15 Best Masala Dabbas in the UK to Spice up Your Kitchen

Food & Drinks

15 Best Masala Dabbas in the UK to Spice up Your Kitchen

Indian kitchens have long been regarded as that magical place where raw ingredients, spices and love come together to create magic for your palate. Indeed, Indian cuisine is well-loved across the world, not only by the Indian diaspora, but everyone else too. But have you ever wondered what drives the Indian kitchen (and cook) forward? It is an enchanting and aromatic masala dabba. Where do you go to find the best masala dabbas in the UK?

Masalas have always been a key addition to Indian cooking. Add masalas to anything, and it instantly changes from a mundane dish to a gastronomic extravaganza. However, it is important that you keep these treasures safe and fresh at all times, for they are perishable when not handled with care. That’s where a masala dabba comes in to save your day (and your meal).

We’ve compiled some of the best masala dabbas that you can purchase in the UK, which can bring back the zest in your cooking that you’ve been missing for so long!

1. What Is a Masala Dabba Spice Box?

A masala dabba is an Indian spice box, which can store different varieties of Indian spices and condiments. They’re considered an essential storage unit for any Indian kitchen, and can be found in every Indian household. They’re so popular because they’re incredibly easy to use, can hold multiple spices at a time, and their ability to keep the items in perfect condition is unmatched.

2. What Should Be There Inside a Masala Dabba?

A typical Indian masala dabba will ideally contain the seven key spices of any Indian kitchen: Cinnamon, coriander powder, black pepper, cardamom, chilli, turmeric and cumin. Each of these have their own distinctive taste which can sway the flavours in your dish according to your taste. As a bonus, each of these spices have their own health benefits and can help boost your immunity!

3. 15 Best Masala Dabbas in the UK

1. Zinel Spice Container

Zinel’s amazing masala dabba comes equipped with 7 compartments, so that you can store all the delicious masalas in one place without any hassle. It even has 2 stainless steel lids, measuring 22cms, so that your masalas are always safe inside.

This is one of the best masala dabbas that we came across. It has been designed with exquisite craftsmanship, is extremely durable and will take utmost care of all your seven spices, so that you can enjoy the delicious aroma and taste the goodness of Indian flavours all year round.

2. Stainless Steel Dabba by Tabakh

The stainless steel dabba by Tabakh is certainly a sight to behold in the kitchen. WIth a lid that spans 24cms in diameter, it is quite large and can store all the quintessential Indian spices inside it, with surprising ease.

The strongly built box is tough, and can keep your spices in the best possible condition. We found that the inner lid of the box can be a bit sharp, so you have to be careful while opening or closing the box. Otherwise, you might bruise your finger. If you can overlook that tiny issue, it is certainly one of the best masala dabbas here and we definitely recommend it.

3. Oceanstar’s Bamboo Box

The bamboo box from the house of Oceanstar is a contemporary and modern take on the traditional masala box. Just as durable and sturdy to weather the zest of Indian spices, the maboo design gives the entire concept of masala box a fresh new flavour and colour. The product may be advertised as a tea box, but you can be assured it can act as the best masala dabba that your Indian cooking needs.

The wooden colours of the box adapts comfortably to houses that have wooden kitchens. The unique design of the box also makes it a perfect gift for all occasions. However, during our usage, we found that its lid doesn’t fit as tightly as the other steel boxes. Also note that the product’s strong woody smell may not bode well with you. Regardless, it’s an option that you should really check out.

4. Cornucopia’s Indian Spice Tins

Still can’t decide on the best masala dabba for you? Here’s another offering from Cornucopia that offers unique spice tins, which are perfect for storing masalas in them. They aren’t the traditional masala box that you may have in mind, but they’re equally efficient to use, if not more.

These excellent masala dabbas act as excellent space savers, and are magnetic in nature. That gives you the advantage of sticking them on any metal surface and provides unmatched ease of access. These magnetic tins save a lot on storage space, and as a bonus, have 2 years of warranty from the manufacturer. This offering from Cornucopia really caught our eyes and we recommend you have a look at them before buying a dabba for yourself.

5. ProCook’s Spice Rack With 20 Jars

This is yet another option that comes with a modern twist on the traditional masala dabba. The new concept may raise a few eyebrows, since it’s very compact and saves you a ton of space!

The coolest feature of this offering from ProCook is that you get an entire rack for containing your spices, and the containers themselves are filled with the most delicious set of spices. This spice rack will ensure that there may be a few dull days at work, but never in your kitchen! Go check it out!

6. Wooden Masala Dabba by Naaz

Naaz Wood Arts brings forward another unique masala dabba available in the UK that will get you excited with its incredible design, and keep your spices fresh as a daisy, all at the same time. The box is designed with wood which has been crafted carefully by expert hands, plus, it’s eco friendly too!

This specific product from Naaz is quite larger than the traditional masala dabba of Indian households, and that gives you the added benefit of holding up to nine different spices inside. We really admired the box’s easy on the eye finish, which lends it an antique look, so it can easily double up as the perfect gift, regardless of the occasion. This one really deserved a shoutout from us.

