Why buy poultry seasoning when it’s so easy to make your own? My quick and simple recipe comes together in minutes and can be used on everything from roast chicken to Thanksgiving stuffing.
Make Your Own Poultry Seasoning
Did you just run out of poultry seasoning, right in the middle of a recipe? Don’t panic, because you can easily make your own!
This recipe has saved me so many times when I couldn’t find or didn’t have any seasoning on hand (especially when I’m in the middle of making my turkey chowder!). It’s made with just 6 simple spices and takes seconds to whisk together.
Why you should try my homemade version:
- Cheaper than store-bought: Just like my everything bagel seasoning. Who doesn’t like saving money?!
- Includes conversions for using dried vs ground herbs.
- Easily doubles, triples, etc.
- Long shelf life, so you can make a batch and let it hang out in your pantry until you need it next.
- Salt free seasoning: add the salt separately (just like you would with store-bought!)
What You Need
You’ll need just 6 spices to make this homemade seasoning. Let’s go over them briefly before we begin!
- Sage. One of the most predominant spices in sausage gravy and Thanksgiving dishes, sage is a cozy, homey spice. Either rubbed or ground sage will work here, but if you use rubbed sage, you may need to add more than what I have listed, as it tends to be milder.
- Thyme. Similar to rosemary, thyme is woody but also a bit floral and minty. You can buy ground thyme or thyme leaves in most grocery stores; however, I recommend you stick with ground if you can find it.
- Marjoram. Marjoram has an earthy, slightly citrusy flavor. If you can’t find it, you could use oregano instead, but you won’t need quite as much (oregano is very similar but has a stronger flavor!).
- Rosemary. Rosemary has a slightly woody flavor to it. It’s not easy to find in ground form, so I typically grind it myself.
- Black pepper. Freshly cracked is best, if you have it!
- Nutmeg. Just a small amount of nutmeg rounds out the flavors of the herbs. You could skip this if you really don’t like nutmeg or don’t have any on hand, but I recommend adding it if you can.
That’s right, no salt! Classic poultry seasoning is just herbs; if you were expecting salt here, you might be thinking of bouillon (more on this below).
SAM’S TIP: I usually can’t find ground marjoram or rosemary, so I just grind it myself. If you can’t, you can use double the amount of the herb in dried leaf form.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make It
- Grind any whole herbs into a fine powder, if needed. You can use a mini food processor, mortar and pestle, or coffee grinder for this.
- Whisk together all ingredients until completely combined, then use as desired.
SAM’S TIP: This recipe makes 6 teaspoons (2 Tablespoons) of seasoning, so if you need more, feel free to double, triple, or quadruple it. The measurements scale up easily!
Frequently Asked Questions
So many things! Seasoning chicken and turkey, for one, but it can also be used in stuffing, on pork, in soups, over roasted veggies, and even in pot pie. Get creative with it!
No! Bouillon is dehydrated chicken stock. It can contain some or all of the seasonings we use here, but it also contains meat, vegetables, salt and fat.
While you can add bouillon powder to your poultry seasoning and vice versa, do not substitute one for the other!
Typically homemade seasonings made with dried herbs will last quite a long time, a year or more. To be sure, check the shelf life of the spices you are using to make this seasoning–that will tell you how long yours will be good for.
Do you have any special requests for homemade seasoning recipes? Maybe taco seasoning or cajun seasoning? Let me know in the comments!
Enjoy!
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Homemade Poultry Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground sage
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram see note
- 1 teaspoon ground rosemary see note
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Recommended Equipment
- Spice grinder, if applicable
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small dish and whisk until completely combined.2 teaspoons ground thyme, 2 teaspoons ground sage, 1 teaspoon ground marjoram, 1 teaspoon ground rosemary, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Use as desired. Recipe may easily be halved, doubled or tripled.
Notes
Trouble finding ground herbs?
I sometimes have trouble finding herbs like marjoram or rosemary that are already ground in my small local grocery store. When that happens, I just buy the herb in whatever dried form I can find and grind it myself with a spice grinder. Alternatively (less desirable), if you can only find dried leaves for any spice, use double the amount called for (ex: 2 teaspoons crushed rosemary leaves instead of 1 teaspoon ground rosemary).Storing
Check the expiration date on your herbs, the poultry seasoning will keep that long. Typically poultry seasoning can be stored in a cool dark place, like a pantry, for months or even over a year.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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