15+ Must-Try Homemade Seasoning Recipes
Simple meals can go from basic to phenomenal with fresh, homemade seasoning blends customized perfectly to your taste. Mix up a batch or two of these tasty mixes for your favorite dishes and make healthier swaps where you like. Skip the pricey packets and boost the flavor in your kitchen with these delicious blends!
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Why I Make Homemade Seasonings
- Convenience – Sometimes, the most convenient meal prep step is to grab a premade seasoning packet at the store for a quick-assembly meal. Other times, convenience means mixing any spice blend you need at home, using ingredients already stocked in your pantry! Whether you’re spontaneously cooking or meal planning your week, homemade blends can reduce items on your shopping list and add flexibility to your routine
- Health Benefits – One of the best reasons to make homemade seasonings is the opportunity to make healthier swaps in your regular menu. So many premade seasoning blends are full of additives and preservatives – fillers that you don’t need to store these items in your kitchen. You can also make other healthier adjustments by lowering sodium or leaving out ingredients for dietary purposes (such as MSG).
- Budget Savings – Single packets of seasoning blends can often significantly increase the overall cost of your meal. If your family loves specific flavor profiles, mixing up blends from bulk pantry spices is generally a much cheaper option.
- Customization – It’s easy to add your own take on homemade recipes with a few tweaks to the spices! Maybe you want a bit more heat, or prefer a smokier blend. With a variety of spices at home, you can mix up the flavors that suit your table!
Homemade Seasonings Best Practices
Best Spices to Use
You don’t need to be a spice connoisseur to make homemade blends, but it is important to use the freshest spices that you can when mixing up a blend. Check expiration dates and use recent spices to keep the flavor potent and to extend storage time for the mix. Choosing organic or bulk spices from specialty brands can only benefit the overall results!
Best way to Store Homemade Seasonings
Store seasoning blends in airtight containers (preferably glass to reduce flavor absorption in plastic containers). Be sure to keep the spices in a cool, dark, and dry location to preserve their freshness. If you use measuring spoons to scoop out portions, also be sure that the utensils are completely dry and clean so you don’t contaminate the whole batch.
Shelf-Life for Homemade Seasonings
If you start with fresh spices (not close to the expiration date), these blends should last anywhere from 3-6 months if stored properly.
Tip: Make double and triple batches for flavors that you use often!
15+ Homemade Seasoning Recipes
Easy Pot Roast Seasoning Recipe
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Simplify your pot roast dinners with this homemade pot roast seasoning blend! Make a batch or two in advance and store it in your pantry for a savory mix made with only the ingredients that you love.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning
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Kick your chicken tacos up a notch with homemade chicken taco seasoning! With a spice combination that’s easy to make – and easy to customize – you might add this blend to more than just tacos!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Homemade Spaghetti Seasoning Recipe
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Spaghetti seasoning is the blend you need in your spice cabinet to transform a basic tomato sauce into an herbal, aromatic dish. Whether you make a sauce from scratch or want to liven up sauce straight from the jar, this seasoning mix might just be the key to your secret sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Easy DIY Southwest Spice Blend
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A homemade Southwest spice blend will transform your favorite dishes with savory and smoky elements! Use this healthy DIY option to infuse flavor into meats, veggies, soups, and more!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
Easy Homemade Steak Seasoning
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Looking for a steakhouse-quality seasoning that will hit the mark on flavors every time? This homemade steak seasoning is the solution. Not only does this create super-flavorful steak, but it will also work with lots of different meats!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Homemade Beef Brisket Dry Rub
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After many tasty attempts, I’ve perfected the best homemade beef brisket rub for your meats in the slow cooker or on the grill! This combination includes the sweetness of brown sugar with hints of smoky flavors and cinnamon. Use it to make fall-apart tender brisket or your favorite meat!
