What Is Tamarind? A Comprehensive Guide to the Ingredient and How to Use It

I grew up in a South Indian household, and the first kitchen task I was given as a child was making tamarind paste. My mom would pour hot water over a small golf ball–sized piece of dark brown dehydrated tamarind and pass me the bowl once the water was cool enough to handle. I would squish and squeeze the soft, slippery pulp with my hands, gliding across the smooth tamarind seeds and getting my fingers entangled in the small stringy fibers until the water turned to a thick, deep brown paste. The paste was used in myriad of family dishes, and I especially loved the way it imparted its signature tart flavor to my favorite dish, rasam—a clear, brothy tomato soup. The paste’s tartaric acid even helped polish silverware so it looked brand new. 

While using tamarind in the kitchen is second nature to me, many of the students in the Indian cooking classes I teach in Seattle ask how to source and use it. To offer a broader perspective on tamarind's role in different cuisines, I spoke with cookbook authors Pailin Chongchitnant of Hot Thai Kitchen and Sabai, Abi Balingit of Mayumu, Rick Martinez of Mi Cocina, and Sandra Gutierrez of Latinismo, who shared their insights from Thai, Filipino, Mexican, and Latin American cooking, respectively.

What Is Tamarind?

Although its peanut-shaped fruit should be a dead giveaway, many folks are surprised to learn that tamarind is a leguminous tree that’s native to Africa. Through trade and colonization, it has been cultivated in tropical regions across Asia and Latin America. The American Herbal Products Association drew on various sources—including a manual by Byzantine physician Nikolaos Myrepsos (also known as Dynameron) titled Myrepsos—to conclude that the plant was used as early as the 13th century for various medicinal purposes, including a treatment for jaundice, to curtail fevers, and hydrate and cool down the body, making it the Gatorade of its time.

The tree produces pod-like fruits that look like a longer and curvier version of a peanut pod—the in-shell kind you would find at a baseball game. These pods are harvested by shaking the tree when the fruit ripens from green to brown. When cracked open, the inside of a tamarind pod has a sticky, dark brown date-like pulp that is intertwined with seeds and fibers. “The pulp has a jammy texture with notes like a really sour plum to it,” says Martinez. The level of sweetness and sourness in tamarind pulp depends on both the ripeness of the tamarind as well as the variety. Riper tamarind is sweeter, and certain varieties, like those from Thailand, are naturally more sugary than others.

Types of Tamarind Products

Tamarind is sold in a variety of forms including pods, pulps, concentrates/pastes, and powders. It’s readily available at South Asian, East Asian, Central American, South American, and Middle Eastern grocery stores. Below is an overview of the different tamarind products you might encounter and how they’re sold.

Whole Tamarind Pods

The least processed form of tamarind you can buy, whole tamarind pods are large brown peanut-shaped fruits with pulp and seeds on the inside. The pods are typically sold either in large plastic bags or boxes.  When purchasing tamarind pods, Gutierrez says to “press on the tamarind pod to check if the hard shell is crunchy and breaks easily. There shouldn’t be any fungus or mold that is growing.” Another trick I use that doesn’t require pressing on the tamarind is to find a bag with a higher distribution of longer pods, as the longer pods are easier to crack, which indicates quality.

How and when to use whole tamarind pods: The pulp inside the tamarind pods is what is used for cooking or eating. “In Guatemala, where I grew up, we would peel tamarind and eat them,” says Gutierrez. “The peel, of course, is like a peanut peel, [but] a little bit messier because it sticks to the inside of the tamarind. We would suck on the tamarind and make sure not to eat the big seeds. The pleasure of eating just tamarind, like that, for me, is huge.” 

Most tamarind pods sold in the US are labeled as "sweet tamarind" because they are more sweet than sour; sour varieties are typically processed into tamarind pulp. Chongchitnant prefers using sweet tamarind pods for snacking rather than cooking, since savory dishes like pad thai benefit from the sour flavor of tamarind pulp. The pulp from the sweet tamarind pods can also be used to make homemade sweet treats like caramels or fruit leathers.

Storing whole tamarind pods: Whole, unpeeled tamarind pods can be stored in the fridge, where they should last for several weeks, according to Chongchitnant. 

Tamarind Pulp

Tamarind pulp is the inner flesh of the tamarind pod, typically sold in large, compressed blocks that are dark brown and either wet or dehydrated. The wet variety, which is more widely available, is semi-processed with some fibers and seeds removed, though a few usually remain. The dehydrated version, often found in Indian and Middle Eastern stores, is a dark brown-black color and contains all fibers and seeds, making it harder in texture but more shelf-stable. 

