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Israeli Spices & Seasonings — Shop Kosher Organic Spices from Israel | KosherTop
Discover the spices that define Israeli cooking — Shawarma, Za'atar, Hawayej, Zhug, Jerusalem Mix, Amba, Turmeric, Paprika and more. All organic, kosher certified, shipped directly from Israel to the USA. Shop now at KosherTop.
Walk into any open-air market in Israel — the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem, the Wadi Nisnas market in Haifa — and the spice stalls stop you before you even see them.
The smell hits first. Cumin and turmeric, smoky paprika, dried herbs, roasted seeds, something warm and floral that takes a moment to identify. Then the visual: mountains of deep red, amber, golden-yellow, and forest-green powders piled high in open trays, labeled in Hebrew, Arabic, and sometimes nothing at all — because the vendor knows what everything is and assumes you do too.
Israeli spice culture is one of the most diverse in the world. It reflects the extraordinary range of Jewish communities that came to Israel from over 100 countries — each bringing their own culinary traditions, their own signature blends, their own relationship with flavor. Yemenite Jews brought Hawayej. Iraqi Jews brought Amba. North African Jews brought Zhug and Moroccan Paprika. And the land itself contributed Za'atar, Sumac, and the wild herbs that grow on Israeli hillsides.
All of this — organic, kosher certified, fresh — is now available to order directly from Israel through KosherTop. Here is every spice and blend, with the history, the flavor profile, and exactly how to use it.
Why Israeli Spices Are Different
Before we get into the individual spices, it's worth understanding what makes Israeli-sourced spices different from the spice jars sitting on American supermarket shelves.
Freshness: The volatile aromatic compounds in spices — the molecules that create flavor and aroma — degrade over time, accelerated by light, heat, and oxygen. A spice that has been sitting in a warehouse for 12-18 months (which is common in American grocery distribution) has lost a significant percentage of its potency. Israeli spices shipped directly from Israel have a shelf life and freshness that mass-market American brands cannot match.
Organic: All KosherTop spices are certified organic — no pesticides, no irradiation, no artificial preservatives. This matters particularly for ground spices, where you're consuming the entire surface of the plant.
Kosher certified: Every spice in the KosherTop range carries kosher certification. For those keeping strictly kosher, spice certification matters more than most consumers realize — blends especially can contain non-kosher carriers or fillers.
Quantity: KosherTop spices come in 250g and 1000g formats — professional quantities that represent genuine value for regular cooks.
The Blends — Israel's Signature Spice Mixes
Shawarma Spice — The Flavor of Israeli Street Food
If there is one spice blend that defines Israeli food culture for the rest of the world, it is Shawarma.
<cite index="72-1">Sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, chili pepper, cumin, coriander, and a few other surprises make up this Shawarma dust red powder. A good massage into meat the night before will ensure a more flavorful final product.</cite>
The genius of a great Shawarma spice blend is in the balance: the smokiness from paprika, the warmth from cumin and coriander, the sharpness of garlic and onion, the heat of chili, and the subtle sweetness that rounds everything out. Applied to chicken thighs roasted in a hot oven, it produces something that tastes like it came off a rotating spit in Dizengoff Street — because the spices are the same ones Israeli street vendors actually use.
Available in: 250g and 1000g (ideal for families or anyone who cooks shawarma regularly)
How to use:
- Rub generously onto chicken thighs or breast, ideally the night before. Roast at high heat (220°C/425°F) until caramelized and fragrant.
- Toss with sliced onions and roast together for a one-pan shawarma
- Mix with olive oil and use as a marinade for lamb or beef
- Stir into hummus for a smoky, spiced version
🛒 Order Shawarma Spice 250g → 🛒 Order Shawarma Spice 1000g →
Jerusalem Mix — The Complex Blend of the Holy City
<cite index="69-1">Savoury, smoky and deeply earthy thanks to a turmeric and coriander seed base, with subtle tart notes of sumac and a complex aroma of smoked paprika, ginger, cumin and cardamom.</cite>
Jerusalem Mix is what happens when you try to capture the flavor of a city that has absorbed the cooking traditions of every civilization that has passed through it. The result is a blend that is simultaneously familiar and surprising — you recognize cumin and paprika, but the sumac's tartness and the cardamom's floral warmth add dimensions that most Western spice blends don't have.