7. Masala Dabba Made of Wood by Affaires

Here we have yet another inspiring and beautiful masala dabba made of wood, from the house of Affaires. We really dig its design, and it’s yet another of those incredible boxes that lets you store 9 different spices inside it.

We found that each of the spice cubicles are 2.25 inches deep, which means you can store a lot of masalas inside this dabba. The box has been crafted with eco-friendly sheesham wood, so you don’t have to worry about harming the environment while you explore newer flavours in your kitchen.

8. Spice Organizer by Indian Glance

Agreed, the best masala dabba can be hard to find. But, this Indian Glance product will take you back to your childhood (literally). The rounded box is coloured and designed to take you back to your roots. It even has well placed floral carvings on the lid and the box, which gives it a very ethnic rustic look.

The size of the box keeps up with the entire traditional theme it’s trying to portray, and we love it. With a 6 inch diameter and 3.5 inch height, the dabba is made from a mix of rosewood and timber. One notable drawback here is that it can only hold four spices at once, so you may have to pick and choose with your masalas. Even then, the box is incredibly functional and decorative. It can add flavour to your food and your room. We highly recommend you to take a look at it.

9. Tanish Trading’s Spice Container

This masala dabba from Tanish Trading really had our heart. And why not? It has one of the best designs out there, and resembles those dabbas that modern day households in India usually keep for their everyday use. Made of stainless steel, this dabba can hold 7 different spices in it and even comes with a spice spoon.

The lid is pretty great too, as we found out. It’s airtight, which ensures that your masalas are safe from the outside world. The simple, yet modern design, with a gorgeous steel finish makes it one of our favourites. If you decide to pick this one up for your home, you can be assured that it’ll be a very good investment for your taste buds.

10. Masala Box From Crafts’man

This handcrafted masala dabba from Crafts’man is made of high quality sheesham wood, and has a beautiful stained pattern which lends it an even more original look. The box measures 8 by 8 inch in dimensions and can hold up to 9 different spices inside its cabinets. This makes it one of the best masala dabbas in the UK.

It also comes along with a spoon inside it, which we think is an added bonus. The cabinets themselves aren’t too deep, they can hold masalas for up to 2-3 months of use, and we really appreciate that. Masalas inside a box should never exceed more than a few months, otherwise they’ll lose their aroma and flavours. Overall, it’s a really good product and you will be happy to have purchased it.

11. Stainless Steel Masala Dabba by Starnk

This masala dabba from Starnk is another of the modern yet authentic dabbas that really caught our eyes. Quite similar in design to the product offered by Tarnish, as shown above, it comes with an incredible stainless steel finish.

The steel lids, steel masala cups and the inner steel lids are all what come together to give this product a shiny and authentic edge. Its round design and low weight (just 5 ounces) make it an overall great product and we think it’s a must buy!

12. Steel Masala Dabba From The Three Sisters

Here we have another masala dabba that doesn’t go overboard with the fancy, and still gets things done and keeps your kitchen squeaky clean while it’s at it. It comes with 8 tins inside, which you can fill up with spices and explore the magic of Indian flavours right from your home in the UK!

This dabba may not have a lot of razzle dazzle, but there is no dearth of quality in the product. Made with custom made stainless steel with a transparent lid, cooking with this one on your side will be a delight. There’s a measuring spice spoon included inside too!

13. Spice Box by Spectrahut

Spectrahut’s masala dabba comes with a wooden finish and transparent glass lid, which lets you look at the spices and admire their colours. The warm honey brown like colour of the wooden box also goes really well with a wooden kitchen. The matching wooden spice spoon is an added bonus and we love it!

The dabba has nine cubed containers inside and is larger than the usual masala boxes that you can find. It’s one of the prettiest boxes in this list, and it goes without saying – we recommend it. However, do remember that water ruins these masalas, so keep an eye out for that.

14. Indian Spice Tin by Spice Kitchen

Spice Kitchen’s offering stands out from the rest. What sets it apart is that it comes with a recipe book of authentic Indian dishes that can be prepared with the spices that you store inside their gorgeous spice container.

It doesn’t just end there. When you buy a spice tin from them, you get 9 different spices, blended with care in the UK, for free! The tins are made from high quality stainless steel, and it even packs in a small metal spoon with various measures indicated on it, so that you never go wrong with the quantity. We absolutely love the entire package and you should definitely check it out. This one has its own place amongst the best masala dabbas in the UK mentioned in this list.

15. Build Your Own Masala Dabba by Diaspora Co.

This beautifully polished masala dabba from Diascopra Co. really made us buy one of ourselves. The design, the shade of the dabba, the overall outlook of the setup – everything feels royal.

But surely, looks aren’t everything. It is a highly useful tool for all your kitchen needs, with each of the internal tins having their own colourful inner lids and spice spoons. As if that wasn’t enough, you can create your own masala combination from their website, which will come packed inside the dabba. This is one of the most unique offerings in this list and we love it!