With Caribbean-inspired flavors, my Jerk Seasoning brings smoky, sweet, spicy notes to your chicken and more, and it’s ready in minutes.
Homemade Jerk Seasoning
Give your backyard menu a Caribbean twist with my homemade jerk seasoning. This versatile blend brings together a wide array of flavorful herbs and spices, warming allspice, and some chili peppers for heating to create that authentic jerk flavor. While traditional jerk seasoning often starts as a wet marinade, this dry blend captures all the bold flavors in one convenient mix. You can use it right away or as part of a marinade. Whether you’re grilling chicken, shrimp, pork, or even vegetables, this seasoning offers a killer combination of sweet, salty, and spicy that makes jerk recipes so irresistible. Let’s get started.
What is jerk seasoning?
Jerk is actually a cooking method that involves marinating meat before it goes on the stove, where it originated Jamaica. Marinades often include hot peppers (scotch bonnet, traditionally), warming spices such as allspice and cinnamon, and herbs, to create a depth of flavor that has become popular around the world.
Jamaican Jerk vs. Caribbean Jerk
Although this powerful condiment originates from Jamaica, you can find variations of the blend throughout the Caribbean islands. Authentic jerk relies on allspice and scotch bonnet peppers, but the heat level and warming spices vary from recipe to recipe. This recipe stays close to those traditional flavors while keeping it realistic with ingredient availability (more on that later).
Jerk Seasoning vs. Cajun
Although they are sometimes mistaken for one another, jerk and Cajun seasonings couldn’t be more different. While Cajun seasoning uses paprika and cayenne pepper with herbs like oregano and thyme, jerk seasoning uses warm spices like allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cajun seasoning has a more flavorful flavor and I have a great recipe here if that’s more your style. This jerk mix balances spiciness with sweet, aromatic notes for an unbeatable combination.
Ingredients for this recipe
I know it seems like a lot of ingredients, but believe me, each one is crucial to that sweet, spicy, dorky flavor profile. Here’s what you need to make it happen:
- 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (Scotch Bonnet dried pepper flakes are traditional, but quite hard to find)
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
*Traditionally, Scotch Bonnet peppers are traditional, but dried flakes can be difficult to find. I used red pepper flakes for this recipe, but use dried scotch bonnet chili flakes if you have some on hand.
How to make jerk seasoning
Alright, now that you know everything you’ll use to create your Jerk Seasoning, it’s time to get to work. Follow these simple steps and you’ll have a flavor-packed blend ready to amp up your cooking:
- Prepare the dressing. Combine all the spices and herbs in a small bowl. The key to a perfect mixture is to make sure everything is evenly distributed, so use a whisk or fork to break up any lumps. Continue stirring until you see an even distribution of all the spices, especially the chili flakes.
- Use or store. Your jerk seasoning is ready to use right away, so you can start bringing the Caribbean to your cookout right away. You can easily store any unused seasonings for future use.
Storage and shelf life
If you want to season your jerk ahead of time or need to store leftovers, that’s no problem. To keep the dressing fresh and tasty, store it in a glass spice jar or other airtight container in the pantry. If stored correctly, this mixture will retain its flavor for up to 6 months. After that, even if it’s still safe to use, you may want to mix up a new batch to ensure you get all those bold flavors in every bite.
More seasoning recipes
Once you start making your own dressings at home, you’ll never want to stop. Making your own spice blends is addictive and the results are delicious. Check out some of my other favorite seasoning recipes so you can keep your spice rack stocked and your grilling menu fresh:
Jerk Seasoning Recipe
Add a Caribbean twist to your grilling with this homemade jerk seasoning. After you make your first batch, don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and tell me how you used it in the comments below. If you’re proud of your turnout, tag @heygrillhey ON Instagram AND Facebook with some noteworthy photos so we can all get inspired to fire up the grill.
You can find even more mouth-watering seasoning and seasoning recipes like this one in the Hey Grill Hey app, as well as in your recipe library. Do you want to see how I prepare my condiments? Make sure you’re subscribed to mine YouTube channelso you can get a firsthand look at how I make these recipes and become a backyard barbecue hero.
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Prepare the dressing. Combine all the ingredients for your Jerk Seasoning in a small bowl. Mix everything together using a whisk or fork to make sure there are no lumps.
1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
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Use or store. Use this seasoning immediately on chicken and pork or save it for later use. Store unused seasonings in a glass spice jar for up to 6 months for best flavor.
Calories: 9kcal | Carbohydrates: 2G | Protein: 0.3G | Fat: 0.1G | Saturated fat: 0.04G | Polyunsaturated fats: 0.1G | Monounsaturated fats: 0.02G | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.5G | Sugar: 1G | Vitamin A: 253UI | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Soccer: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is calculated automatically, so should only be used as an approximation.
