A Dozen Homemade Spice Mixes

I still remember when I first came up with my recipe for homemade taco seasoning.  I proudly told my husband, “No more of those seasoning packets for us, I figured out how to make my own!”

“Well, that’s great” was his reply, “But maybe next you could work on something that’ll save us more than 25¢”.

Ummm, OK.  Point taken.  Those little seasoning packets aren’t the most expensive things on the grocery list. But when it comes to homemade seasonings and spice blends, I’ve always felt like there’s a bigger picture and more advantages than just saving a bit on the grocery bill.

For starters, I like that my own spice blends are just that . . . dried spices.  So often those seasoning packets from the store feel like they’re a “mystery powder” to me and I don’t really know what’s in them. Making my own spice blends gives me much more control over the ingredients, and I like that.

And they taste better too!  Well, I think so anyway.  When I do buy a seasoning packet, they taste so very salty to me.  I suppose that makes sense as salt is one of the cheaper ingredients for the manufacturer to add, so why wouldn’t they be generous with it?

And finally, I just enjoy the empowerment that comes from knowing how to use what I have to make what I need. Being resourceful and knowing how to use your pantry spices can make it more likely you’ll eat at home and won’t feel like you’re “missing an ingredient” just because you don’t have one of the seasoning packets or a particular bottle of a blend like Italian seasoning in the house.  And eating at home will definitely save you more than 25¢! So see . . . homemade spice blends can indeed be big money savers!

A Dozen Homemade Spice Blends

I’ve published a variety of spice blend ideas over the years, but thought I would gather together 12 of them here for the sake of convenience. Some are for larger mixes (like the Southwestern Dip Mix) and others are for smaller strategies (taco seasoning). But all of them are simple ways to blend a few dried spices together to make your own tasty seasoning blends. You can click on the name of the recipe below if you would like to read the original complete article. You can also click below to print a pdf of these recipes.

Enjoy!

Print These Recipes

#1  Italian Seasoning
An easy blend of dried spices you can make when a recipe calls for Italian Seasoning

1½ teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1 teaspoon Sage
1 teaspoon Thyme
½ teaspoon Marjoram

#2  Veggie Seasoning Blend
Our favorite mixture to use on grilled chopped vegetables

4 teaspoons Celery Salt
3 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
1½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Thyme
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
¼ teaspoon Turmeric
¼ teaspoon Sage

#3  Montreal Steak Seasoning
A tasty mixture to use for steaks on the grill

7 teaspoons Salt
3 teaspoons Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Onion Powder
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
1 teaspoon Rosemary

#4  Taco Seasoning
These are the amounts I use to season just 1 lb of ground beef rather than make a large mix

2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Minced Onion
½ teaspoon Paprika
½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

#5  Cajun Seasoning
My go-to mixture for my jambalaya recipe

3 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)
½ teaspoon White Pepper
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Ground Thyme
¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

#6  Copycat Emeril Essence
A fun and simple way to make your own!

3 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Black Pepper

#7  Chicken Seasoning
A nice combo of seasonings for flavoring poultry

1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Dried Mustard
½ teaspoon Oregano

#8  Southwestern Dip Mix
A handy mix for gift giving or to have in the pantry for a last minute appetizer
Click the link above for how to use the mix to make a dip

1/3 cup Parsley Flakes
1/4 cup Minced Onion
1/4 cup Chili Powder
2½ tablespoons Cumin
1 tablespoon Dried Chives
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

#9 Garlic Salt
This simple strategy might just save the day when you run out of garlic salt for a recipe!

¼ cup Salt
2 tablespoons Garlic Powder

#10  Dipping Spices for Bread and Oil
I put a pinch of each of these spices in small bowls and cover with oil for a restaurant style treat for dipping bread

Parsley (dried or fresh)
Basil (dried or fresh)
Dried Rosemary
Dried Oregano
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper

#11  Fajita Seasoning
A tasty seasoning to use on sauteed vegetables for fajitas

2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Paprika
½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
¼ teaspoon Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne)
¼ teaspoon Onion Powder

#12  Chili Seasoning
A simple and basic way to season a batch of chili with your pantry spices

3 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Garlic Salt