I recently was able to get a hold of a small coffee grinder/spice grinder. From what I have read, bulk/whole spices have a significantly longer shelf life than the ground types and do not have the additional markup. Most ground spices are sold in volumes that expire before you have a chance to use them. I plan to slowly restock my spices with their whole/bulk alternatives and then grind them as needed for individual recipes. I think in the long run, this may also be slightly cheaper, but for the life of me am having trouble finding stores that carry the whole alternatives. I am located in the US South region, so any recommendations are encouraged. Online store recommendations are welcome as well, really just trying to find a good deal. Has anyone else tried to convert their spice rack to whole spices?
What grocery stores carry bulk/whole spices?
byu/First_Education7192 inFrugal
Posted by First_Education7192
5 Comments
If you have a WinCo, I would try them first
nah costco tho
Try your local ethnic stores. Asian markets, or middle eastern stores are a good bet.
Best place for cheap whole spices is any ethnic market. Indian esoecially but others as well
Not the main chains. But in Southern California I have lots of options. The most mainstream store near me that sells bulk spices is Sprouts. I buy most of mine from Winco. I have a few tailored more to the health food market. I also have Middle Eastern stores available.
I don’t know about online. I would expect that, with shipping costs, it can’t be cheap. One of the advantages of buying from the bulk bins is that I can buy my spices in quantities I think I’ll actually use soon rather than stocking up on years’ worth at once. The cost is far less than the standard supermarket spices.