Spice Blends

Nine easy homemade spice blends to flavor your food.

Cajun Spice Blend
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp coriander
2 Tbsp paprika
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (you can go as high as you want here—the more you add, the hotter it will be)
1 Tbsp dried oregano

This spice blend is great on grilled chicken, tofu, or even salads.

Greek Spice Blend
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp dried parsley
1 ½ tsp dried rosemary
1 ½ tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Use this on Greek salads, when roasting vegetables with olive oil, or in hummus.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp all spice
1 tsp ground cloves

Some fun uses for this blend are: in oatmeal, on yogurt, or even on a peanut butter sandwich with sliced bananas.

Lemon Pepper
Zest from 3 lemons
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp salt

This is great on chicken, on salads, or on popcorn.

Curry Blend
2 Tbsp cumin powder
2 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

I’d recommend using this any time you want to give dishes an Indian flair.

Italian Spice Blend
2 Tsbp dried basil
2 Tsbp dried oregano
1 Tsbp dried thyme
1 Tsbp dried rosemary
1 Tsbp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

This is perfect for lasagna or pasta dishes—and it even works well on sautéed vegetables with fresh garlic.

Chili Seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp regular paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika (or use 2 tsp regular paprika if you can’t find smoked)

This blend is an easy way to spice up chili recipes—or any southwestern dish, really.

Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp onion powder
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
½ tps cayenne pepper
½ tsp black pepper (optional)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano

In addition to using this for taco meat, you can also mix it into refried beans, use it to flavor enchiladas, or stir it into Greek yogurt as a substitute for a “spicy sour cream.”

Indian Sweet Spice Blend
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing (a.k.a. Asafoetida; find it online or at Indian markets)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste (no more than 3/4 tsp)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander

This works great as a base for sautéed vegetables, in lentil soup, or any Indian stew. Just fry the spices in 1 Tbsp olive oil until the seeds make a “popping” sound, add your vegetables/lentils/etc. into the pan, and heat until the food is cooked through.

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