This blackened seasoning is an easy-to-make blackened spice blend that goes well on chicken, steak, fish, and even vegetables. This homemade blackened seasoning uses just a few spices that are really big on flavor and will make any meal taste amazing.

The different spices for the seasoning in individual silver spoons on a table. — blackened spice rub

This homemade blackened seasoning has been nicknamed my famous blackened chicken seasoning because I have been making this for more years than I can remember and everyone who tries it loves it! I use this blackened seasoning to make my blackened chicken and blackened tuna, which is a favorite in our house.

My homemade blend omits using oregano which you will find in traditional blackened season recipes but I promise, when you try this, you will love it.

Ingredients you will need

There are not many ingredients in this homemade blackened seasoning recipe. It is really easy to make and you probably already have all of these spices in your pantry.

Chili powder.
Kosher salt.
Paprika (sweet).
Black pepper.
Cayenne pepper.

Why this is the best-blackened seasoning blend

As I mentioned above, unlike many blackened seasoning recipes, this seasoning is all about the blackening spices and there is no oregano and no garlic in it. This is my tried and true way of making this seasoning over the years.

By making a blackening seasoning this way, you are left with all of the delicious flavors from the blackening spices and it just tastes amazing.

Trust me, I have made many meals with the seasoning for so many people and they always love it! It really lets all of the smoky deep flavors in this blackened seasoning come through without any interference.

What is blackening food

Blackening is the process of pressing or dipping meat into a blackened seasoning (and sometimes into butter first then the seasoning) and cooking until the spices on the outside are nice and black (or charred) and the meat is cooked all the way through.

Blackened seasonings usually are a mix of seasonings that include chili powder, paprika, and a few other spices.

The blackened part of this seasoning refers to the dark color that the food gets when cooked. This is mostly from the darker red spices in the blackened rub.

So expect to see a dark outside color on your food when you are using this 🙂

closeup of blackened tuna — Blackened dry rub on tuna.

Ingredients for blackening seasoning

Making your own blackening seasoning is not only better for taste, but it is also healthier since there are no preservatives or anti-caking agents involved.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Sweet paprika. This gives a slight sweetness to the seasoning.
Chili powder. This gives the smoky flavor.
Kosher salt.
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper. This is the heat. You can adjust this to your taste.

Many recipes will call for additional seasonings like garlic powder, thyme, and oregano. If you would like to add these I recommend about ⅛ of a teaspoon of each.

I highly recommend trying out this version first so you can see how amazing a blackened seasoning can be with just a few simple ingredients.

How to make and store the seasoning

Once you measure out all of the spices for the seasoning, just add that to a small bowl and mix well until well combined.

Use right away or store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

So whether you are looking for blackened chicken seasoning, blackened fish seasoning, or a blackened seasoning for something else, this is the recipe for you.

More Homemade Spice Blends

If you love this homemade blackened spice blend you may also like these homemade seasonings:

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Blackened Seasoning

An easy to make spice rub for all your meats and veggies. This recipe makes enough to coat 4 pieces of meat (about 8 ounces in size) front and back

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Servings: pieces of meat

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

¼ cup paprika sweet paprika, not smoked
3 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper you can add more if you like it real spicy

Instructions

Mix all of your spices into a bowl or container if you are storing it for later
¼ cup paprika, 3 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

How to use

Dump your spice mix on to a large plate
Take 1 piece of meat at a time and press the meat into the spice blend making sure to coat all of it
Flip it over and do the same for the other side and place on a separate plate
Do this until all the meat is coated with the rub

To cook

Add some olive oil (about 2-3 tbsp) to a medium saute pan over medium heat.
When heated, add your meat that is coated in the seasoning blend to the pan and cook until meat is cooked through (this will vary depending on the type of meat you are using, my favorite to use for this rub is chicken). Make sure that you flip your meat halfway during the cooking process to create a nice golden crust on both sides.
Serve immediately and spoon some of the flavored olive oil from the pan over the meat.
Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is enough for 4 chicken breasts, 4 pork chops or 4 medium steaks to coat both sides of the meat.

Nutrition

Nutrition Values are estimates only.

See full nutrition disclaimer here

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Course :Main Course