How and when to use tamarind pulp: Both the wet and dehydrated pulps need to be processed into homemade pastes before use in recipes, but the effort is worth it for the balanced tart and sweet flavor they provide. 

To make homemade tamarind paste from pulp, break apart a small piece of the pulp and steep it in boiling water for at least 15 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze and mash the pulp to separate it from the fibers and seeds. Strain the mixture through a sieve, using more water for a diluted paste that’s ideal for stews or curries, and less water for a thicker paste suited for marinades or stir-fries. 

This same method can also be used to make a paste from the pulp inside whole tamarind pods, but, since these pods are normally sweet, they will in turn yield a homemade paste that is also sweet.

Storing tamarind pulp and homemade tamarind paste: A wet tamarind block can be stored at room temperature until opened, after which it should be refrigerated and will last several weeks. A dehydrated tamarind block, however, can remain at room temperature even after opening, and can last well over a year. The homemade paste made from the pulp can be stored in the fridge for several weeks. 

“If I'm going to make [tamarind paste from pulp], I'm going to make a large batch that is going to last me for years,” says Martinez. “I freeze them in bags for a future day. If all I need is a couple tablespoons for a recipe, I can break off a piece like it's an ice cube, and then throw it in a pot.”

Tamarind Paste or Tamarind Concentrate

Tamarind paste and concentrate sold in stores are ready-to-use products made from processed tamarind pulp or pods, free of seeds and fibers. However, the labels "tamarind concentrate" and "tamarind paste" are used interchangeably, which can cause confusion when reading recipes and shopping. However, you can know more about what kind of product you’re getting not from these labels, but rather from where the product was made. If the tamarind is from Thailand, Vietnam, or Latin America, it will be a brown liquid, while Indian tamarind concentrate is black and sticky; these two types cannot be used interchangeably. In general, Indian tamarind pastes like Tamicon are typically more intense, requiring only a teaspoon for a strong sour flavor compared to Thai, Vietnamese, or Latin American brands like Aroy-D and Cock, which require at least a tablespoon. 

How and when to use tamarind paste or concentrate: When following recipes—especially when tamarind is the star ingredient in the dish—my preferred method is to make tamarind paste from scratch instead of using store-bought concentrate or pastes, as it yields the freshest and purest taste. In my experience, most store-bought pastes and concentrates contain preservatives like citric acid, which can impart an artificial flavor, similar to how bottled lemon juice will taste less sweet and more tart than fresh lemon juice. 

“When I was developing a recipe for a tamarind salsa, I tested the bottled paste vs. the homemade paste,” says Martinez. “I realized that you might hate that salsa as a result of the processed taste of the bottled paste. It’s similar to if you're making a tomato salsa—if you don't have good tomatoes, you kind of ruin your salsa. However, in my book Mi Cocina, I have a tamarind shrimp recipe. I was a little less concerned about using bottled paste here, because when you're using it, there are so many other flavors involved.” 

The bottled pastes are my go-to when I need to get dinner on the table fast and I don’t have time to make homemade tamarind paste. Non-Indian bottled tamarind paste and homemade paste made from pulp or pods can often be used interchangeably. 

I normally start with half the recommended amount of tamarind paste, and taste and adjust to achieve my desired balance of sweet and sour. “Different brands of tamarind paste vary greatly in acidity, so you always need to taste and adjust your dish whenever you cook with tamarind,” says Chongchitnant. Because of this, it’s best to use the exact brand recommended in the recipe, or a paste from the same region as the recommended brand. If no brand is specified, I use Indian brands for Indian recipes and non-Indian brands for all others. 

“You can adjust the recipe and make it sweeter by adding more sugar, or adding a little bit of lime juice or lemon juice for acidity,” says Gutierrez.

Storing tamarind paste or concentrate: Bottled tamarind pastes and concentrates can be stored in the pantry until opened, then refrigerated, where they typically last at least 12 months.

Tamarind Powder

Tamarind powder—made from tamarind pulp that’s dehydrated and ground, then mixed with cornstarch to prevent clumping—is a tangy, brown powder that delivers a sour kick similar to the coating on sour candy. Out of all the tamarind products, it's the most difficult one to source in stores, likely because it’s newer to the market, but it’s easily found online.