How to use:
- The definitive rub for roast chicken — coat generously before roasting
- Mixed with olive oil and drizzled over roasted cauliflower or eggplant
- Stirred into rice or couscous while cooking
- As a seasoning for slow-braised lamb or beef
Hawayej (Hawayij) — The Yemenite Spice That Makes Everything Better
<cite index="68-1">Hawaij is a ground spice mixture used primarily for soups, Mansaf, Samneh and coffee. It is made from cumin, black pepper, turmeric and cardamom. More elaborate versions may include ground cloves, caraway, nutmeg, saffron, coriander and ground dried onions.</cite>
Hawayej arrived in Israel with Yemenite Jewish immigrants and became one of the most beloved flavor profiles in Israeli cooking. It comes in two versions: Hawayej for coffee (sweeter, with more cardamom and ginger) and Hawayej for cooking (more savory, dominated by cumin, black pepper, and turmeric). The cooking version is what we carry — and it transforms chicken soup, rice, and slow-cooked meats in ways that are hard to describe until you've tasted it.
Israeli chicken soup made with Hawayej has a golden color from the turmeric, a warmth from the cumin and black pepper, and a floral complexity from the cardamom that makes it fundamentally different from Ashkenazi chicken soup — and equally comforting.
How to use:
- A teaspoon added to chicken soup changes everything. Use it.
- Stir into rice while cooking for Yemenite-style pilaf
- Rub onto chicken before roasting for golden, aromatic results
- Mix with olive oil and use as a base for a vegetable soup
Zhug (Skhug) — Israel's Beloved Hot Sauce in Spice Form
<cite index="73-1">Caraway, sumac, cumin, coriander, garlic, vinegar powder, paprika, and numerous varieties of chilies blend together elegantly. The powder makes a fantastic rub, but also works as a wet rub, marinade, or dipping sauce when whisked with olive oil and vinegar.</cite>
Zhug is the hot sauce of the Israeli street food world — the condiment that goes on falafel, shawarma, sabich, and everything in between. In its traditional form it's a wet paste of fresh green chilies, herbs, and spices. In the dried spice form available at KosherTop, it brings the same complex heat and flavor profile in a format that stores indefinitely and works as a dry rub.
The key to Zhug is that it's not just hot — it's layered. The sumac adds tartness, the caraway adds an anise-like depth, the coriander adds freshness, and the multiple chili varieties build heat that comes in waves rather than hitting all at once.
How to use:
- Mixed with olive oil and vinegar (2 tsp spice : 3 tbsp oil : 1 tbsp vinegar) for authentic wet Zhug
- Dry rub on lamb chops or chicken wings before grilling
- Stirred into labneh or Greek yogurt for a spicy dip
- Mixed into hummus for a spiced version
Amba Spice — The Iraqi-Israeli Condiment That Goes on Everything
<cite index="68-1">Amba is made from mango slices in sauce made from ground fenugreek seeds, lemon salt, salt and turmeric. Common in southern Indian cuisine, the word "amba" means "mango." From Indian cuisine it spread through sea route traders to Iraqi cuisine, and came to Israel with Iraqi Jewish immigrants. Amba is common in Israel as a sauce for shawarma, falafel and sabich. The spice should be diluted with water to obtain a thick sauce with a unique, spicy and intense smell.</cite>
Amba is one of Israeli food's most distinctive flavors — funky, sour, slightly spicy, deeply savory — and one of the hardest to find outside of Israel and Israeli restaurants. In dry spice form, it reconstitutes with water into a sauce that is immediately recognizable to anyone who has eaten at a good Israeli falafel stand.
How to use:
- Mix 2 tsp spice with 4 tbsp warm water and a squeeze of lemon juice for authentic Amba sauce
- Use on falafel, shawarma, sabich (fried eggplant sandwich) and grilled fish
- Stir into mayonnaise for a Middle Eastern aioli
- Mix with tahini for a complex, layered dipping sauce
The Essentials — Single Spices Every Israeli Kitchen Needs
Turmeric (Curcumin) — The Golden Spice of Israeli Cooking
<cite index="73-1">Turmeric is one of the most highly prized spices in the world. As a member of the ginger family it possesses a distinct gingery quality that's often described as woody, musky, and floral. The naturally occurring compound curcumin also lends a certain mustard flavor.</cite>
Turmeric is the backbone of Israeli Mizrahi cooking — it goes into rice, soup, chicken, fish, and the spice blends that define Yemenite and Moroccan Jewish food. Beyond flavor, curcumin (the active compound in turmeric) has been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory properties, making it one of the few spices that nutritionists recommend for health as well as taste.