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Homemade Garlic and Herb Seasoning
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Sometimes you just need a simple, quality seasoning to make all the difference in your home-cooked meals. Homemade Garlic and Herb Seasoning is the perfect blend to transform basic meats and veggies into savory, delicious results!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Homemade Creole Seasoning Recipe
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One of the best ways to get more adventurous with your slow cooker is to incorporate new seasoning blends alongside your favorite ingredients! With my homemade Creole seasoning recipe, you’ll have an original, flavorful mix to add a twist to family favorites or create new ones.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Fajita Seasoning Recipe (Quick + Easy)
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Make your own fajita seasoning mix for your next plate of sizzling hot fajitas at home! Homemade seasonings are one of the simplest and healthiest ways to make delicious, restaurant-worthy meals in your own kitchen without any compromise on taste. This quick and easy recipe takes only a few minutes to mix and store!
Ingredients
- ½ cup chili powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons cilantro
Best Homemade Chili Seasoning Recipe
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Simple things can be the best things and that is definitely the case with this seasoning blend! With just 4 ingredients, the Best Homemade Chili Seasoning Recipe can be made in bulk and kept on hand for savory chilis, soups, and more. It’s so versatile you’ll want to make an extra batch or two to save time in your dinner prep.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- 1/2 cup ancho chili powder
- 1/4 cup cumin
- 1/4 cup salt
The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
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Is there a more multi-purpose seasoning blend than homemade taco seasoning? Making your own batch is a delicious and healthy alternative to packets from the store with added or unwanted ingredients. Gather your spices and create a savory mix that can be used in tacos, soups, casseroles, salads, dips, and oh so much more!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon pepper
Homemade Curry Seasoning Recipe
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Homemade spice blends will change the game in your home-chef ventures! Make this quick and easy curry seasoning and keep it on hand for delicious, hearty meals that require very little prep time. This seasoning blend is rich in flavor and will elevate even the simplest meat and veggie dishes.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Easy Homemade BBQ Rub Recipe
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Elevate your home-cooked meats with an easy homemade BBQ rub recipe with sweet and savory flavors! This classic BBQ flavor takes pork, chicken, or beef to another level of delicious taste and texture!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley optional – just for color
Homemade Ranch Seasoning Recipe
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OK, Ranch lovers – this one’s for you! If you’re the type that likes a side of ranch with everything, you will love having a blend of ranch seasoning ready to go in your pantry for dressing, dips, and any recipes with this flavoring. Bonus: this blend can be made dairy-free!
Ingredients
Homemade Ranch Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup dried buttermilk powder optional dairy addition for a creamy version
Homemade Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise *I prefer avocado oil mayo for the healthiest option
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dried ranch seasoning mix 1 tablespoon if using the dairy-free version
- 1 tablespoon water Add water by tablespoons until you achieve desired consistency
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
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One of my favorite seasoning blends and easy to make it yourself with only 7 ingredients needed! This Homemade Cajun Seasoning is perfect on everything from chicken, to fish and even in pasta!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon herb and garlic seasoning
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Moroccan Spice Blend
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Have you ever declared slow cooker meals bland? I'll show you how to whip up a simple Moroccan Spice Blend that will add zest and vibrance to your meal! In less than 5 minutes you can make a batch that will let you create several amazing dishes!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup cumin
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 4 teaspoons turmeric
- 4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Homemade Blackening Seasoning
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Mix up a homemade blackening seasoning to instantly elevate beef, poultry, fish, or vegetables at home! With a smoky-sweet, peppery blend and a hint of ground coffee, this seasoning creates a deliciously charred crust that adds incredible flavor to the simplest foods.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp instant espresso or finely ground coffee
how could the sodium content be 4803 for the ranch mix when there’s only 1 teaspoon salt?!? I think the nutrition values are seriously skewed!!
Question:
How can the nutrition facts for the homemade seasoning blends show sugar when there is no sugar in the recipe?
I’m having a hard time finding the ingredients for the ranch seasoning.
Hey Amy, it should be listed at the end of the post. Can you see it there?
No
I can’t seem to find the recipe for your beer can chicken seasoning
Hi Wendi! It’s actually just store bought beer can chicken seasoning. Weber makes some and so does McCormick’s. I buy it at Walmart so I think it’s pretty easy to find.