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.

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.

Ingredients

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

Where to Use Sazon Seasoning

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

a bowl of sazon seasoning with a spoon

More Puerto Rican Staples

a spoonful of sazon seasoning

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.