Sazon Seasoning is a flavorful blend of earthy Hispanic spices.
This is a homemade copycat goya sazon seasoning recipe.
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The blend is without msg and artificial color, AND it's not spicy hot!
It's all-natural vegan, gluten-free, prepared with quality spices from scratch.
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📕 What is Sazon Seasoning?
Sazon means seasoning in Spanish and it's a universal Hispanic spice blend that shouldn't be missed if you love Latino food.
Goya popularized the seasoning with their little packs but there are other brands such as Knorr, that sell it as well.
Each pack contains about 1 ½ Teaspoon of this particular seasoning blend.
Sazon find use in Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Colombian foods (just to name a few).
Stews, soups, sauces (salsas) are seasoned with the spice blend.
🧂 Ingredients
Annatto achiote
The specialty of this spice blend is the addition of one particular, not that well know, spice called Achiote.
Annatto are orange-red seeds from the achiote tree and the spice is usually called achiote.
Crushed seeds taste earthy and color food orange-red.
I recommend you get already ground annatto seeds because it's hard to grind them. I.e the spice color gets stuck in a mortar and pestle and it's a pain to remove it.
Culantro or Coriander
Culantro is another ingredient in the seasoning blend. It tastes like ground coriander seeds.
You can either use ground dried culantro leaves, or coriander seeds (never dried coriander leaves).
By the way, Coriander and Cilantro is the same thing.
The name cilantro is used on the American continent only, the rest of the world calls it coriander.
Other spices
The spice mix also includes garlic powder, cumin powder and salt.
Because this is a goya copycat recipe (and they usually add a yellow coloring), I add turmeric powder as well.
A small quantity of turmeric is enough to add a shade of yellow to your spice blend.
However, keep in mind that turmeric is not a traditional south and central american ingredient. It's just a convenient color enhancer in this recipe.
🥣 Uses
I have found it to be a super useful spice blend. We have been using it to various dishes, even non-Hispanic foods.
It's not hot spicy but rather earthy and the color is just another plus point!
Add it to....
- bean stew
- grilled chicken
- pork loin roast or to season pulled pork or pork chops
- beef such as carne asada
- fish as in trout or rock fish
- tacos (a little sprinkle)
- rice - to make sazon flavored rice
That said, I got creative in the past and I just drizzled some sazon over my ramen bowl and it tasted great too.
So, don't limit yourself! A sprinkle here and there can be magic!
🍱 Storing
Store your finished mixed spice blend in an airtight container, away from direct sunlight, humidity and heat.
Keep them in glass jars with a lid, so that you can see them and you don't forget about your spices.
A rack where the spices are visible is another plus point and a must for all spice lovers!
Keep some rice kernels with the seasoning blend to avoid it from getting humid and getting lumpy.
Use within 6 months or so. Don't keep for more than a year. It's always better to prepare a fresh batch.
💭 FAQs
I don't recommend to substitute this earthy spice because it's a main ingredient but if you can't get it, you can try to use paprika powder instead.
For a cup of rice, for example, use about 1 ½ teaspoon of sazon seasoning. To season any other foods such as stews and soups, just add a small quantity, taste and see if more is needed. To season meats before cooking, use about 1-2 teaspoons for a pound (½ kg) meat
👁️ More seasoning recipes
- Taco Seasoning
- Pork Roast Rub
- Adobo Seasoning by Skinnytaste.com
📖 Recipe
Sazon Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Achiote powder (aka annatto), *see Notes
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds Ground
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds Ground
- ½ Teaspoon Turmeric Ground (optional)
Instructions
- If you use whole spices (for more quality), dry fry them first in a pan to release flavors and to get them crispy. Leave to cool and grind to a fine blend.
- To make a quick sazon seasoning, use spice powders. Mix in a bowl to a well combined seasoning blend.
- Store in a glass jar away from direct sunlight, humidity and heat.
Notes
- It's easy to work with powdered annetto seeds. It's called either annetto or achiate in stores.
- Turmeric is optional. It adds a yellow color to the spice blend and to your food but it's not a Hispanic ingredient. This is a goya copycat recipe and they usually add artificial food coloring.
Very sad. It is not all about Spanish stuff. We, Portuguese, always used this stuff in Azores island and in Portugal all the time. Nothing to do with just Spanish. I always bought the packets similar to this powdered since my grandma and my Mom’s recipe since i was kid in 1980’s. Please mention other country, not just South America such as Colombia etc thats not very educational you know. Portugal
And Azores use similar to this for their europe cruises food! Delicious.
Hi there, I honestly didn't know. That's the first time that I hear that Sazon can be found in Portuguese cuisine. Do you know if that's just Portugal and its islands, or if any other former colonies are included? I would love to know more!
I have been using Sazon seasoning for a few years now I love the flavor it gives in different foods I make
Thanks for sharing Joyce 🙂