Do you love trying new recipes, but don’t always have the time to go to the store and buy all of the ingredients? Well, I have a solution for you! Why not try making your own spice blends at home? It’s easy, and you probably have most of the spices you need already. Making your own blends also allows you to customize them to your taste. Go heavier on spices you like, control how spicy they are, it’s up to you. In this blog post, I’ll share some of our favorite homemade spice blends with you as a starting point.
Is it cheaper to make your own spice blends?
Yes, it can be cheaper to make your own spice blends. Especially if you factor in that the spices in your pantry are already a sunk cost. You’ve already spent that money, you might as well get more use out of the spices you already own. It can be hard to calculate the savings because spices are sold by weight (ounces) and used by volume (tablespoons), but let’s do the math.
Let’s figure out how much it costs us to make our Homemade Fajita Seasoning. With eight ingredients it’s one of our more expensive blends
| Spice | Cost/Oz (Store Brand) |
Cost/Oz (Name Brand) |
Amount Used (Oz) |
Cost (Store Brand) |
Cost (Name Brand) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilli Powder | $0.96 | $1.05 | .75 | $0.25 | $0.26 |
| Kosher Salt | $0.06 | $0.06 | .66 | $0.04 | $0.04 |
| Paprika | $0.40 | $1.47 | .25 | $0.10 | $0.37 |
| Sugar | $0.04 | $0.04 | .25 | $0.01 | $0.01 |
| Onion Powder | $0.30 | $1.34 | .25 | $0.08 | $0.36 |
| Cumin | $0.40 | $2.09 | .25 | $0.10 | $0.52 |
| Garlic Powder | $0.40 | $1.33 | .125 | $0.05 | $0.17 |
| Cayenne Pepper | $1.24 | $3.19 | .125 | $0.16 | $0.40 |
| Total | $0.79 | $2.13 |
As you can see you can make this spice blend for as low as 79 cents. Since this spice recipe yields 2.25 ounces of spice mix, that’s less that 40 cents an oz. As of the date of this post a packet of Old El Paso Seasoning (1 oz) is $4.99, McCormick $1.38 (1.12 oz for $1.23/oz) and store brand is $0.62 (1.25 oz for $0.50 an ounce).
Based on those prices if you used all store brand spices in your mix, you beat the store brand packet by 10 cents. If you have named brand spices you beat Old El Paso significantly, and would have come out behind McCormick.
But again, when you factor in that this is money you’ve ALREADY spent on the spices you have, making your own blend keeps you from spending additional money in all cases.
How to store homemade spice blends?
Homemade spice blends should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. They will last for several months if stored this way.
Now that you see that it can be economical to make your own spice blends here are some recipes to get you started!
DIY Spice Blends (Have Fun!)
Instructions: Mix ingredients together and store any extra in an airtight container. These should all stay good for six months or more. Here is a good set of jars for storing spices if you don’t already have something that will work.
Glass Jar Storage
Click on the link above.
Apple Pie Spice
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tbsp allspice
1 tsp of each:
- nutmeg
- ginger
BBQ Dry Rub
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp of each:
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- smoked paprika
1 tsp of each:
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- ground mustard
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Blackened Seasoning
1 tbsp onion powder
1½ tsp of each:
- paprika
- smoked paprika
- dried thyme
- dried oregano
1 tsp of each:
- garlic powder
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
Burger Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp of each:
- onion powder
- freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Cajun Seasoning
2 ½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp of each:
- cayenne pepper
- pepper
- oregano
¾ tsp thyme
Celery Salt
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp celery seed
- Grind in a spice grinder until uniform
Creole Seasoning
2 tbsp plus 1-1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp of each:
- salt
- onion powder
- dried oregano
- dried thyme
- cayenne pepper
- pepper
Fajita Seasoning
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp paprika
1½ tsp of each:
- sugar
- onion powder
- ground cumin
3/4 tsp of each:
- garlic powder
- cayenne pepper
Garam Masala
4 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp each:
- ground coriander
- cardamom
- pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp of each:
- ground nutmeg
- dried chili flakes
Garlic Herb Seasoning
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp of each:
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
freshly cracked pepper
Garlic Salt
1 tbsp table salt
1 tsp garlic powder
Greek Seasoning
3 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp of each:
- dried basil
- garlic powder
- onion powder
1 tbsp of each:
- dill weed
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- ground thyme
1 tsp of each:
- ground cinnamon (optional)
- ground nutmeg
Italian Seasoning
6 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp of each:
- dried marjoram
- dried thyme
Jerk Seasoning
1 1/2 tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp of each:
- thyme
- allspice
- black pepper
1 tsp of each:
- cinnamon
- cayenne pepper
- garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
Moroccan Spice Blend
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tsp of each:
- paprika
- cumin
2 tsp of each
- cinnamon
- pepper
1 tsp of each:
- ground cloves
- ground ginger
- salt
½ tsp cayenne
Old Bay Seasoning
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp celery salt
1 tsp of each:
- celery seed
- dry mustard
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp of each:
- nutmeg
- cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne
Piri-Piri Seasoning
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp of each:
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- dried oregano
- ginger powder
- ground cardamom
1/2 tsp of each:
- cayenne Pepper
- salt
Pulled Pork Rub
1/2 cup smoked paprika
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of each:
- salt
- garlic powder
2 tbsp of each:
- black pepper
- chili powder
- onion powder
1 tbsp of each:
- cayenne pepper
- cumin
- dry mustard
Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp of each:
- ground nutmeg
- ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Seasoned Salt
6 tbsp salt
2 1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp of each:
- dried thyme leaves
- marjoram
- garlic powder
- celery salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dill weed
Steak Seasoning
2 tbsp of kosher salt or 1 tbsp of table salt
2 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp of each:
- coarsely ground black pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- light brown sugar
- smoked paprika
- cumin
Taco Seasoning
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp of each:
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- red pepper flakes
- oregano
What are the best spice blends for chicken?
There are endless possibilities when it comes to spice blends for chicken. Some of my favorites include:
- BBQ rub
- Italian seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Greek Seasoning
- Jerk seasoning
Each of these blends will give your chicken a different flavor profile, so be sure to try them all!
What are the best spice blends for vegetables?
Just like with chicken, there are many different spice blends that you can use for vegetables. Our favorites include:
- Garlic and herb seasoning
- Italian seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Piri-Piri seasoning
These blends will add flavor and depth to your vegetables, making them irresistible!
What are the best spice blends for beef?
When it comes to beef, we love using BBQ rubs and steak seasoning. However, you can use any of your favorite spice blends on beef.
Homemade spice blends for gifts
If you want to give homemade spice blends as gifts, be sure to package them in an airtight container with a nice label. You can also include a recipe card with some of your favorite recipes that use the blend. This is a great way to share your favorite flavors with friends and family!
Give them a try!
I hope this has helped you see how you can save money and time by making your own spice blends. You may have some spices that are going to waste in the back of your pantry that you can use instead of buying special blends. The best part about creating a blend is being able to customize it your specific taste. I hope these suggestions will help make cooking at home more enjoyable and less stressful while saving both time and money along the way.
