Black Cumin Oil: 10 Ways to Use It in the Kitchen

Black cumin oil is one of the boldest, most aromatic oils you can keep in the kitchen. We press ours gently from the tiny black seeds of Nigella sativa, with no heat and no refining. As a result, it keeps a rich amber colour and a warm, peppery, slightly smoky flavour.

This is also an oil with real history. The seeds were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the oil has flavoured Middle Eastern, South Asian and Mediterranean cooking for thousands of years. Today we offer it simply as a food: a flavourful, plant-based oil, not a medicine, not a supplement and not a cosmetic. Be one with nature.

So how do you use it? Here are ten easy ways, and one golden rule to start.

First, the golden rule

Add black cumin oil after cooking, never during. Like all our oils, it is at its best raw, or as a finishing touch, rather than in a hot pan. A little goes a long way too, so start with a small drizzle. Then taste, and add more if you like.

Ten ways to use black cumin oil

1. Over hummus and dips. First, a thread of it over hummus or baba ganoush adds instant depth.
2. To finish lentil stews and dals. Next, stir a little in at the end of a slow-cooked dal or a spiced soup.
3. On warm flatbreads. Also lovely brushed over warm flatbread or sourdough with a pinch of salt.
4. Through rice and grains. Fold it through rice, couscous or a grain bowl, just before serving.
5. Over roasted vegetables. For example, drizzle it on roasted carrots, cauliflower or squash once they are out of the oven.
6. In a salad dressing. Whisk a few drops into a dressing with lemon and a little honey.
7. Over yoghurt and soft cheese. Then spoon it over labneh, thick yoghurt or a soft goat’s cheese.
8. To finish eggs. Add it to fried or scrambled eggs, or a shakshuka, off the heat.
9. With cold mezze. Of course, it is a natural fit for a mezze spread, from beetroot dip to muhammara.
10. Blended with milder oils. Finally, soften its punch by mixing it with olive, hemp, pumpkin or sesame oil.

Storing your oil

Keep the bottle somewhere cool and dark, and reseal it tightly. In short, treat it gently. Our dark glass helps to protect the colour and the bold flavour, so use it within a few months of opening.

A bold oil to keep to hand

In the end, black cumin oil is one of those ingredients that lifts a simple plate into something you remember. Used cold, and in small amounts, it brings warmth, pepper and real character to everyday cooking.

Our black cumin oil is cold-pressed, unrefined, vegan, GMO-free and ISO 22000 certified. You can find it, and the whole range, in our shop. Be one with nature.