Jamaican Jerk Seasoning – Save money and make your own homemade Jerk Spice, it is quick to put together and can be easily customized for personal preference. 
Did I mention I was cleaning up my pantry? Using up some spices that have been sitting in the pantry patiently and getting rid of others that would never make the cut these days? Spice blends to be specific. I have come to the conclusion that, most of these spice blends can be made at home and taste way better and some are cost effective too! Take for example, this Jamaican jerk seasoning; I did not go out of my way to get any extra spices. Yes, some of the spices are the ones you use in your everyday meals or ones you can incorporate in your cooking. 
Do you know I had two jars of jerk spice just chilling in the pantry? After making my own spice blend I said goodbye to the two jars and we parted ways – amicably of course, no hard feelings. There was no way I’m going to use up the jarred stuff anymore! 
Yeah, I know it is money down the drain. So am going to think twice about buying them next time, every penny counts. This tastes way better!!!! 
This is a blend of sweet tropical spices and one or two savory herbs coupled with a pleasing, peppery heat. Now the good thing about making your own spice blends is getting rid of some spices that you absolutely cannot tolerate. And throwing in the ones you simply adore. Make it completely Paleo , Vegan or taste- bud worthy! My son had a blast when I was taking pictures; he decided to make his own special blend. He taught it needed some sweetness…. who am I to say no? What ever rocks his boat! 
Now when ever I use this spice, which for the last few weeks has been on a weekly rotation (in various proteins and sides), he wants to use his own special blend, I let him do. It makes him feel accomplished. Hang tight, I am going to share with you a few of recipes and there will be more to come – Barbecue season is quickly approaching Enjoy!!!
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning – Save money and make your own homemade Jerk Spice, it is quick to put together and can be easily customized for personal preference.
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground gingerspice
- 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon spice
- 1 tablespoon ground all spice
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ Tablespoon ground nutmeg spice
- 2 -3 Tablespoons coconut sugar replace with brown sugar
- ½ - 1 Tablespoon vegetable chicken, Maggie powder (bouillon) adjust to suit taste buds
- 1 Tablespoon or more Hot pepper Chili, cayenne pepper, pepper flakes Adjust to suit taste buds
- 2 tablespoons dried green onion flakes (optional) See notes
Homemade dried green onions.
Chop green onions and let it dry out in the sun , during summer months. Might take 2-3 days. Store in an airtight container - great for garnishes and to add flavor.
Hi! New to jar gifts so wondering what size Ball jar you recommend? Thanks!
Hi Toni, 16 ounce works best.
Question – The last ingredients….The peppers…..do you a little of ALL of them or just one?
Add just one . Unless you are a heat seeker then go with all of them.
Is Gingerspice ground ginger? When I google it I just get Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls!
It’s powdered ginger.
Can anyone tell me what size jar in fluid ounces you used to layer the jerk rub recipe? I see it is a mason jar in background but can’t tell how big the jar of layered spices are. PLEASE EMAIL ME ANSWER [email protected] many thanks! I ask as dry ingredients do not translate whatsoever to liquid….
I was confused bt the comment coconut sugar replace with brown sugar…do you mean use either or?
thanks!
Sorry about the confusion either works.
This sounds so good! I’ve made some of your other recipes in the past and LOVED them. Excited to try this one…
when you say, “1 Tablespoon or more Hot pepper Chili, cayenne pepper, pepper flakes Adjust to suit taste buds” do you mean 1tablespoon of each?
Hi Colleen! I meant either or. So I Tablespoon of any of these peppers . Thanks for trying out my recipes . Glad they are working out well you -Woo Hoo!!
I made a batch of this tonight and put it on some shrimp. Best jerk seasoning EVER.
If I wanted to use this spice in a marinade how much would you suggest if I had 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lime juice? Thanks.
I Can’t say for sure. You might have to experiment with it to get to the right consistency.
thanks for the combination. I was wondering if I could leave out the thyme or it is a necessity. I leave in Ghana and I am yet to come across thyme. or if you offer another substitute please
Hi Juliet! You sure can. Have you tried the major supermarkets? They might carry it
Awesome! Planning on using this as a gift idea, along with a small recipe card book with ideas on how to use it. I make the mix without the sugar, and add sugar/molasses/etc as needed to my recipes, but I will probably include the sugar in the gift version because I think most of my friends would prefer it that way.
Awesome Gift idea! I bet your friends would Love it ! Definitely using your gift idea-so well thought out. Thanks for sharing Rebecca.
sounds good. as for the Maggis, there are a lot of vegetarian and vegan “chicken” bullion varieties out there. Some powdered, and some granules, just shop around if that’s what you need.
Thanks for sharing Tim!
do you have a youtube channel?
Not yet hopefully soon.
Imma, oh my goodness!! I just whipped up a batch of this because I’m making your Caribbean wings for dinner tonight and this spice blend is to die for! It’s a flavor I’ve been looking for. I will never ever buy store bought jerk spice again.
Hello Imma. The other night I made Jamaican Curry Chicken for dinner on my Crockpot. I followed your recipe step by step and it came out delicious. Thank you for sharing!!
Now I want to try making that Jerk Seasoning following your recipe as well. May I ask you how long it can last if putting all the ingredientes mentioned on your recipe? Please let me know and again thanks!
Hi Mari ! It can last for about a month if stored in a tight lid container.
Hi, Imma!
So, what did your son add as the sweet component?
Brown and Coconut Sugar. He’s got a sweet tooth.
I get your leaving salt out of the recipe, but adding “salt to taste” or “adjust salt and bouillon to taste” would make it easier for some people. The bullion has a lot of salt too, but if you don’t use it the recipe won’t work.
