A few months ago I shared my easy, homemade taco seasoning and AK readers fell in love. For good reason!
Today I’ve got a brand new seasoning mix for you that will absolutely change your life. If you’ve made my street corn chicken tacos or sazon grilled chicken then you’ll recognize the incredible flavors from homemade sazon seasoning. And if you haven’t made them yet, it’s time to get those babies on your menu ASAP.
Did you know that you can season pretty much anything and everything with sazon? Oh yes, we’re talking roasted veggies, rice, beans, fish and everything in between. Learn exactly how to make one of my mom’s favorite spice blends, store a big jar of it, and enjoy!
What is sazon?
Sazon is a popular Puerto Rican spice that can be found in many Hispanic markets. Being from Puerto Rico, my mom puts sazon on literally everything. And with good reason! It adds incredible flavor to any dish.
Traditional sazon is a blend of coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper. Many pre-packaged sazon seasonings contain MSG, so I love to make my own with what I typically have on hand. It tastes very close to the real thing, but with a few swaps of pantry staples you might already have available.
Ingredients in homemade sazon seasoning
You’re just 5 ingredients away from flavorful sazon seasoning. Good news: you probably already have them in your pantry, too! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground coriander: ground coriander is actually just ground up seeds that grow cilantro leaves.
- Ground cumin: mixing in cumin adds a wonderful, warming earthy flavor to the sazon.
- Ground annatto seeds: annatto seeds come from achiote trees that are native to tropical regions of South and Central America. They’re actually the base of many natural food dyes and have an amazing, warming flavor. If you don’t have this, then just sub turmeric (I do all the time!)
- Garlic powder: for a little savory goodness in the seasoning.
- Dried oregano: good seasonings have an herby element to pull them together. Dried oregano adds great flavor!
- Salt: gotta have a little salt to bring out all of the flavors.
Make this sazon your own
There are a few simple ways to customize and make this homemade sazon seasoning your own:
- Swap the ground annatto seeds. Can’t find ground annatto seeds? You can also use ground turmeric in this sazon seasoning.
- Control your salt. If you’re cooking for someone who is sensitive to sodium, feel free to reduce the salt in the seasoning mixture.
- Add a kick of heat. If you love spice like I do, feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Make a little, or make a lot! Feel free to double or triple this recipe for sazon seasoning so that you can store it and have lots on hand.
Homemade sazon seasoning in minutes
To make this homemade sazon, you’ll simply measure out and mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl until they’re well-combined. So easy!
How much should I use?
I always suggest following the given recipe to know how much sazon seasoning you’ll need to use. That’s why I like to keep a jar on hand!
For example, I typically use 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of sazon in my mom’s rice and beans recipe and for about 1 pound of meat.
Store your sazon
Store this easy homemade sazon seasoning in small, airtight jars or containers. It will last 6 months or longer.
The best ways to use sazon seasoning
As I mentioned, my mom literally puts this seasoning on everything she cooks (it’s that good). Here are some great recipes and ideas to get you started:
- Try my juicy and flavorful sazon grilled chicken thighs.
- Toss it with some crispy breakfast potatoes for the perfect brunch side.
- Add it to these protein packed salmon taco bowls.
- If you haven’t yet, you MUST try my mom’s Puerto Rican rice & beans, chickpeas in sofrito and Puerto Rican chicken and rice.
- Spice my famous turkey tacos for a delicious flavor twist.
- Hello, incredible chicken tacos with grilled street corn!
- My freezer-friendly chicken burritos would be delicious with homemade sazon.
This sazon seasoning also makes the perfect spice rub for salmon, shrimp, any cuts of chicken, veggies (sweet potatoes OMG yum), rice, quinoa and beans. The options are truly endless! Can’t wait to hear how you like it.
