These delicious DIY homemade spice blends recipes come to us from Katie at Wellness Mama! With a background in nutrition and journalism, Katies wonderful blog helps you sort through a sea of health advice on the path to wellness.
If youve never made your own homemade spice blends, Id encourage you to try it! Its simple, saves money, and you avoid the additives that are in many store bought spice blends. Most are very easy to make, and if you order your ingredients in bulk, you can make 14 (or more) different spice blends using under 30 herbs. Youll be able to eat the cuisine of another country every night for two weeks. Having quality spice blends can make even the most plain meat and vegetable dish exciting.
Personally, I order all the organic herbs necessary to make these spice blends in 1 pound quantities from Mountain Rose Herbs because they offer a 10-30% discount for bulk orders over 5 pounds. I keep any that Im not using right away in a cool, dry place and they last for at least a year. I also use many of the herbs in other medicinal herbal recipes so they dont go to waste.
Enjoy!
Homemade Spice Blends- Taco Seasoning
1/4 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup Cumin Powder
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Onion powder
1 teaspoon Oregano leaf (or oregano leaf powder)
1 teaspoon Paprika with 1/4 cup Himalayan salt or sea salt (optional)
1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
To make: Put all in jar and shake well or mix in a food processor until mixed. Store in an air-tight jar for up to six months. Makes approximately 1 cup. To use: sprinkle on ground beef or chicken as you would any store bought taco seasoning. 3 tablespoons is the same as 1 packet of store bought taco seasoning. Great for lettuce tacos.
Homemade Spice Blends- Curry Powder
1/2 cup Paprika Powder
1/4 cup Cumin Powder
1 tablespoon Fennel Powder
2 Tablespoons Fenugreek powder (optional)- gives sweetness
2 tablespoons ground Mustard Powder
1 tablespoon ground Red Chili Pepper Flakes (optional)- adds spiciness
3 tablespoons ground Coriander (optional)
1/4 cup ground Turmeric root
1 tablespoon ground Cardamon (optional)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon Cloves powder (optional) Adds complex flavor
To make: Mix all ingredients in a bowl, jar or food processor and store in an air-tight container until ready to use. Can be used on meats, vegetables or in soups. Especially good in with chicken, shrimp or vegetables.
Homemade Spice Blends Rajin Cajun
1/2 cup Paprika Powder
1/3 cup Himalayan Salt or sea salt
1/4 cup Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper (optional- wont be spicy without this)
2 Tablespoons Oregano leaf
1 Tablespoon Thyme leaf
To Make: Mix all ingredients in jar or food processor and store in an air-tight container. Good on stir frys, eggs, casseroles, and poultry. Can add more or less Cayenne to get to your taste.
Healthy Ranch Dressing Mix
1/4 cup dried Parsley leaf
1 Tablespoon Dill leaf
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Basil leaf (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
To Make: Mix all ingredients together in jar or food processor. To make into Ranch Dressing, mix 1 Tablespoon of this mix with 1/3 cup Homemade Mayonaise or Greek Yogurt and 1/4 cup Coconut Milk.
French Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup Onion flakes or dehydrated onion slices
2 tablespoons Onion powder
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Pepper
1 tablespoon Himalayan or sea salt (optional but helps absorption of soup)
To Make: Use approximately 1/4 cup per 2 cups of beef stock to make french onion soup (add 3-4 onions that have been very thinly sliced and slowly caramelized. To use as a mix, you can add 1/2 cup soy-free and MSG free beef bouillon powder and use as you would a packet of french onion soup pix (1/4 cup=1 package). Excellent on roasts or for making french onion soup. I also use as the seasoning for the meat in Shepard/Cottage Pie.
Chili Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup Chili powder
1/4 cup Garlic powder
3 tablespoons Onion powder
1/4 cup Oregano leaf
2 tablespoons Paprika powder
1/4 cup Cumin powder
1 tablespoon Thyme leaf
To Make: mix all ingredients and store in an air-tight container. 1/4 cup of mix = 1 package of store bought chili seasoning. Great for all types of chili (this one is my favorite).
Homemade Spice Blends- Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup Thyme leaf
1/4 cup Marjoram leaf
2 tablespoons of cut and sifted Rosemary leaf
2 tablespoons Savory
1 teaspoon of Lavender flowers (lightly ground-optional)
2 teaspoons dried Orange zest (optional)
1 teaspoon ground Fennel seed
To Make: If you are zesting the orange yourself, remove the zest of one organic orange and dry in an oven on lowest setting or a dehydrator until completely dry. Place in a food processor with the lavender flowers and lightly pulse. Remove and mix all ingredients in a jar or bowl until mixed (do not grind up the herbs!). Excellent in soups, on chicken or on roasted vegetables.
Homemade Spice Blends- Spicy Jerk
1/4 cup Onion powder
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons Thyme leaf
2 teaspoons ground Allspice
1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon Cayenne powder (optional)
To Make: mix all ingredients together and store in air-tight container. When using, it is especially good if mixed with honey and painted on the meat.
5-Spice Seasoning
2 tablespoons Anise powder
1 tablespoon ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon ground Fennel seed
1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon ground Cloves
1 tablespoon Himalayan or sea salt
To Make: Mix all ingredients and store in airtight container. Great for recipes like Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry and other Asian themed cuisine.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 cup Cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon ground Ginger
2 teaspoons Nutmeg powder
2 teaspoons Allspice powder
1/2 teaspoon Clove powder (optional)
To Make: Mix all ingredients and store in air-tight container. Use as you would regular pumpkin pie spice. Great in pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie, spiced pumpkin lattes or coconut flour pumpkin muffins.
I store all of my homemade spice blends in glass jars or glass bottles (also available at Mountain Rose Herbs) and keep them in my spice cabinet.
Ever made your own seasoning blends? What did you make?
Article re-posted with permission from Mountain Rose Herbs
