10 Most Expensive Spices in the World (2026 Prices)

As of October 2026, saffron is still the most expensive spice in the world. Kashmiri saffron crossed about Rs 5 lakh per kg at retail in 2025, and it takes roughly 1,60,000 flowers to make one kilogram. Fennel pollen and vanilla follow, both priced high because they are collected or pollinated by hand.

A spice becomes expensive for three main reasons: the harvest is done by hand, the yield per plant is tiny, or supply comes from one small region. Below are the 10 most expensive spices in the world, with the latest prices we could confirm from markets, trade bodies and specialty sellers.

1. Saffron: Rs 5 lakh per kg

Saffron is the dried stigma of the saffron crocus. Each flower gives only three stigmas, which are picked by hand during a short autumn bloom. Business Standard reported that about 1,60,000 flowers are needed for one kilogram.

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In April 2025, The Economic Times reported that the retail price of Kashmiri saffron rose more than 10 percent to about Rs 5 lakh per kg, after supplies from Afghanistan were cut by the closure of the Attari-Wagah border. Kashmir grows only 6 to 7 tonnes a year against Indian demand of about 55 tonnes, so the rest is imported from Iran and Afghanistan.

Kashmiri saffron received a Geographical Indication tag in 2022. Iran remains the largest producer in the world and its saffron usually sells for less than the Kashmiri crop.

2. Fennel Pollen: $960 per pound

Fennel pollen is collected by hand from the flowers of wild fennel, mainly in Italy and California. The yield is very small, and the pollen is far more concentrated in flavour than fennel seed.

The Spice House in the US sells a 0.25 ounce jar of fennel pollen for $14.99, which works out to about $960 per pound. Chefs use it as a finishing spice on pork, pasta, fish and vegetables, in small pinches.

3. Vanilla: $50 to $70 per kg export floor

Vanilla comes from the pods of an orchid. In Madagascar, the largest producer, each flower has to be pollinated by hand, and the beans then need months of curing and drying.

Vanilla prices were extremely high in the late 2010s but have dropped since. Cook’s Vanilla reported in March 2025 that Madagascar customs only allow cured beans priced at $50 to $70 per kilo to be exported, and that the market had entered a period of low prices and oversupply. Retail gourmet beans still cost far more than most spices.

4. Mahlab

Mahlab is made from the kernel inside the stone of the St Lucie cherry. The kernels are cracked out of the stones and ground, which takes time and gives a small yield.

It has a flavour between bitter almond and cherry. It is used in breads and pastries across the Middle East, Turkey and Greece, especially for festive baking.

5. Long Pepper

Long pepper, known in India as pippali, is a close relative of black pepper. It was widely traded in Roman times but is now grown in much smaller quantities, which keeps it scarce outside South Asia.

It is hotter and sweeter than black pepper. In India it is used in Ayurvedic preparations as well as in cooking, and specialty spice shops in the US and Europe sell it at several times the price of ordinary pepper.

6. Black Cumin Seed

The name black cumin is used for two different spices: nigella seed, called kalonji in India, and Bunium bulbocastanum, a wild cumin from Kashmir and Central Asia known as shahi jeera. The Kashmiri shahi jeera is the more costly of the two because it is mostly gathered from wild plants.

It has a smoky, earthy flavour and is used in biryanis, pulao and garam masala.

7. Kaffir Lime Leaves

Kaffir lime leaves, also called makrut lime leaves, are a key ingredient in Thai, Indonesian and Cambodian cooking. Fresh leaves lose their aroma quickly, so they are often frozen or dried for export.

Outside Southeast Asia they are sold mainly by specialty grocers, and importing fresh citrus leaves is restricted in some countries, which adds to the cost.

8. Grains of Paradise

Grains of paradise are the seeds of a plant in the ginger family native to West Africa. They have a peppery taste with notes of citrus and cardamom.

The spice was popular in medieval Europe as a substitute for black pepper. Today it is sold mostly by specialty spice shops and used by chefs and craft brewers.

9. Cardamom: Rs 3,100 per kg

Small green cardamom is the third most expensive spice by weight in many markets, after saffron and vanilla. The pods are picked by hand as they ripen, over several rounds each season.

At the Spices Board India e-auctions on 14 October 2026, small cardamom averaged about Rs 3,100 per kg, with the best lots fetching up to Rs 4,326 per kg. Kerala’s Idukki district grows most of India’s crop, and Guatemala is the largest exporter.

10. Pasilla de Oaxaca Chile

Pasilla de Oaxaca is a smoked chilli grown in a small part of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is dried and smoked by hand, and the crop is small.

It has a medium heat with a smoky, fruity flavour, and is used in Oaxacan mole and salsas. It is rarely found outside Mexico except through specialty sellers.

How we ranked these spices

We ranked these spices by their usual retail price per unit of weight at specialty sellers, which has stayed broadly consistent over the past few years. Where a current price from a market, trade body or retailer was available, we have given it. Spice prices change with each harvest, so treat the ranking as a guide, not a fixed price list.

Saffron is in a different league from the rest. For other costly food, see our lists of the most expensive desserts and the most expensive dishes in the world.

Sources: The Economic Times via Vision IAS, Business Standard, The Spice House, Cook’s Vanilla, Spices Board India.