I clearly remember the first time that I made my own taco seasoning. I had some friends over for a fun evening of movies and I had intended to make this yummy taco dip in the crock pot. A few hours in, I slipped into the kitchen to put the crock pot ingredients together and discovered I had forgotten to purchase a taco seasoning packet. Disaster!
Ok, well not really. Fortunately I remembered that my mother used to make her own taco seasoning and dug the recipe out of a cookbook she had given me when I went to college. Surprisingly I had all the ingredients and proceeded to make the best taco dip ever. But it got me to thinking: Why don’t people make more of their mixes at home?
So, today I have a list of seven seasoning mixes that you can make at home with the ingredients you probably already have in your spice cabinet! Most of these recipes will be just enough for one meal. While I don’t generally have the foresight to make it in advance, increasing the amounts and making a huge batch at once (and then storing it in a glass jar) will seriously shorten the time while cooking.
Taco Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- dash of cayenne (to taste)
- dash of oregano
Mix it all together and use as normal. This makes the equivalent of one package of taco seasoning. You can also alter the ingredients amounts slightly for a hotter or more mild seasoning.
Chili Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon (approximately) freshly ground pepper
This also makes the equivalent of one package of chili seasoning. Simply mix together and then use as normal.
Cajun Seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
This seasoning is excellent for anything cajun, although I’d recommend going light on the red pepper flakes if you don’t care for super spicy food.
Garlic Salt
- garlic powder
- salt
Mix three parts garlic to one part salt, and then measure out however much you need. It’s best to making a large batch and then simply use whatever you need.
Ranch Dressing Mix
- 1 Tablespoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes/powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1?2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1?4 teaspoon ground pepper
You can use this in anything that calls for ranch mix, or make ranch dressing by adding 1 Tablespoon of the mix with 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of milk.
Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves or ground allspice
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 teaspoon cinnamon
I usually use cloves instead of allspice, but it should taste about the same with either.
Italian Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons crushed basil
- 3 tablespoons oregano
- 3 tablespoons parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1?4 teaspoon black pepper
As a note, if the herb pieces are too big, you might need to use a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon to crush them to a more manageable consistency.
See? Wasn’t that easy? If you’re looking to go all homemade, then be sure to check out the awesome post from Attainable Sustainable that lists out some condiments you can also make at home, like mayonnaise, mustard and even hot fudge! I haven’t tried any of them, but you can be that I’m going to!
Do you have any spices or condiments that you make instead of purchase? Share your thoughts and recipes with me in the comments!
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