I hope you love this easy homemade sazon seasoning. If you try it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it (and how you used it!) Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Homemade Sazon Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon ground annatto seeds (or sub turmeric)
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together the coriander, cumin, annatto seeds, garlic powder, oregano and salt.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Â Eat Love Eats
I buy bulk Cumin Seeds, Coriander Seeds and Black Pepper Corns and grind for a few seconds in a small (left over) coffee bean grinder, in small batches to yield enough for a month. Then store the rest as full Seeds in an air tight container. As Seeds these will hold and protect their inner flavor until crushed or ground. These important flavors are powerful while locked in the seed shell, but very diminished in a factory ground form in the bottles or jars on your grocer’s shelves. It’s always better to buy Seeds than the ground version, then grind or crush at home. Buying Seeds in bulk, online, can be very cost effective.
I like the above Sazon recipe, similar to one I’ve used for 25 years, but I add Smoked Paprika and always use freshly ground Seed spices.
Amazing! Great idea 🙂
Difficult to follow – unsure on if both the beans and the rice needed the same tomato sauce made and mixed in (2 batches) or just make one batch and add it to the beans before adding rice. Would have preferred ability to print a simple recipe. Also could not find adobo at any grocery store, would have preferred a substitution example. Without the adobo, felt it was pretty bland.
Hi! Are you referring to my Puerto Rican Rice and Beans? Feel free to click the “Print Recipe” button at the top of the recipe in order to see it all together and print it out if you’d like! I highly recommend trying it with the adobo next time, too, because it adds the necessary salt and flavor.
HI , THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK TO KEEP US HAPPY. I HAVE MADE YOUR SAZON SEASONING MANNY TIMES NOW , ITS THE BEST FOR WHITE FISH I HAVE EVER HAD .IM A 70 YEAR OLD RETIRED DAD AND LOVE THE EAST COST
So happy you love the seasoning!
This is a staple on my chicken thighs + a ton of lemon once done cooking. When camping in the summer I use this recipe and store the chicken in a plastic bag until ready for grilling and everyone always asks for the spice recipe!
Love that! One of our favs, too 🙂
If I wanted to use this in 1 cup of rice how much of the seasoning would I use
You’ll need 1/2 tablespoon of the full amount of the seasoning.
Wonderful recipe, It is so appreciated that you took the time to figure out the proportions. I miss using the Sazon packets but I do not miss the gross feeling after eating foods with it! So this is a life saver!! Thanks so much!!
Of course! I am SO glad you found this recipe and you are loving it!
Had never heard of Sazon seasoning before but where has this been all my life! Love this stuff & want to add it to everything! Thank you for sharing the recipe : )
It is seriously the best, like where has it been all my life?! lol 😂
what’s wrong with msg
Love this seasoning with the grilled chicken thighs.
Last night I used it on grilled cod, my husband who in general doesn’t care for fish had two servings. Score!!
Thanks for all you do!
Love that!! This one’s such a great staple.
This seasoning is AMAZING! We were making empanadas and the recipe called for sazon seasoning. We did not know what it was, so of course we didnt have any in my spices. Found this recipe and it turned out to be a wonderful treat. It is so good I made a big batch and keep it on hand for a everyday meals. Do not hesitate to try it! BTW – the Saxon seasoning that you can buy in the store has MSG. This is so much tastier and better for you. Enjoy!
I’m so happy you found this recipe, Pam! And that you’re loving it! Such a great idea to make a big batch to have on hand 🙂
Just curious if you used regular or Mexican oregano. Does it matter?
I usually use regular but I think either would work 🙂
Sazon is not Puerto Rican! It was created by a Spaniard in the US. Their spice has been used throughout Latin America for decades.
Thank you for sharing this homemade Sazon recipe. I’m allergic to MSG, so this is so helpful.
I’m so glad you found it! I use it in sooo many recipes. Hope you enjoy 🙂
I’m really sensitive to msg so I really appreciate this homemade recipe. Thank you.
Of course, so happy you found it! Thanks, Elise 🙂
I love making my own spices because you can control how much you need/want!
This is the best seasoning recipe for Sazon I’ve found. A wonderful site with great recipes and tips
So happy to hear that! One of my favs to add to tons of recipes 🙂
The only thing missing was MSG. I added that and it came out perfect!
Great! Glad you loved it!
Will be making this and your taco seasoning soon i never had sazon seasoning before perfect for my snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Amazing! Hope you love it!