is likely much more affordable.
The following ingredients may make suitable saffron substitutes:
- Safflower
- Tumeric
- Annatto
- Cardamom
- Marigold Blossoms
Safflower
You may be familiar with safflower if you’ve ever cooked with safflower oil. Safflower spice comes from the dried petals of the flower, Carthamus tintorious. The spice is often used as a good substitute for saffron and has been nicknamed “the poor man’s saffron” and “Mexican saffron.”
Dried safflower can be purchesed online (ad).
Safflower vs Saffron
Though their names are similar sounding, safflower and saffron come from different plants. Safflower powder is more of an orange-red color compared to the yellow color of saffron. Even so, safflower can still leave your dish with a pretty yellow hue. It takes a lot more safflower to impact food color compared to saffron.
Flavor-wise, it only takes a small amount of saffron to season your recipe. If you use safflower as a saffron substitute, it will take a more generous amount to give your dish a similar flavor. The two spices differ in taste, with saffron’s honey flavor and safflower’s slight sweet chocolate notes.
Turmeric
Turmeric spice comes from the root of a plant belonging to the ginger family. It’s widely used in Jamaican, Indian, Thai, and Nepalese cultural cuisines. Turmeric has been studied for many health benefits — especially its anti-inflammatory properties.
Ground tumeric powder can be purchased online (ad).
Turmeric vs Saffron
Turmeric and saffron add similar yellow, a vibrant color to foods, even in modest amounts. If you are looking for a good option to color your dish exactly like saffron, you can add a bright red spice, paprika to your turmeric.
While some describe the taste of saffron as earthy, subtly metallic, and nutty, turmeric is peppery and somewhat bitter. Ground turmeric is a proven substitute for saffron and has been used to stretch saffron powder.
Annatto
Annatto is also known as achiote and comes from achiote tree seeds. It has many uses in Latin American, Jamaican, and Filippino cuisines. Annatto seeds serves as a natural coloring agent in many commercial food products including yogurt, ice cream, and cheese.
Ground Annatto powder (achiote Molido) can easily be purchased on Amazon (ad).
Annatto vs Saffron
Annatto is nutty, sweet, and peppery in taste. Vibrantly colored red-orange, annatto powder has a history of use as a food dye like saffron. It’s best to boil annatto in liquid producing an extract to add to your recipe.
Cardamom
Cardamom is a spice that comes from a combination of various plant seeds that grow in India and has a distinctive flavor. It’s commonly used in Indian and Nepalese cuisine.
Cardamom can be purchased online (ad).
Cardamom vs. Saffron
Saffron spice flavors desserts like ice creams and rice puddings. Cardamom differs significantly from saffron because it is not at all bright in color. Unlike the other saffron substitutes mentioned, cardamom is peppery, citrusy, and pungent flavor. It may be the only appropriate saffron substitute for a dessert dish.
Marigold Blossoms
Marigold blossoms are flowers that come from the Calendula plant. Its petals are the only edible part of the flower.
Dried Marigold Blossoms can be purchased online (ad).
Marigold Blossoms vs. Saffron
The marigold blossom’s petals are bright yellow in color and can be used to brighten any dish like saffron. The flavor profile of the marigold is peppery, spicy, and tangy.
Similar to turmeric, marigold blossoms are also used to stretch saffron powder to deceivingly be sold as pure saffron. The petals should be dried and ground to be used in cooking.
Private Practice Registered Dietitian Perspective
Sometimes people think that nutrition counseling is akin to talking to the food police and that Registered Dietitians try to make people follow expensive “perfect” diets. This is really not the case. I tell my patients “Look, this is real life.”
Part of “real life” dietary counseling is helping people make practical nutrition decisions. Cooking new recipes can be expensive and time consuming if people have to buy a lot of new ingredients. This might be a fun process if time and budget allows. But if now, it is a good skill to adapt recipes with lower cost ingredients or ingredients that are easier to access.
So, if I am working with a patient and we are looking at a recipe that calls for Saffron, and the patient does not already have Saffron, we may examine the recipe and see if some simple substitutions could be made.
Bottom Line
It is tough to duplicate the unique flavor of saffron. Four of the five saffron substitutes have great potential to mimic saffron’s beautiful hue. The benefits to using a saffron substitute is that it is easier to purchase at the store and it’s much more affordable.
If your recipe calls for saffron and you don’t have any, these five options can serve as a good saffron substitute in your savory dishes.
The history of saffron is just as rich as its color. When you learn how long it has been valued by different civilizations, it becomes even more impressive that its prestige has never faded.