Sazon Seasoning Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Latin American sazon spice blend adds rich, herbal, and tangy flavors to your cooking along with a gorgeous red color. But don’t let the color fool you…it’s not spicy! It’s a warm, savory taste with just a hint of saltiness to elevate almost any dish.
Sazon is a powerhouse of a spice blend spooned over dishes throughout Latin America — but particularly in Puerto Rican cuisine. You’re likely familiar with the popular Goya brand of Sazon, and Badia and Loisa are two more popular store-bought brands.
But I stand by my statement that spice blends are way better prepared at home! Not only do they taste fresher, but you can balance and alter the flavors to suit your tastes to a tee. We’re also avoiding artificial ingredients, preservatives, added dyes, and excess sodium. It’s a true win-win situation!
Table of Contents
And it’s so versatile. When I’m making ropa vieja over yellow rice, I use sazon in both recipes. Steak, in particular, is an incredible vessel for sazon seasoning — I use it in my Southwest flap steak and Mexican grilled sirloin flap as well.
Dried Cilantro
To make dried cilantro leaves, harvest fresh cilantro and wash it thoroughly. Pat the leaves dry, then spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray. Allow them to air dry in a cool, dark place for about 1-2 weeks, or use a dehydrator at 95°F (35°C) for 4-6 hours. Store in an airtight container.
If you don’t want to make your own, Penzys spices has them in store or online, too.
- Coriander & Cumin – If you choose to use coriander and cumin seeds rather than their powdered counterparts — good call! This will result in a stronger, fresher flavor. For your reference, one teaspoon of seeds equals ¾ teaspoon of ground.
- Annatto Seeds or Achiote Powder – If neither of these is available to you, substitute with an equal amount of turmeric or a pinch of saffron. You could also substitute with 1 part turmeric and 2 parts paprika for a bit of heat! Learn more about this peppery Latin seasoning in my brief intro to achiote and annotto.
- Oregano – I prefer to use Mexican oregano in Latin cooking, but feel free to use regular oregano in your sazon seasoning.
- Dried Cilantro – Not everyone likes cilantro — to some it can even taste like soap! If you fall into either of these categories, you can use dried parsley or caraway.
- Garlic Powder & Onion Powder – This is a must-have duo in any number of homemade spice and seasoning blends.
- Salt – I use salt instead of MSG in my sazon seasoning recipe, but you could really use either. And I only use a small amount — this allows you to salt to taste while cooking and add plenty of seasoning without overloading your dish with sodium!
- Ground Black Pepper – Better yet, grab some peppercorns to grind fresh!
- Grind. Add all ingredients to a spice grinder or food processor. Pulse until everything is finely ground and evenly distributed.
- Store. Transfer your sazon seasoning to an airtight container.
Recommended Tools
- Spice Grinder – You could also use a food processor. You just need a tool that will allow you to grind the various herbs, seeds, and seasonings in this sazon seasoning recipe into a fine powder.
Storing and Reheating
Store your seasoning in a tightly sealed container made from glass or metal. These materials are ideal because they won’t react with any of the seasonings and are absolutely airtight.
While some plastics are okay to use, others are porous or made from material that will react with the spices inside, which could deteriorate the plastic. The safest plastic option is to just reuse the bottles your storebought spices come in!
Store the container away from direct sunlight in a cool, dry place for 6 months. You can still use the spice after 6 months, but it will gradually lose its potency.
Sazon is used throughout Latin America, which includes Mexico as well as other North and Central American, South American, and Caribbean countries.
And even if a Mexican recipe doesn’t contain this spice blend exactly as it’s laid out here, it’s guaranteed to have at least a few of its components: cumin, coriander, garlic, oregano, and onion powder at the very least.
Many of the store-bought options do contain MSG. You’ll want to keep an eye out for “monosodium glutamate,” which is the technical name for MSG. You’ll find it listed on Goya seasoning packets.
It’s not inherently harmful, but many of those commercial brands contain quite a lot of it. You can limit the amount of extra sodium by preparing your own at home!
