Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes ~ Free Printable Recipe Kit

"She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar."

~ Proverbs 31:14

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, with more and more loved one's going gluten-free, I have had to re-evaluate our pantry. While it is obvious which bulk foods contain wheat, the sinister products that sneak up on you are the seasoning mixes. Even if you aren't trying to avoid gluten, think of a future guest (I almost used taco seasoning on my mother who is gf). Also, making your own seasoning mixes is frugal and healthier (no MSG's, GMO soy additives, anti-caking agents, weird chemicals, etc.). Not to mention, you can chose more quality ingredients such as replacing table salt with sea salt, sugars with a less processed brand (or eliminate altogether) and organic ingredients if your budget allows.  We are sharing the six seasonings we use most often in our home along with printable recipes, labels and directions to paste onto your jars.

Here are the basic ingredients you will need in order to make all six seasoning mixes for your pantry. I prepared an approximate pint of each but larger families may want to make a quart. Or, once you know what recipes you like, then you can double them and so forth. We also live in a humid climate so I don't go larger than pint sized jars or they will quickly cake up on me.

• arrowroot powder (cornstarch and/or tapioca starch would work also)
• basil (dried)
• black pepper (ground)
• cayenne pepper
• celery seed (celery salt would work too if you reduce salt in recipe used)
• chili powder
• chives (dried)
• cumin (ground)
• dill weed (dried)
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• onions (minced)
• oregano (dried)
• paprika
• parsley (dried)
• red chili pepper flakes (crushed)
• salt (we use sea salt and/or himalayan pink salt for a healthier seasoning)
• sugar (we used organic sugar but you may omit altogether on certain recipes)
• thyme (dried)
• turmeric

Italian Dressing Mix

1/4 c. garlic powder
1/4 c. onion powder
1/4 c. sugar (we used organic) (monk fruit also works here!)
1/2 c. dried oregano
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 c. dried parsley
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 c. salt (we used sea salt)

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and store in an airtight container. 

Directions: To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 1/3 cup oil (grapeseed or olive oil are good choices), 1/4 c. water and 4 tbsp. of the dry mix. You could also experiment with different vinegars to get different flavors.

Italian Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup dried oregano
1/2 cup dried basil
1/4 cup dried parsley

Optional Herbs to Add into the Mix:

2 tbsp. dried thyme
2 tbsp. dried rosemary
2 tbsp. dried sage

Directions: Use like you would any Italian seasoning mix. Herbs are so good for you so feel free to use liberally! :) We add this onto our pasta sauces, pizzas, roasted vegetables, etc.

Ranch Dressing Mix

2 tbsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. salt (we used sea salt)
2/3 c. dried chives
2/3 c. dried parsley
1/3 c. dried dill
1/3 c. garlic powder
1/3 c. onion powder

{Notes: This mix should be shaken well before measuring each time to evenly distribute the herbs and spices.}

Directions:  To make a ranch style dressing (we love to dip our pizza crust into this), mix together 1 1/2 tbsp. ranch mix with one cup of mayonnaise and either one cup of kefir, buttermilk or homemade plain yogurt (I mention homemade because it is runnier).

To make a ranch style dip, add one or more tbsp. of mix to one cup of sour cream until you reach the  desired flavor or visit HERE for my updated recipe that I now prefer!

Seasoned Salt {Lawrey's Copycat Recipe}

2/3 c. salt {we used sea salt}

3 tbsp. sugar {we used organic}

2 ½ tsp. paprika

1 ¼ tsp. turmeric

1 ¼ tsp. onion powder

1 ¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 ¼ tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder

{Note: The good part about making your own seasoning salt is that you can replace the generic salt with a healthier alternative like sea salt or himalayan pink salt.  You could also eliminate the sugar altogether though it may change the potential "Lawrey's" taste.  Adapted from this recipe.}

Directions: Use like you would any seasoning salt. We especially love this on our meats, fried potatoes and baked french fries.

Chili Seasoning Mix

1/2 c. cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca flour

1/4 c. chili powder

3 tbsp. ground cumin

2 tbsp. Herbamare or seasoning salt

2 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. sugar (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined or use a mortar and pestle (or blender) to yield a finer spice mix.

(This recipe is from "This Fox Kitchen" which is no longer available online.)

Directions: Use 2 tbsp. of mix per pound of ground meat (this may be too spicy for children, you can reduce the cayenne or red pepper flakes if need be).

Taco Seasoning Mix

6 tbsp. chili powder

3 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tbsp. black pepper

6 tsp. salt *

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

The original recipe I used is no longer available online and so now I use my sister-in-law's version which is quite good (and is adapted from Mel's Kitchen). Simply mix all the ingredients together in a jar.

* My sister in law actually puts in 3/4 cup of pink salt because then she doesn't need to add salt to her recipes but everyone cooks different and I wanted to point that out. It would make it more of a "taco seasoning salt" blend.

Note:  If you would like a thickener, you can add in 1/2 c. cornstarch, arrowroot or tapioca flour to the mix.

Our printable includes the recipes and labels for the six seasonings (borrowed from our "Seasoning, Spices and Such" label set). Unfortunately it doesn't include a few of the recipes because they were found online when I first put it together and I didn't feel right printing their recipes out. But I do include the labels for all of them.

It also shares instructions for the mixes so that you don't need to look them up each time you prepare them. I affixed mine to the back of each appropriate jar.

It is so satisfying to add usable items like this to your pantry at a fraction of the cost and with all natural ingredients! I store the bulk seasoning in jars and refill my spice containers as needed. You can also find spice jar lids for your mason jars here if you like. Happy homemaking ladies!

For our "Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes DIY Recipe Kit Printable", visit HERE.You can either print them out on plain paper, cut to size and affix to your containers with glue (or decoupage) or print them out on sticker paper and cut to size. If you choose the first route, you may want to place a piece of packing tape or clear contact paper over each label to protect them.

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