Mango powder or amchur is a common souring ingredient in Indian cooking. Made using dried raw mangoes, this wonderful powder can add a lightly fruity and sour flavor to many recipes.
Amchur is used to make spicy curries, meats, and vegetables with spicy bases with a more neutralized flavor. The sourness balances the spicy blends of complex masalas(spice blends), crucial to Indian cuisine.
Outline
12 Substitutes to Mango Powder
The best substitute for Mango Powder are – Lemon Juice, Tamarind, Chaat Masala, Kokum Fruit, Raw Mango, Dry Pomegranate Powder, Yogurt, Tomato, Vinegar, Persian Loomi, Sumac, and Citric Acid Powder. They are discussed in detail here –
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice can be a good replacement for mango powder in many recipes.
In recipes with a liquid base, like curries, sauces, chutneys, and beverages, lemon juice can be used equally to mango powder.
Lemon juice can create an unpleasant taste if cooked for a long time and must be added to hot cooked dishes towards the end. This is also very easily available and is an affordable substitute too.
You can use bottled lemon juice with no added sugar or even lime juice in place of mango powder.
Summary
Lemon juice is an affordable, easy access substitute to dry mango powder that works well in recipes with liquid bases.
Tamarind
Tamarind has an earthy, sweet, and tangy flavor added to a lot of Indian dishes. This is a common kitchen ingredient in most Indian kitchens.
Tamarind paste can be made out of soaking ripe tamarind fruit in warm water and straining it.
Tamarind comes close to the mellow tang of the mango powder. Thus, this is a good alternative to use in curries, with vegetables, lentils, meats, sauces, and chutneys. Tamarind is also pocket-friendly and easy to use.
You may find ready-made tamarind paste and powder on the shelves of local supermarkets or Asian ingredient shops too.
Summary
Tamarind paste is a great alternative when you can not find mango powder. It is a common ingredient in Indian cuisine and can be used in most recipes in mango powder.
Chaat Masala
Chaat masala is a compound spice mix from the Indian kitchen available in most supermarkets, Asian or Indian ingredient stores.
Chaat masala contains dry mango powder and other ingredients like black salt, red chili powder, and more.
Since this is a compound, chaat masala might add additional salty, sweet, and spicy flavors to your recipes.
Chaat masala should add an identical tart flavor since it contains dry mango powder in all recipes that need it.
Summary
Chaat masala is a common kitchen ingredient that contains dry mango powder and hence may be able to add the exact ingredient into your recipes, with a few additions like salt and red chili powder. Therefore, it should be used carefully.
Kokum Fruit
Kokum fruit is a small cherry-tomato-sized fruit that is sour and has a sweet fragrance. Kokum is commonly used in western Indian cuisine, primarily in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and West Karnataka.
Dry kokum can be soaked to extract the pulp and used in place of mango powder to achieve a sharp tart flavor with a slightly fruity smell.
This may also leave a pinkish color in your dish.
It is a good replacement for beverages and recipes with a liquid base, like curries and chutneys.
Kokum is also good for digestive health; since it is known to relieve gastric problems.
Summary
Kokum fruit is a small cherry-tomato-like fruit with a tart flavor, whose pulp can be used in place of mango powder in recipes with liquid bases.
Raw Mango
Fresh raw mango is an accurate replacement for mango powder since it may provide an almost identical flavor profile as mango powder.
It may be a little bit fruitier than dry mango but works very well in chaats, chutneys, and more.
Raw mangoes are seasonal, and finding them year-round may be a challenge. Grated raw mango can be used instead of mango powder.
Summary
Fresh raw mango, though seasonally available, can generate a very similar flavor profile to mango powder. Grated raw mango can be used instead of mango powder.
Dry Pomegranate Powder
Dry pomegranate powder is a great substitute for mango powder. This is a common ingredient in North Indian kitchens, often used as a souring agent in lentils and legume-based recipes.
Dry pomegranate seeds can be found both whole or powder. Whole grains can be processed in a food processor into a fine powder and used in mango powder.
It has a slightly sweet flavor and a unique texture. This ingredient can be found easily year-round in Indian grocery stores.
This replacement can be used in dry recipes like spice mixes and more, as well as liquid-based recipes like chutneys or dressings and more.
