These homemade Seasoning Mix recipes can save you a TON of money. Especially if you have a fairly well stocked spice cabinet. You get to avoid all the fillers and preservative often found in store-bought spice blends. DIY seasoning blends also make great homemade gifts.
Why you should make homemade spice blends
Using spices and seasoning blends is imperative to making delicious and flavorful food. Having a mix of spices is definitely a lot more convenient than having to pull out all your individual spice jars from the cabinet.
Store-bought seasoning mixes are the ultimate convenience, but unfortunately they are either
- full of preservatives and fillers, or
- ridiculously overpriced
Seasoning packets are usually the worst when it comes to fillers and preservatives that make them unsuitable for people with gluten and other food intolerances. Not to mention, those individual packets also create a lot of unnecessary plastic waste.
When it comes to jars of spice mixes, they may not contain fillers, but they can be very overpriced. I once did the comparison with a tiny jar of pumpkin spice mix.
From the ingredient label I could see that it consisted of mainly cinnamon. But this small container was more than double the price of a regular sized jar of ground cinnamon.
So don't waste your money on premade spice blends, if you already have a well-stocked pantry of individual spices. However, if you are traveling and using an AirBnb kitchen, or you don't usually cook with a lot of spices, then a store-bought mix might actually turn out more economical for you.
Because buying a lot of spice jars can get expensive, and is a waste if you won't use them before they will turn stale and lose their flavor.
Savory Seasoning Mix Recipes
Here are my best and favorite spice mix recipes. Click on the images or titles to open the individual recipe pages.
Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix
Other than the obvious chili recipe, it's also great for seasoning roasted veggies or as a stand-in for other Mexican spice blends.
Homemade Cajun Spice Mix
I love to use Cajun seasoning in chicken recipes. Especially my one-pot chicken & rice and chicken pasta recipes.
Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe
This gluten-free taco seasoning can be used in place of the wasteful taco seasoning pouches to seasoning your ground meat for taco night. Here you won't get any fillers, just straight up flavor!
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Everything bagel seasoning is a lovely savoury blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes, and dried garlic, most commonly enjoyed on bagels. However, with this homemade everything bagel seasoning recipe, you will be able to discover a multitude of other ways to have it.
Homemade Pickling Spice
Use this homemade pickling spice recipe for pickling cucumbers or any of your pickled or fermented vegetables. It gives the pickle brine a delicious and complex flavor. Made with mustard seeds, peppercorns, coriander, allspice and more.
Indian Spice Blends
I should point out that these Indian spice mix recipes aren't 100% authentic. These are easier substitutes for when you don't want to buy a range of whole spices, toast them, and grind them up at home.
It is undeniable that those methods produce superiors flavors. But in a pinch mixing up ground spices for a substitute is definitely much better than not being able to enjoy Indian food at all.
Chai Spice Mix
I love this chai spice mix for iced Chai lattes in summer time. Of course you can also use it in hot Chai lattes or even in baking recipes to create Chai-flavored baked treats - like pancakes, or muffins etc.
Easy Garam Masala Substitute
Use Garam Masala to give a finishing touch to your curry dishes.
Tandoori Masala
Tandoori seasoning is great on chicken and salmon. I also like to use it to make spicy crunchy chickpeas for snacking.
Sweet Baking Spice Mixes
Pumpkin Spice Mix
I use pumpkin pie spice in everything from actual pumpkin pie to pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin brownies, and my pumpkin breakfast cookies.
Apple Pie Spice
This apple pie spice mix is great for apple pies, and also apple sauce and any apple dessert really.
Gingerbread Spice Mix
This is my favorite baking spice of all time. I grew up with my mom making gingerbread cookies every Christmas. This gingerbread spice flavor is quintessential comfort and the taste of home for me.
VIDEO: Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes
Recipe
9 Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Grind any spice ingredients that aren't ground yet.
- Measure all ingredients into a bowl or jar. Stir to combine. Or close the jar and share to mix the spices into a uniform blend.
- Use right away or store for later use. Be sure to label the seasoning mix jars. These also make wonderful homemade gifts.
Pin Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes for later?
Random Questions
Making a seasoning mix is simple. Combine various spices and herbs according to a recipe. Mix them thoroughly and store in an airtight container for later use.
To make seasoning powder from scratch, blend together a combination of dried herbs, spices, and sometimes salt. Adjust the ratios to suit your taste preferences.
If you don't have an all-seasoning mix, you can create a substitute by combining individual spices such as paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and various herbs like thyme and oregano.
Some popular spice combinations include Cajun seasoning, taco seasoning, curry powder, and Italian seasoning. Experiment with different blends to find the flavors you enjoy most.
Laurel
I'd LOVE to make some spice blends as Christmas gifts... do you have any idea show long these keep and how to store them to increase shelf life? Could I make them now and store them in the freezer?
Thanks!
Regina
Hi Laurel, it spices the closer to grinding time the more flavor they have. When I buy ground spices I aim to use them within 6 months. They won't go bad after that, they flavor will just slowly diminish. I am not sure if freezing them is a good idea. I also never do it with ground coffee, because I find the freezer changes the humidity and also sometimes imparts other smells from the freezer onto it.
Jenni
Thank you for sharing these! I love making my own seasoning mixes because you don’t get all the extra sodium! Question: where are your spice jars from? I love the style and size!
Regina
These are actually little yogurt jars! There is a grass-fed yogurt brand here in Mexico that comes in these awesome jars. Maybe there is something similar in your area? Check the yogurt display. If not, there are very similar on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Mgmmwx
Naomi
Regina,
I used to work at a spice company, manufacturer and distributor of spices, herbs, and seasoning blends. The best place to keep spices and blends is in the coolest, darkest, driest place in your home, which is your freezer. I keep all of mine in the freezer in jars with lids. They will keep indefinitely. If they are on a spice rack where they are loosing the color, or you can smell them, they are loosing their potency Worst place to keep them is near the stove.. Rub them in your fingers or palm to warm up and awaken the flavor.