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Best black cumin seeds

Updated: 21 October 2026

You already know whether you are cooking with kalonji, looking for a crescent rice spice, or sowing a named plant. Best black cumin seeds, in this amazon.co.uk set, means a row that matches that job, not the highest star on a mixed shelf. The Products Compared editorial team read the six listings, with prices in pounds, on 20 October 2026. There is no lab winner and no taste panel behind this page. The [Black cumin seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/black-cumin-seeds) is the grid. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already know whether you are cooking with kalonji, looking for a crescent rice spice, or sowing a named plant.

Our top picks

LoveSunnah Store LoveSunnah Ethiopian black seeds, 250 g

Best overall

LoveSunnah Store LoveSunnah Ethiopian black seeds, 250 g
5.7/10about £8.99
View offer
SAFLAX SAFLAX organic black cumin, 300 seeds

Rank 2

SAFLAX SAFLAX organic black cumin, 300 seeds
7.7/10about £4.55
View offer
Busy Beans Organic Busy Beans Organic nigella seeds, 250 g

Best value

Busy Beans Organic Busy Beans Organic nigella seeds, 250 g
7.1/10about £6.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Best depends on the job
  2. 2.Named nigella for the pan
  3. 3.Skip an unsettled title
  4. 4.The only sowing packet

Best depends on the job

A single winner would pretend that a kitchen pouch and a card of 300 seeds are the same product. They are not. Stars in this set sit on different species and different jobs. LoveSunnah’s 5.0 is one rating. Spice Mart has no rating at all. Natco’s 4.6 from 141 reviews is the largest file, and the listing still does not name nigella. For named nigella you will cook, compare price per 100 g and how much review text you can read. For sowing, SAFLAX is the only card that names Nigella sativa and a seed count. For shahi jeera, this set has no clean pick. The organic-code check sits on the black cumin seeds buying guide. If you have not decided which plant the recipe means, stop.

Named nigella for the pan

Busy Beans Organic is the best value for named kalonji: 250 g from Turkey at £6.95, which is £2.78 per 100 g, with 4.1 from 19 reviews. One review reports grit, sticks and stones, so look at the first spoon before it goes on dough. The page says certified organic and does not name a control body, so that word is unfinished against a GB-ORG- or XI-ORG- code. LoveSunnah is also 250 g of named nigella, at £8.99, £3.60 per 100 g, with 5.0 from one review and no review text. HMW is 100 g of Nigella sativa at £8.99 per 100 g, with 3.9 from five reviews, and one comment disputes the aroma. Ethiopian origin is a place name, not a quality grade.
LoveSunnah Store LoveSunnah Ethiopian black seeds, 250 g

Testsieger

LoveSunnah Store LoveSunnah Ethiopian black seeds, 250 g
5.7/10about £8.99
View offer

Skip an unsettled title

Natco is 100 g from India at £4.24, with 4.6 from 141 reviews, and it fails the name check. The listing does not state a species. Live text says this black cumin is not nigella. If your job is naan, pickle or panch phoran, skip it. Spice Mart is 50 g at £3.75, which is £7.50 per 100 g, with no rating and no review text. The title says shahi kali jeeri. A bullet says the buttercup family, which is nigella’s family, not the parsley family of Bunium persicum. There is no shahi-jeera pick in this set. How the seeds differ in the hand is on nigella or shahi jeera.

The only sowing packet

SAFLAX is the top pick when the job is to sow a packet that names Nigella sativa: 300 seeds, item weight 5 g, from Germany, at £4.55, with 4.4 from 28 reviews. There is no price per 100 g, and there should not be one. The card says perennial and 30–60 cm, and it claims certified organic without naming the control body. One review reports no germination. That note is not a rate. Do not cook the card, and do not sow a kitchen pouch for a germination figure. For the pan, Busy Beans is the fit. Natco and Spice Mart stay off both jobs.

Common questions

Which pack is for naan and pickles?
Named nigella, sold as kalonji. In this set that is Busy Beans at £2.78 per 100 g, with the grit complaint and an organic claim that does not name a body. LoveSunnah and HMW also name nigella, at higher prices per 100 g and with thinner review files. The method for bread and pickle is not part of this ranking.
Who should skip Natco?
Skip it if you need kalonji or Nigella sativa. The 100 g pouch is £4.24 and 4.6 from 141 reviews, and the listing says this black cumin is not nigella. Some reviewers describe ordinary cumin or seeds that were not black. The sample is large. The species is still unsettled.
Is Spice Mart a shahi jeera pick?
No. The title says shahi kali jeeri, a bullet says the buttercup family, and the listing has no star rating. The price is £3.75 for 50 g, or £7.50 per 100 g. A resealable pouch does not repair two families on one listing.
Is the 5.0 on LoveSunnah enough?
No. It is one review, and there is no review text on the listing. The pouch is 250 g at £8.99, £3.60 per 100 g, and it does name nigella. One star cannot describe aroma, grit or whether the Ethiopian line matches what you expect. Busy Beans has 19 reviews and a lower unit price.
Why is HMW dearer per 100 g than Busy Beans?
HMW is £8.99 for 100 g, so the unit price is £8.99 per 100 g. Busy Beans is £6.95 for 250 g, so the unit price is £2.78 per 100 g. Both name nigella. HMW adds Ethiopia and a five-review file in which one person disputes the aroma. The smaller pack is not a better grade because the spoon costs more.
Which packet is for sowing, and why is there no price per 100 g?
SAFLAX, 300 Nigella sativa seeds at £4.55. The item weight is 5 g. A price per 100 g would pretend the card is a spice pouch. The rating is 4.4 from 28 reviews, including one no-germination note, which is not a rate. Sowing steps belong on the grow page.

Related pages

How to use black cumin seeds

Black cumin seeds

Black cumin seeds buying guide: plant, job and code

Grow black cumin in the UK from a named seed packet

Nigella or shahi jeera: which black cumin is which

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these six listings were read on 19 October 2026, with live wording checked on 20 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS, Nigella sativa (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. RHS, Bunium persicum (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK organic food labelling rules (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK approved organic control bodies (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. ASA, food health claims (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. NHS, medicines in pregnancy (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. BBC Food, panch phoran (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Hari Ghotra, black cumin and shahi jeera (retrieved 20 October 2026)