This Homemade Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Blend is the perfect way to add heat and flavor to your food. Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is a delicious blend of spices commonly used in Jamaican cuisine, and it can be used to add some serious Caribbean flavor to chicken, pork, fish, and even vegetables.
The beauty of this recipe is that it's super easy to make, and you can adjust the heat level to your liking. So whether you prefer a mild kick or a fiery flavor explosion, you can customize the seasoning to your taste.
The mixture is made up of a few readily available spices. You may well have them all in your pantry already!
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Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients; for a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Cayenne: The spice blend has a kick but isn't as fiery as some blends. You can increase or decrease the cayenne according to taste.
Salt: I add salt to my spice blend for extra flavor. But remember not to salt the meat/fish when marinating it. Feel free to leave the salt out and salt your dishes separately.
Sugar: The added sweetness balances the heat from the cayenne and red pepper flakes. I like to use raw sugar, but you can use regular white sugar.
I have written this seasoning blend to use easy-to-find herbs and spices, it is not a genuinely authentic blend but gives a similar flavor.
How to store homemade Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
The homemade Jerk seasoning can be kept in an airtight container in a cool dark place for 1-2 years.
Using your Jerk Seasoning
- I recommend 1-1½ tablespoons of the mix per pound/500g of ingredients.
- Use the blend on beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish (especially salmon), shrimp, and vegetables.
- To use it as a dry rub, massage it into your meat or fish and leave for at least an hour.
- Turn this seasoning blend into a marinade by combining it with some olive oil. Mix this with a tablespoon of olive oil and marinate your food for at least an hour.
Enjoy x
Where does Jerk Seasoning get its name?
Jerking is the name given to the practice of poking holes into meat to allow a spice rub or marinade to permeate further. So the term Jerk came to be associated with the spice rub that was used. And the name was born.
Recipes that use Jerk Seasoning
Use our Jamaican Jerk Seasoning to add flavor to meat, fish or vegetables. Or grab one of these recipe to try:
- Honey Jerk Lamb Chops
- Easy Jerk Chicken
- Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops
- Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa (coming soon)
- Jerk Cauliflower Steaks
If you make this Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, don't forget to come back and comment. You can also tag me on social media.
Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Get the Recipe
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Blend
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Mix everything together and store in an airtight jar.
Notes
- The spice blend has a kick but isn't as fiery as some blends. You can increase or decrease the cayenne according to taste.
- I add salt to my spice blend for extra flavor. But remember not to salt the meat/fish when marinating it. Feel free to leave the salt out and salt your dishes separately.
- The added sweetness balances the heat from the cayenne and red pepper flakes. I like to use raw sugar, but you can use regular white sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
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