Good point Ron. Thanks!
Thank you soo much for this recipe!
My partner is Caribbean and he cannot believe he has met a woman in London from New Zealand who can make wicked Jerk Chicken, all thanks to you.
I also made the Caribbean Coleslaw to go with it and the dressing I will keep using for all my salads I think.
Thanks again you have made me and on amazing man happy !
Lee x 🙂
My pleasure! Super happy for you lee. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know .
Hi Imma,
Just started making a few of your recipes. I plan on making the Jamaican Chicken Curry tomorrow for my parents but it calls for creole spices, do you handmade this one too like you do above? And if so what would me the recipe?
Thank you!
God Bless your hands and work!
No, I don’t. I just go with store-bought version or omit completely .If you want to make yours here is a good place to start here https://africanbites.com/baked-crispy-chicken-thighs/
Hi Immaculate, this looks incredible! I like the idea of layering the spice as I’m giving the jars as gifts, but the recipe suggests blending the ingredients. What do you think works best?
Thanks so much,
Natalie
Hi Nathalie! Whenever, I give it as a gift I layer the the spice, just to make it look more attractive!If am making it for several people I just blend before placing in the jar, less tedious. Hope this helps.
Thanks so much, have bought all the spices, about to give it a go. Thanks again!
Thanks! I don’t normally follow recipes. I just look at them for ideas then do my own thing. I’ve failed twice making my own jerk mixture. Followed this one exactly and it turned out just as I hoped. We’ll done, thanks for sharing!
Thanks David! Glad to here it turned out well this time
Love this idea, especially the gift jar. I love giving unusual food gifts and wouldn’t have thought to layer the spices–even though the recipient has to mix it all up to use it! I also have several bottles of jerk spice, both “powdered” and liquid, form a trip to Jamaica years ago. Need to use them, will try your jerk shrimp spaghetti.
Hi Marlene! It truly is a great gift idea- economical and easy to put together. Do let me know how the jerk shrimp works out for you. Thanks!
Hi Immaculate, good stuff you have there. I noticed you did not include salt. Is salt excluded?
Yes, I excluded salt. It gives everyone the opportunity to adjust salt to suit taste bud
I haven’t tried jerk seasoning my recipes, this sounds so good I am going to try it. thanks for sharing. Pinning for later use.
Thanks for pinning swath.
I came across your site awhile ago and I love your passion for all things food;) Thanks for sharing. I use jerk seasoning a lot, I am definitely going to try this out.
Hi Uneku! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Hi,
Do you have a recipe for jerk catfish?
Thank you
This spice blend would work well.
I especially like it on beef, corn on the cob, potato salad, eggs. Just about everything.
Awesome! Glad to hear this.
Thanks for the great recipe. I was wondering though you list smoked paprika twice in the recipe is this correct or an error?
Great Catch Kate! It is an error – recipe updated. Thanks
Thanks Immaculate. Much better than buying premade mixes.
Much better Chio-plus the taste is customized.
Love this! Always make my own jerk seasoning and throw in a bit of beer in the marinade for an extra kick!
Jamila!Thanks for the suggestion! Can’t wait to add some beer to this mix.
now that sound delish!
Imma! This is GOLD!! I am making it asap. Love that your son got stuck into this too!!
Oh, and I adore those layers you made 🙂 I’m thinking this will be an awesome gift. So sick of getting and giving chocolate and sweets! This is FAR more interesting!!
Thanks Nagi! Totally agree you… this would make a Great gift. And they definitely going to use it one way or another.
Hi Emma thank for all the kitchen vibes. Pls do u have recipes on how to grill a whole chicken I can’t fine it. Pls help. Thank you
Sorry! I don’t have one. I have other grill chicken recipes but not a whole chicken.
A whole jerk chicken would be best cooked on a BBQ/Smoker, Beer Can style, based on past experience. The hardest part is finding a suitable size rack to sit the chicken on/over. Failing that method, just butterfly the chicken and grill!!!
Thanks for sharing Paul!
Oh my, uh huh, ya betcha!
I’m gonna give that a spin, and look for more as you mentioned. But these ingredients sound real familiar, except for adding the maggi. I’ll have to give that a shot.
BTW, I use a little sweet to help counter the scotch bonnets I use in my jerk. Often it comes in the form of molasses.
Thank you, so very much.
Big smiles
Hi Greg! Maggi is chicken bouillon – a very polarizing ingredient. Feel free not to include it in the mix. This is the thing you either like it, because it tastes GREAT! (am not going to lie) or hate it because of health concerns. It’s been labeled the “BIG BAD WOLF”, with strong compelling arguments. HOWEVER, I do use it ! .Ooops! I hope there are no MSG Police out there! Run!
Thanks! I meant to mean that I have not used it in making Jerk. I’m going to start using it in some of my Asian recipes that distinguish between different soy sauces which are inconvenient to try to locate where I live. So, I’ll be trying to complicate the tastes by using soy, maggi, and worcestershire.
I’m glad the NO-MSG patrol is busy elsewhere at the moment. 🙂 I was very glad to find your site and I’m recommending it to friends and through Pinterest.
Aww! Thanks Greg. That is so kind of you to do. Really appreciate it!
I opted out of the bullion powder because my mom has asthma and that’s complicated by MSG. Instead, I’ve found a liquid bullion that does not have MSG. “Savory Choice Chicken Broth Concentrate.” When making your jerk chicken thighs last night (omg delicious) I added it with the other liquids and it came out great!
Awesome! Thanks Carmel – so happy you for the feedback!
What is Maggie seasoning?
It’s comparable to chicken bouillon powder.