It’s always best to start with less and add more. One teaspoon is considered a serving, and I usually use one teaspoon per one pound of meat.
For reference, this sazon seasoning recipe makes a total of ½ cup — roughly 24 teaspoon servings.
Share this recipe on Pinterest!
Love this recipe? Share it with the world on Pinterest.
Subscribe to my Newsletter, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube for all my latest recipes and videos.
This post, originally published on Kevin is Cooking on March 4, 2019, was last updated February 2024.
Sazon Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp achiote powder (See Note 1)
- 1 tbsp oregano (See Note 2)
- 1 tbsp dried cilantro
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a spice grinder or food processor add the ground coriander, cumin, achiote, oregano, cilantro, garlic and onion powders, kosher salt and pepper and pulse until a fine grind. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If Annatto seeds or achiote powder is not available, you can substitute with a good pinch of saffron threads or same amount of turmeric. If saffron is unavailable or not to your liking, another substitute is to combine 1 part turmeric to 2 parts paprika.
- For Latin cooking, I prefer to use Mexican oregano, but feel free to use regular oregano.
- This makes about 1/2 cup total or 24 teaspoon servings.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I make this over and over again. Delicious.
Excellent! Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know!
Hi Kevin. Years ago while vacationing in Mexico I found a Sazon seasoning for soups & stews. I brought a few home with me but used them all up. Then I discovered an online store in San Diego & bought several. Now they don’t carry it anymore & I’m desperate to make it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kevin. BTW I still have an original bottle with a list of ingredients if that helps.
The recipe is right here Bonnie. Am I missing something?
I think Bonnie may be looking for an alternative to the green box sazon? I now Badia makes one. It’s used more for soups, fish and chicken normally. Goya makes one too called Salad & Vegetable seasoning, it doesn’t have Achoite.
What is a serving of the Sazon spice blend? Just trying to watch sodium levels. Thanks.
This makes about 1/2 cup total or 24 teaspoon servings Vicky, hope this helps!
Kevin,
Thanks for this awesome seasoning! I’ve made this three times now and just love it! I use it all the time.
It’s one of my favorites, too! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
Hello 🙂 I was wondering if there a substitute I could use for the dried cilantro
For dried I would use a pinch of ground cumin, but it already is in the recipe so I would simply omit.
Thank you for this delicious homemade seasoning recipe! I find ground Annatto (Achiote molido) in the ethnic section of my regular grocery store.
So glad I could help Sil!
Hi Kevin,just wondering if you have ever came across a seasoning for homemade chorizo sausages?
I’ll be making your chipotle in adobo sauce on the weekend! can’t wait to try it!
Chris
In my Chipotle Cheddar Biscuits with Chorizo Gravy recipe I have a homemade version for making homemade chorizo (spices etc). Hope this helps Chris.
Where do you buy the achiote powder from?
Thanks
Check out this post Sila! https://keviniscooking.com/achiote-paste-and-the-annatto-seed/ Also, in my recipe card if you check out Note 1 I give you alternatives to it if you are unable to find. Thank you!
Have you tried reducing the salt? I am on a sodium restricted diet. Sometimes the salt can be cut back without major changes.
This definitely has considerably less salt than store bought versions Peter, but you could cut it down more to suit your health concerns.
Considerably less than the 1 tbsp most recipes call for, too. You could do no salt and season the pot to taste.
This is true! Glad you like it!
looking at the goya brand, there is 140mg in 1/4 tsp. This has 292mg in 1 tsp which would equal 73mg in 1/4 tsp…so half the amount of store brand…but you could also cut down the total salt in the recipe from 2 tsp to 1 tsp or even less…I don’t like to use a lot of salt myself so I would plan to cut down when making this
Thank you so much for this recipe! When I saw MSG was the first ingredient at the store I didn’t purchase it. I was thrilled to find this. Thanks again for this flavorful, better for you solution.
So glad you found this one Hope!