Best Tamarind Paste: A Buyer's Guide

Choosing the right tamarind paste can be surprisingly confusing. Walk into any Asian grocery store and you will find shelves lined with jars, pouches, blocks, and squeeze bottles — all labeled “tamarind” but varying enormously in texture, concentration, and flavor. This guide will help you understand the differences and choose the right product for your cooking.

What to Look For in Tamarind Paste

Not all tamarind pastes are created equal. Here are the key factors to evaluate when shopping:

Ingredients list: The best tamarind pastes contain only tamarind pulp and water. Avoid products with excessive added sugar, artificial preservatives, or thickening agents like modified starch. A short, recognizable ingredient list is a good sign.

Consistency: Tamarind paste ranges from thick and fibrous (closer to raw pulp) to smooth and pourable (closer to concentrate). Your ideal consistency depends on how you plan to use it. Thicker pastes work well in chutneys and marinades. Smoother products dissolve more easily into sauces and soups.

Concentration: This is the most important variable. Some products are highly concentrated — a teaspoon delivers intense sourness — while others are diluted and mild. Understanding the concentration of your paste prevents over-seasoning or under-seasoning your dishes.

Origin: Indian tamarind tends to be darker and more intensely sour. Thai tamarind is often lighter in color with a more balanced sweet-sour profile. Mexican tamarind falls somewhere between. The origin affects flavor, so choose based on the cuisine you cook most frequently.

Our Top Recommendations

After evaluating numerous products across availability, flavor quality, consistency, and value, we recommend three tamarind pastes that cover the most common cooking needs.

Tamicon Tamarind Concentrate

Tamicon is the most widely available tamarind product in the United States and a solid entry point for cooks new to the ingredient. Sold in a convenient squeeze bottle, it dissolves instantly in liquids and delivers consistent sourness with minimal preparation.

Tamicon is technically a concentrate rather than a paste, meaning it is more processed and smoother than traditional tamarind paste. The flavor is straightforward and reliable, though it lacks some of the nuanced fruity notes you get from less processed options. It is an excellent choice for everyday cooking — curries, marinades, stir-fries, and drinks.

For a detailed comparison of paste versus concentrate, see our paste vs. concentrate guide.

Neera’s Tamarind Paste

Neera’s offers a premium, minimally processed tamarind paste that strikes a good balance between convenience and flavor complexity. Made from Thai tamarind, it has a rich, tangy flavor with subtle sweetness — making it particularly well-suited for Southeast Asian cooking.

The texture is thick but smooth enough to work into sauces without extensive straining. It performs especially well in pad thai, tom yum-style soups, and tamarind-based dipping sauces. The packaging is practical, and the product refrigerates well after opening.

Laxmi Tamarind Paste

Laxmi is a kitchen staple in Indian households and a dependable choice for South Indian cooking. This paste is thick, dark, and intensely tangy — reflecting the character of Indian sour tamarind.

It works well in sambar, rasam, tamarind rice, and chutneys. Because of its thickness, you may need to dissolve it in warm water before adding it to recipes. Laxmi offers good value for its size and is readily available at Indian grocery stores and online retailers.

Block Tamarind vs. Jarred Paste

If you want the freshest tamarind flavor and do not mind a few extra minutes of preparation, consider buying a compressed tamarind block instead of jarred paste. Blocks are simply pressed tamarind pulp, sometimes with seeds still included.

To use a block, tear off a portion (about the size of a golf ball for most recipes), soak it in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, then mash and strain through a fine sieve. The resulting liquid paste has a depth of flavor that no jar can match.

Blocks are also significantly cheaper per ounce than prepared pastes, making them the most economical option for frequent tamarind users.

Storage Tips

Once opened, jarred tamarind paste should be refrigerated. Most products will keep for 6 to 12 months in the refrigerator. If you notice any mold, discoloration, or off odors, discard the product.

Tamarind blocks can be stored at room temperature in a sealed bag or container for several months. For extended storage, refrigerate or freeze the block.

Homemade tamarind paste (from blocks) freezes well. Consider making a large batch and freezing it in ice cube trays for convenient portioning.

Which Should You Buy?

For most home cooks, Tamicon is the safest starting point — it is affordable, available at most grocery stores, and works reliably in any recipe. If you cook Thai or Southeast Asian food frequently, upgrade to Neera’s for its superior flavor. For dedicated Indian cooking, Laxmi is the standard choice.

For more information on finding these products, see our guide on where to buy tamarind.