Harissa Seasoning (Homemade Harissa Powder)
If you enjoy North African flavors, get ready to fall in love with this bold and complex Harissa Seasoning. It’s an easy DIY spice blend that packs a punch of heat, smokiness, and subtle sweetness thanks to a blend of dried chiles and spices. Whip up a batch in just 20 minutes!
Growing up, my family loved cooking with big, bold flavors and spices. Harissa is one of those ingredients we used in countless Moroccan recipes, either in paste form or as a powder in the spice cabinet.
This homemade harissa powder has all of the depth of flavor you get from traditional harissa paste, but in a dried spice blend.
A blend of dried smoked chiles and whole spices are toasted then blended in a food processor for a simple but incredibly flavorful seasoning you’ll want to use on everything.
- Try it as a quick and easy rub on chicken, fish, or steak
- Sprinkle over your favorite veggies before roasting
- Mix it into mayo, dips, or salad dressings for a punch of extra flavor
- Use it in any recipe that calls for traditional harissa paste – we love keeping this shelf stable spice blend on hand as an easy substitute when we run out of fresh harissa!
Ingredients
- variety of dried chilis (could be arbol, pasilla ancho, guajillo, etc.)
- dried Thai chiles (could be any variety of hot chile)
- cumin seeds
- caraway seeds
- coriander seeds
- garlic powder
- salt – you can always skip the salt if you’d like more control of the salt you use in recipes!
Grab the complete ingredient list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.
How to Make Harissa Powder
Where to Use this Spice Blend
This homemade harissa powder makes an excellent addition to just about anything savory. It’s a wonderful spice blend to sprinkle on proteins like steak, chicken, fish, shrimp, tofu, you name it!
It’s also a wonderful subsitute in any recipes that call for harissa paste. Add a few teaspoons in place of the paste and enjoy the big flavors!
Special Equipment
You will need a good quality food processor to pulverize the dried peppers into a powder, so make sure you’ve got one before getting started!
If you can’t get your hands on a food processor, a good alternative would be a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder (just make sure there’s no coffee residue!)
More North African Staples
If you enjoy this harissa seasoning, you should take a moment to explore these North African cooking staples that are equally unique in flavor and depth:
Bismillah,
Harissa Seasoning (Homemade Harissa Powder)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
- Category: Seasoning
- Method: Toasted
- Cuisine: Moroccan, North African
- Diet: Vegan
Description
If you enjoy North African flavors, get ready to fall in love with this bold and complex Harissa Seasoning. It’s an easy DIY spice blend that packs a punch of heat, smokiness, and subtle sweetness thanks to a blend of dried chiles and spices. Whip up a batch in just 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 15 dried chilis (I recommend using a variety – could be arbol, pasilla ancho, guajillo, etc.)
- 3 dried Thai chiles (could be any variety of hot chile)
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from chiles. Using a sharp knife, slice off the stems of the dried chiles. Cut the chiles in half and remove all seeds.
- Toast the chiles. Add the chiles to a large pan over medium low heat. Toast on both sides (about 2-3 minutes) then remove from the pan to let cool.
- Toast the spices. Add the whole spices (cumin, caraway, and coriander seeds) to the same pan over medium low heat. Toast the spices until fragrant (about 2 minutes) then remove from the heat. Be careful not to burn the spices.
- Blend and store. Combine the toasted chiles, whole spices, and remaining ingredients (garlic powder and salt) in a food processor. Blend until a fine powder forms. Store the harissa seasoning in an air tight jar at room temperature.
Notes
Feel free to skip the salt if desired