How and when to use tamarind powder: Tamarind powder is best used in a recipe where you want to add the flavor of tamarind without incorporating excess liquid. It works great in dry spice blends, as a dusting for chicken wings, or for rimming cocktail glasses. 

“I like the powder because it delivers on the mouth-watering sour flavor that I love without having to change the texture of the dish or add liquid,” says Balingat. In Balingit’s book, Mayumu, she calls for tamarind powder in her sampalok tajin snickerdoodles to keep excess moisture out of the cookies, preserve their texture, and provide a second acidic component alongside cream of tartar for complex flavor results. 

Storing tamarind powder: When stored in a cool, dark spot in your spice cabinet or pantry, tamarind powder should be used within six to eight months after opening, after which it will begin to lose its flavor.

Recipes That Use Tamarind

There are a number of dishes across various cuisines that highlight tamarind’s sweet and sour notes.

Tamarind in Indian Cuisine

Tamarind paste is used as a souring agent in Indian dishes like fish curries and hearty lentil stews like sambar, where it adds a pop of acidity. Growing up, my mom would make tamarind rice for school lunches by adding a thick tamarind paste with spices and tossing it with fluffy basmati rice for a sour and spicy dish. Tamarind paste is a non-negotiable in dishes like rasam, where it contributes a mouth-puckering tang. It’s also added to chutneys like tamarind date chutney and tomato chutney for a boost of brightness.

Tamarind in Thai Cuisine

Thai cooking leans on tamarind paste as a souring component in stir-fries and sauces. Pad thai is one of Chongchitnant’s favorite Thai dishes that uses tamarind, and other dishes that play on the sweet and sour characteristics of this ingredient include massaman curry, Thai fried eggs in tamarind sauce, and Thai red snapper and green papaya sour curry. 

Thai Recipes Using Tamarind

Gaeng Massaman Neua (Thai Massaman Curry with Beef)

Gaeng Som Pla Gapohng Daeng (Southern Thai Red Snapper and Green Papaya Sour Curry)

Tamarind in Filipino Cuisine

In the Philippines, tamarind is used heavily in all kinds of applications like sampalok (tamarind) candies coated with sweet or spicy coatings. But Balingat notes that the most popular Filipino dish that features tamarind is sinigang. “It uses tamarind and tomatoes for a super sour stew,” she says. “There is something about every bite that doesn’t get tiring because of the sour taste in every bite.”

Tamarind in Mexican and Other Latin American Cuisines

Martinez notes that in Mexican cuisine, tamarind pulp is used in a lot of different drinks. “A very popular tamarind drink in Mexico is agua de tamarindo,” he says. “Fresh tamarind is added to a five-gallon batch of agua fresca to serve with meals. The drink is really balanced; there's a good amount of acidity to it, and not too sweet. Folks also use jicama like a paleta and drizzle it in tamarind syrup and chamoy, then sprinkle tajin and give it to kids. It’s like a sweet-sour tamarind popsicle that doesn’t melt even if it is 100 degrees.” Gutierrez also suggests mixing tamarind into margaritas or micheladas “to add another dimension of sweetness.” The key to doing this successfully is starting with small amounts and adjusting to your liking.

Popsicles

Tamarind and Palm Sugar Popsicles With Chili Salt

serves: 10

view recipe

More widely in Latin American cooking, tamarind can be used anywhere you need to add a little bit of acid and sweetness to a dish, and its acidity also helps break down the proteins in meat. “I like to use [tamarind] in tough cuts like briskets or the lesser cuts of beef and goat that are a little bit harder to cook down and to make tender and fall apart,” explains Gutierrez. She also encourages using it in desserts, sauces, and vinaigrettes. “Growing up, we had a mouth-watering dessert called mil hojas, with layers of puff pastry, egg custard, and tamarind sauce,” says Gutierrez.

The Takeaway

Tamarind is a versatile fruit available in various forms: pods, pulp, paste, and powder. Each has its own uses, but they all contribute a distinctively sweet and sour flavor to dishes. Tamarind pods are great for snacking, while homemade paste made from pulp offers the freshest and most balanced flavor. Store-bought tamarind paste is great when you’re short on time, and tamarind powder adds tang without contributing excess liquid to a recipe. This sweet and sour ingredient imparts a fruity tang to Indian, Thai, Filipino, Mexican, and Latin American cuisines, to name a few, making it a valuable addition to your kitchen pantry.