One of the easiest and most rewarding ways to up your game in the home kitchen is to make your own spice blends. The spices you can buy at the store are good, but it's usually a lot more expensive than making it yourself. You can make perfectly good spice blends using the spices you have in the pantry, or you can buy whole spices in bulk, like cumin or cardamom, for example, and grind them yourself in a coffee or spice grinder as needed.
Herbs can also be purchased or grown fresh and dried at home. Tying a bunch of rosemary or oregano with twine and hanging them in a warm spot, like over your stove or in front of a window, will do the trick. Plus, since you're going to use them, you score home décor points without being phony.
Check out these 13 DIY seasoning blends to try right at home.
1. Cajun Seasoning
Substitute Tony Chachere for your own Cajun spice blend. Use it for chicken, gumbo, rice, crawfish boils, pork chops - anything that could use a little kick.
Find the blend instructions here.
2. Greek Spice Blend
Greek spices pair naturally with foods found in Greek cuisine—yogurt, lamb, hummus—but this versatile homemade spice blend works well on veggies, chicken and beef, too.
Find the blend here.
3. Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
Use in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe or make your own pumpkin spice lattes at home. This warming spice blend is made with classic spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, ground cloves, mace, and nutmeg. The best part? When you make it yourself, it's always in season.
Find the blend here.
4. Taco Seasoning
You won't be going back to Taco Bell any time soon after you've made tacos and fajitas with this seasoning mix. Made with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper, you'll forget all about store-bought taco seasoning.
Find the blend here.
5. Lemon Pepper
One of the most popular spice blends for chicken and fish. It's a go-to for fresh, bright flavors from some of the ingredients like lemon zest and celery seeds.
Find the blend here.
6. Old Bay Seasoning
The "secret" ingredient to so many recipes and arguably the key ingredient in seafood boils, but when you make Old Bay yourself, you unlock the mystery.
Find the blend here.
7. Italian Seasoning
Use up the dried herbs you have in your pantry or dry them yourself for this Italian spice blend. It's a good all-purpose seasoning to have on hand and especially delicious in tomato pasta sauces.
Find the blend here.
8. Taco and Chili Seasoning
This easy, savory seasoning is perfect for adding a spicy kick to any of your favorite recipes.
Find the blend here.
9. Garam Masala
With flavors like coriander, anise, cardamom, and cinnamon use this seasoning blend to add a lot of spice and complexity to Indian-inspired dishes, like vegetable curry.
Find the blend here.
10. Buffalo Spice Mix
Make this spicy dry rub with some ingredients like cayenne pepper, peppercorns, chili powder and add it to everything. Dips, chilis, soups, veggies, put it on chicken, put it on popcorn, heck, put it on fruit— go crazy with it.
Find the blend here.
11. Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning
One of the easiest ways to up the flavors of your steaks and save money on ingredients.
Find the blend here.
12. Apple Pie Spice Mix
Most likely how your great-grandmother spiced her apple pies before supermarkets sold "Apple Pie Spice."
Find the recipe here.
13. Ranch Dressing Mix
Put it on everything. Put in in your cereal. Need...more...ranch...But seriously, it is really good in sour cream dips and chicken casseroles.
Find the recipe here.
This post was originally published on February 17, 2018.
