This Jamaican jerk seasoning is the perfect blend of spices to add a spicy, unique flavor to all of your favorite meals. The sugar adds a slight hint of sweetness to create some depth and to round out the flavor. You don't have to reserve this seasoning for just Jamaican dishes, it works great in so many other things, too.
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Jamaican jerk seasoning is the best way to add some serious heat to any of your favorite dishes. Even though there is a long ingredient list, they're all common household staples.
Nothing is better than a homemade spice blend. Plus, it's so easy to make that you'll wonder why you would ever want to buy the store version.
🥘 Ingredients
These seasonings are all very common household spices. In fact, you might already have all of them.
- Onion Powder - 1 tablespoon onion powder.
- Garlic Powder - 1 tablespoon garlic powder.
- Cayenne Pepper - ½ tablespoon of cayenne pepper.
- Sugar - ½ tablespoon of granulated sugar.
- Paprika - ½ tablespoon of paprika.
- Salt & Pepper - 2 teaspoons each of salt and pepper.
- Thyme - 2 teaspoons of dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon of ground thyme).
- Allspice - 1 teaspoon of ground allspice.
- Parsley - 1 teaspoon of dried parsley.
- Hot Pepper Flakes - ½ teaspoon of hot pepper flakes.
- Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Nutmeg - ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
- Clove - ½ teaspoon of ground clove.
- Cumin - ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Nothing is easier than just mixing some spices together. All your going to need is a small mixing bowl and an airtight container or spice jar.
This recipe will make roughly a half cup total of Jamaican jerk seasoning.
- Add ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, add 1 tablespoon of both onion powder and garlic powder, ½ tablespoon each of cayenne, sugar, and paprika, 2 teaspoons each of salt, pepper, and thyme, 1 teaspoon of both allspice and parsley, ½ teaspoon each of hot pepper flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and ¼ teaspoon of cumin.
- Mix. Stir gently to combine.
- Store. Store in a spice jar or airtight container until ready to use, up to 3 years (*see note).
This seasoning is perfect for all of your favorite Jamaican recipes. Not to mention, you could also use it as a fantastic seasoning for any of your favorite meat dishes, like baked chicken wings or grilled boneless chicken thighs. Enjoy!
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💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- This recipe will yield about a ½ cup of seasoning.
- To store: Store your seasoning mix in a spice jar or an airtight container. Keep it in a cabinet or pantry, out of direct sunlight. Store for up to 3 years.
- Spices slowly lose their freshness over time. The guideline of storing for up to 3 years may vary depending on how fresh the spices that you used were when you made this blend.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Jerk seasoning is known for being spicy. In fact, there isn't even a mild version (it has to be hot!) As far as flavor goes, it has an earthy, spicy, slightly-sweet taste!
Of course, this spice blend is called for in many different Jamaican recipes! However, it works wonderfully as an all-purpose seasoning as well!
You can use it as a dry rub for any of your barbecued, grilled, roasted, or smoked meats. Plus, it adds a great spice to stews, rice, pasta, or soups. You can add it to your eggs or mix it into some homemade guacamole.
Truly, you can use this Jamaican jerk seasoning any way to like!
Both of these blends are spicy in nature and are staples in their respective cuisines. While they do both contain herbs and peppers, they include different seasonings and, as a result, have different flavors.
In fact, I wouldn't even recommend using these two spice blends as substitutes for one another. However, feel free to check out my homemade Cajun seasoning!
🌿 Best Homemade Seasoning Blends
- Taco Seasoning
- Garam Masala Seasoning Mix
- Chili Seasoning
- Steak Seasoning
- Pork Dry Rub
- Cajun Seasoning
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📖 Recipe Card
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon ground thyme)
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, parsley, hot pepper flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cumin.
- Gently mix the spices together.
- Store in a spice jar or airtight container until ready to use, up to 3 years.
Notes
- This recipe will yield about a ½ cup of seasoning.
- To store: Store your seasoning mix in a spice jar or an airtight container. Keep it in a cabinet or pantry, out of direct sunlight. Use within 6 months for best flavor. Store for up to 3 years.
- Spices slowly lose their freshness over time. The guideline of storing for up to 3 years may vary depending on how fresh the spices that you used were when you made this blend.
Javier Gordon says
Excelente