My homemade spice mix recipes will save you money. But the most important reason to make your own spice mixes is the fantastic flavor everyone will taste time and time again.
No hidden chemicals and preservatives, so it is healthier for you too. I suggest purchasing organic spices because they are now easy to find at a reasonable price point. I even see them sold now at Wal-mart stores.

Spice Mix Recipes from Scratch
Bread Crumbs
Cajun | Creole Seasoning
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Chipotle Spice Mix
Cooking with Herbs
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning
Lemon PepperMontreal Steak Seasoning
- Just Like Outback Steakhouse Steak Seasoning
- Apple Pie Spice
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- All Purpose Rub
- Spicy Dry Rub
- Chicken Rub
- Ribs Rub
- Stonewall BBQ Sauce
- Doritos Seasoning
- BBQ Seasoning
- Spicy Seasoning

Spice Mix Recipes Substitutes
Allspice, ground: ground cinnamon, dash ground nutmeg, or dash ground cloves
Anise seed: fennel seed or a few drops anise extract
Apple pie spice: For 1 teaspoon, substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, and dash ground cloves or ground ginger.
Cardamom, ground: ground ginger
Cinnamon, ground: For 1 teaspoon, substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground allspice.
Chili powder: dash bottled hot pepper sauce plus a combination of dried oregano and ground cumin
Cloves, ground: ground allspice, ground cinnamon, or ground nutmeg
Cumin, ground: chili powder
Curry powder: Mix ground tumeric, ground ginger, ground black pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin, and chili powder.
Ginger, ground: ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground mace, or ground nutmeg
Gingerroot, grated: For 1 teaspoon, substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
Mace, ground: ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, or ground nutmeg
Nutmeg, ground: ground cinnamon, ground ginger, or ground mace
Poultry seasoning: For 1 teaspoon, substitute 3/4 teaspoon dried sage plus a 1/4 teaspoon blend of any of these: dried thyme, dried marjoram, dried savory, ground black pepper, and dried rosemary.
Pumpkin pie spice: For 1 teaspoon, substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Saffron, ground: dash ground turmeric (for color)
Seasoning salt: equal amount of snipped fresh herbs or equal amount of salt-free seasoning blend
Spice blends: garlic powder instead of garlic salt
Thai seasoning: For 1 tablespoon, mix 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder.
Basic Spice Information Selecting. To guarantee that you are using fresh spices, you should buy them in small quantities and date them. Replace old spices once a year. You can tell if a spice is fresh by its color and aroma. When fresh, most spices have a bright color and a strong aroma when you open the container. If either the color or the aroma seems weak, replace the spice.
Storing. Your spices will keep their flavor longer if they’re stored in a cool, dry place. Keep in an air-tight container. Avoid storing in racks or cabinets over the range where they will be exposed to heat and humidity. Whole spices stay fresh for up to 2 years and ground spices about 6 months.
Purchasing. You may prefer to replace all of your ground spices once a year. November and December are particularly good times to replace spices due to supermarket sales for holiday baking. I can’t take the credit for all of this information, it was adapted from BHG.com. Enjoy.