Learn how to make this 5 minute DIY Sazon Seasoning with a mix of achiote, garlic, coriander, cumin, and oregano. It’s perfect for using with red meat, rice, beans and many of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes.

a bowl of sazon seasoning with a spoon

If you’ve had any traditional Puerto Rican recipes, you’ve probably tried sazon. It’s the most popular spice blend on the island, and for good reason.

The blend of achiote powder with garlic, oregano, cumin, and coriander works well in a variety of savory recipes and cuisines.

While it’s pretty easy to find at the grocery store, making it yourself results in a much better blend and takes only 5 minutes to do. Plus, when you make it at home with only 5 ingredients, you get to skip the list of weird ingredients we can barely pronounce, much less understand.

While this seasoning has origins in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, you’ll find it used in recipes across Latin America.

We use it weekly in my kitchen whether it’s as a simple dry rub on chicken skewers, as a seasoning for arroz con gandules, or in the picadillo for my empanadillas.

This spice is a pantry staple in many households because of the warm color and smoky savory flavor it provides.

a bowl with achiote, oregano, garlic, and more spices

Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to make your own sazon:

See recipe card for exact quantities.

Some homemade recipes will call for turmeric to enhance that bright red color, but I find that using fresh achiote powder (or ground annatto seeds) does a great job at this.

Instructions

Tip: If you can’t find annatto seeds or achiote powder at your grocery store or online, the best substitute is ½ tbsp of ground turmeric.

a bowl of achiote

Variations

I recommend sticking to the ingredient list when possible. That said, achiote powder can be hard to find, depending on where you live.

Here are some easy variations:

  • Turmeric: Turmeric is a decent substitute for ground achiote powder if you can’t find it.
  • Add salt: Feel free to add a teaspoon or two of salt to your blend if you want. I leave it out so that I can control and adjust how much I use while cooking.
  • Turn up the heat: Add a half teaspoon of cayenne or a full teaspoon of black pepper to add some spice to the mix.

Traditional Ways to Use Sazon Seasoning

Here are some of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes that use sazon:

Other Ideas

Here are my favorite unconventional ways to use this spice blend:

  • In rice dishes: Sprinkle this into the broth while your rice cooks and enjoy the depth of flavor and color it adds.
  • On meat: I’ve used this as a marinade for chicken, pork, steak, and even grilled vegetables with great success. It’s a wonderfully savory blend that pairs really well with meat and veggies.
  • In just about anything savory: I’m serious, once you get started, you’ll find yourself using this stuff on everything from eggs to lamb.

More ideas:

a bowl of sazon seasoning with a spoon

Storing Homemade Seasonings

Store your homemade seasonings in your spice cabinet for up to 6 months.

This timeline does depend on the freshness of your spices so make sure to check their expiration dates for freshness before using.

a spoonful of sazon seasoning

More Puerto Rican Staples

Buen Provecho!

Salima written in cursive
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a bowl of sazon seasoning with a spoon

5 Minute DIY Sazon Seasoning Spice Blend

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
  • Category: Spice Blend
  • Method: Toasted
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Learn how to make this 5 minute DIY Sazon Seasoning with a mix of achiote, garlic, coriander, cumin, and oregano. It’s perfect for using with red meat, rice, beans and many of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes.


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Grind any whole spices. Start by grinding any whole spices you have. I recommend using achiote powder but if you have whole annatto seeds and need to grind them up, using a coffee grinder is the best method I’ve found. 
  2. Combine & mix. Combine all ground spices and mix until evenly combined. Store in an airtight container in your spice cabinet for up to 6 months (depending on the freshness of your spices).

Notes

You can also add a teaspoon of salt and pepper to the blend, if you’d like. I prefer leaving these out so that I have control over how much I use in the dish I’m making.