Summary
Dry pomegranate powder is a great replacement for mango powder. It is a common kitchen ingredient in northern Indian kitchens used commonly in lentils and legume recipes.
Yogurt
This is a common ingredient used in place of dry mango powder in liquid-based recipes. In addition to being versatile, yogurt is also a great addition to your diet since it has many health benefits.
Yogurt is high in probiotic bacteria, loads of calcium, high amounts of protein and disease-fighting vitamin D.
Yogurt is easily available and affordable and has a tart flavor that can somewhat provide the sourness that dry mango powder may, particularly in curries, chutneys and dressings.
Summary
Yoghurt is easy to access and an affordable replacement to use in place of mango powder in chutneys and dressings. It has several health benefits.
Tomato
Another affordable and easy alternative to dry mango powder is that tomatoes are a great tart and juicy choice to dry mango powder in many recipes.
Tart tomatoes can be pureed to release and blend the malic acid and citric acids that combine to give a nice tart and sour flavor to your recipes.
Tomatoes may be extremely watery and must be added with caution.
Summary
This is a very easily available and affordable vegetable that can easily replace dry mango powder in recipes with a curry base or dressings and chutneys. It has a tart and sour flavor.
Vinegar
When in a pinch, fruit-based vinegar is your best bet to add a sour flavor to your recipes. Vinegar works particularly well in salads and chutneys and may also work well in curries.
Vinegar is extremely acidic and must be used with caution. Non-fruit vinegar, in particular, is chemically sourced, though safe to consume.
It is recommended that vinegar be used along with a sweetening agent to balance its extreme acidic flavor.
Non-fruit vinegar may not be able to achieve the slight fruity aroma of dry mango, and hence fruit vinegar like apple cider could be a better replacement.
Summary
This is a common souring agent in traditional kitchens. Fruit vinegar is a better alternative than non-fruit vinegar. It works best in salads and chutneys.
Persian Loomi
Persian Loomi is made of boiling Persian limes in saltwater. It is then dried, which turns the limes black. It has a strong salty and sour flavor.
This is a versatile replacement to amchur; it can be used in many dry and liquid-based recipes.
Loomi has citrus undertones that go well with vegetables, lamb, seafood, and meats too. You can find this ingredient in Mediterranean ingredient stores and supermarkets.
Summary
This is a dry lime from Persia that can be used in most recipes in place of dry mango powder. It has a salty and sour flavor.
Sumac
Sumac is an astringent souring agent made out of sumac flower berries that are dried and powdered.
Sumac is used to making several different meat-based, vegetable, and lentil-based recipes sour.
Sumac is a common spice powder that can be easily found in supermarkets or sourced from online pantries.
Summary
Sumac is a spice powder made of dried sour sumac berries. This is a good dry replacement for dry mango powder.
Citric Acid Powder
The citric acid powder is a common preservative used in many recipes but can also be used as a souring agent. Food grade citric acid is great for adding sour flavors to recipes.
It can be an effective replacement for mango powder.
The citric acid powder will most likely be available in the form of crystals in the market.
You may have to process it in a food processor or grind it in a mortar and pestle if you wish to add it into dry recipes or spice blends.
It is highly acidic and has a very concentrated flavor, and must be used with caution. It may not provide a fruity flavor to your recipes since it is essentially a pure sour flavor.
Summary
This ingredient is mostly used as a canning preservative but can be substituted in a powder form in place of amchur. This ingredient is highly concentrated and just be used with some caution.
FAQs
Dry mango powder is a common souring agent used in many Indian recipes. It is added to vegetables, snacks, lentils, and other legume-based recipes, chutneys, sauces, dressings, and beverages.
Yes. Chaat masala contains more ingredients; black salt, sugar, red chilies, along mango powder. Hence it must be used carefully.
Yes. It can be used instead of mango powder to provide a similar sweet and sour flavor. Tamarind is earthier than mango and will add more fruitiness than dry mango powder.
Bottom Line
Some wonderful substitutes are available to replace Amchur in your recipes to give it that unmistakably delicious tangy sour flavor.
These substitutes all work very well in most of the recipes.
As per your accessibility and need, we hope. You can use one of these twelve excellent substitutes in your recipe to give it the sour twist you need.