The Family Table: Homemade Seasoning Blends

Homemade Seasoning Blends 

In my ongoing effort to cut costs over the years as I was raising my family of seven children, one of the most invaluable tips I ever got was how to make my own seasoning blends for various recipes. It sounds like a simple little tip (and it really is) but I can only imagine how much money it's saved my grocery budget over the last 40+ years of making my own. 

Instead of relying on pre-packaged spice blends from the grocery store (which are often quite expensive) I learned how to easily make my own, and even how to grow many of my own ingredients for them. And if you've never done it before, it's much easier than you might think.  

Growing your own basil, oregano, rosemary, onions, sweet & hot peppers and garlic for all of these blends, considerably reduces the overall cost of each one.  You don't even need much space to do this, as all of them can be easily grown in small pots and then harvested, dried and powdered/crushed for a wide variety of uses. Be sure to check out Darcy's tips & videos at The Purposeful Pantry on how to create your own veggie (and fruit) powders for a wide variety of uses.

These are my family's most used & most loved seasoning blends that cost mere pennies for the same sized jar that costs anywhere from $6.99 and $8.99 at my local Canadian grocery store. Made at home, with most of the ingredients also grown at home, it comes out to roughly 75 cents for each one.

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BBQ Spice Blend/Rub

This blend is most used on grilled/air-fried chicken and pork and hamburger patties.

2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons smoked paprika (or powdered red pepper)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoons onion powder

pinch of nutmeg (optional)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

Blend well & store in air-tight glass container.

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Quesadilla Seasoning

This blend is most used on beef or chicken quesadillas or beef & refried bean burritos.

2 Tablespoons smoked paprika (or powdered red pepper)

2 Tablespoons cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blend well & store in air-tight glass container. 

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Taco Seasoning

This is by far my family's most loved seasoning. I refill this one the most, and usually triple the recipe. 

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or jalapeno pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Blend all spices well & store in air-tight glass jar.

For taco meat: 1/4 cup seasoning to 3/4 cup water with 1 lb. ground beef, chicken or turkey for seasoned meat. Cook meat until done, add seasoning and water, simmer on low uncovered, until water is reduced. 

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Italian Seasoning

Best for any Italian pasta dish such as spaghetti, ravioli, canneloni, lasagna, etc. that calls for Italian seasoning. I usually make a double or triple batch of this since we have Italian dishes quite often. 

4 Tablespoons basil

2 Tablespoons oregano

2 Tablespoons rosemary

2 Tablespoons marjoram

2 Tablespoons thyme

2 Tablespoons red pepper flakes

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I hope these seasoning blend recipes have encouraged you to create your own and help you see how easy it is trim your own grocery budget. 

Please feel welcome to share your thoughts or questions in the comment section below, and I hope you have an incredible, blessed day!