How to use:
- A teaspoon in chicken soup or rice while cooking for golden color and warm flavor
- Combined with black pepper (which dramatically increases curcumin absorption) for maximum benefit
- In a golden milk (turmeric + warm milk + honey + black pepper)
- Mixed into hummus or tahini for color and depth
Sweet Paprika — The Israeli Kitchen Essential
<cite index="71-1">Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red bell peppers. Essential for garnishing deviled eggs, paprika is one of the best ways to enliven a breast of chicken or oven-roasted vegetables. Imported from Spain and of the highest quality. Resealable packaging ensures freshness.</cite>
Sweet paprika is on every Israeli kitchen shelf — used for color, mild sweetness, and that unmistakable red warmth that appears on hummus, roasted chicken, shakshuka, and a hundred other dishes. The Spanish-sourced paprika in the KosherTop range is premium quality, with a depth of flavor that supermarket paprika — which is often old and largely flavorless — cannot match.
How to use:
- Sprinkled over hummus with olive oil — the classic Israeli presentation
- Added to shakshuka (Israeli egg and tomato dish) for depth
- Rubbed onto chicken with olive oil and salt before roasting
- Stirred into rice, lentils, or soups for color and warmth
Moroccan Paprika — When You Want More Heat
<cite index="67-1">Moroccan smoked hot paprika is a Spanish variety — a brilliant red powder with more kick than sweet paprika. Excellent in braises, stews, and curries. Also a nifty way to perk up deviled eggs and drinking chocolate.</cite>
Where sweet paprika adds color and gentleness, Moroccan Paprika adds fire. In Israeli North African cooking — the tradition of Moroccan, Tunisian, and Libyan Jewish immigrants — smoked hot paprika is the backbone of fish stews, braised chicken, and the fiery sauces that define Shabbat tables from this community.
How to use:
- Braised fish in spicy tomato sauce (Israeli Moroccan style)
- Added to chicken stew with preserved lemon and olives
- Mixed with sweet paprika for a balanced heat
- In shakshuka when you want more fire
🛒 Order Moroccan Paprika 250g →
Sudanese Chili Pepper — Maximum Heat, Authentic Flavor
<cite index="66-1">Spicy chili pepper known as "Sudanese pepper" — used for ornamental and edible food, it reaches its peak when dried. Suitable for Mexican stews, sauces, and salads such as meatballs and spicy fish.</cite>
For those who want genuine heat — not the mild warmth of paprika but the focused intensity of a real chili pepper — Sudanese dried chili delivers. Used in small quantities to add fire to sauces, stews, and marinades.
How to use:
- Added to spicy fish dishes and Moroccan-style stews
- Ground and mixed into Zhug for extra heat
- Infused in olive oil for a chili oil
- Used in meatball sauce for Sephardic-style kofta
🛒 Order Sudanese Chili Pepper 1000g →
Build Your Israeli Spice Collection — By Cooking Style
For Israeli street food at home (shawarma, falafel, sabich): Shawarma Spice + Amba Spice + Zhug + Sweet Paprika
For Yemenite-Israeli cooking (soups, rice, chicken): Hawayej + Turmeric + Sweet Paprika
For Moroccan-Israeli cooking (fish stews, braised meats): Moroccan Paprika + Sudanese Chili + Jerusalem Mix
For everyday Israeli cooking (roast chicken, vegetables, hummus): Jerusalem Mix + Sweet Paprika + Turmeric
The starter pack — if you're ordering for the first time: Shawarma Spice + Jerusalem Mix + Hawayej + Turmeric — these four cover 80% of Israeli home cooking.
Why Order Spices from Israel?
Spice quality depends almost entirely on freshness. The volatile aromatic compounds that create flavor and aroma — the terpenes, aldehydes, and essential oils that make cumin smell like cumin and turmeric taste like turmeric — degrade steadily from the moment a spice is ground.
American supermarket spices, even name-brand ones, are often 12-24 months old by the time they reach your kitchen. Israeli spices ordered from KosherTop are shipped from source, organic, and arrive with the maximum possible remaining shelf life.
The difference in flavor is immediate and noticeable. If you've ever wondered why your cooking doesn't taste quite like what you had in an Israeli restaurant or at someone's Israeli grandmother's table, fresh spices are very often the reason.
Browse the complete KosherTop spice collection →
Free shipping available on orders over $299. All products organic, kosher certified, and shipped directly from Israel to the USA.
KosherTop is Israel's premier online store, shipping authentic Israeli food, spices, pantry staples, and beauty products directly from Israel to customers across the USA and worldwide.
