This Homemade Italian Seasoning Mix is super versatile. Quick to mix up, it’s a perfect seasoning for fish, chicken, and vegetables and an affordable alternative to commercial Italian herbs.
This blend of dried Italian herbs is perfect for adding to sauces and dressings, sprinkling on pizza, or seasoning meats and vegetables. It’s super tasty in Creamy Chicken Stuffed Shells as well as Parmesan Potato Coins!
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Italian Seasoning Mix is a reliable friend. Filled with almost every green thing in my spice rack, this homemade blend of Italian herbs is fast becoming a family favorite. We’ve used it on everything from fish to chicken, grains to vegetables, sauces to dressings.
It’s been a hit on all the bases, particularly the oven baked fries. And the shrimp and vegetable stir fry. And the grilled salmon. YUM!
What do I love about making my own Italian seasoning mix? Well, I’ll tell you.
Why Make This
It makes cooking easier. Having a jar of Italian seasoning blend on hand means that I can add tremendous flavor to a dish without a lot of hassle or dirty measuring spoons. Cooking becomes a grab and go affair because I can grab a seasoning mix, shake vigorously, and serve a meal that was quick and easy. It frees me up to enjoy my meal and get out of the kitchen for other pursuits.
It’s more economical. I highly encourage you to start be your own spice mixer. Not only will cooking be a fun and easy activity, but you’ll save money avoiding those packets and jars of expensive commercial blends. If you buy your herbs in bulk, you can save a pretty penny.
It’s delicious. A fantastic addition to Italian Pasta Salad or Hot Italian Beef Sandwiches, it’s basically a one-stop flavor machine.
Ingredients
I’ve included most Italian herbs that are used in their dried forms, oregano, basil, marjoram, summer savory, tarragon, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and sage as well as some garlic powder for good measure.
If you are missing one or two of the dried herbs it won’t make a huge difference to the overall recipe, though they do make a pretty festive party altogether.
For most money savings, purchase herbs that you’ll use often in bulk and store them in the freezer to extend their shelf life. If you don’t think you’ll use a large portion of any of the herbs listed, you can usually purchase just a small amount, sold by weight, at natural food grocery stores, such as Sprouts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making your own spice blends is super duper simple!
- Measure out the ingredients into a small mixing bowl.
- Stir well to combine.
- Store in an airtight container. Be sure to label the container with the name of the spice mix.
See? Easy as 1-2-3!
FAQs
Italian seasoning is typically a blend of Italian herbs, including oregano. If a recipe calls for oregano, you can use Italian seasoning instead, just adjust for other herbs in the recipe as well as garlic.
Italian seasoning is great for adding flavor to sauces or dressings, like this Easy Homemade Italian Salad Dressing Recipe. It’s great for seasoning vegetables, meats, and grain dishes as well.
Generally speaking, parsley doesn’t add a ton of flavor, especially in its dried form. If the recipe is an Italian-style recipe, it’s possible to add Italian seasoning in place of the parsley, but keep in mind the other ingredients included. You wouldn’t want this seasoning to conflict with those.
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
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Italian Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
- 1 tablespoon dried summer savory
- 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
Instructions
- In a small bowl or jar, combine all the ingredients. Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published April 25, 2016. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Katie C.
I have everything except the savory. What is that like? I think I will try this blend on chicken first.
If you want to try another spice blend that’s sort of like a Mexican blend without the heat, look for the home made sazon mix on the skinnytaste blog. She was right about the msg in the store bought stuff. Anyway, the first time I used it on her pork chops in the crock pot. So good!
Jessica Fisher
It’s hard to describe savory, but it’s one of my favorites! You can leave it out if you don’t have any.
Alice E
The closest I have been able to describe summer savory is that it seems to boost the existing flavors in a dish. It is subtle in that I never pick up a specific flavor, but it seems to boost the flavor and the dish tastes better. I sometimes compare it to salt which is used with all sorts of flavors from chili to chocolate to improve the taste and flavor.
It is a bit pricey since I buy the spice islands jar, but lower priced sources have all included stems instead of just leaves and weren’t very satisfactory for me. So, I go ahead and get the good stuff. It is really helpful for me when I am cooking without either salt or pepper due to family health issues.
Obviously, I like and use it, but I’m sure it would work without it.
Sandi
Thanks for the info, Alice. I’ve either never heard of it or just ignored it since I did not know what it was. I have a whole cabinet full of spices and now I “need” to go get another one!
Jessica Fisher
I didn’t know anything about it either until a couple years ago. Now I love it!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the great input!
Alice E
I love the idea, just haven’t done it yet. I like that the summer savory is included since I use it a lot. Where do you buy your fine sea salt? I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve been tempted, but not sure what and where so haven’t bought it yet.
Also, do you ever do blends without the salt and pepper? My system doesn’t tolerate black pepper well and my sister can’t have salt. So, it seems to me that leaving both out might make a mix more versatile for me. The salt would be fairly easy to add separately, I think.
I like the idea of the convenience. The cost of the seasoning packets and fancy blends at the store is a stopping point for me but digging all the different spices out is a hassle at times.
Thank you for the time you spend providing ideas and help to us.
Jessica Fisher
I buy my fine sea salt at Costco. You can definitely leave out the salt and pepper and then add those to individual servings to taste. I am looking for an all-in-one when I make the blends since it’s just easier that way. You can suit it to your needs, though.