Homemade peri peri seasoning is an easy and delicious spice blend to make. The spice mix can be used in so many ways including chicken, fish, vegetables, or even stirred into tomato sauce.
I love homemade spice blends. And this peri peri spice mix is one of my favorites to make, because it's hard to find peri peri seasoning in many stores.
One of the other best things about homemade seasoning is to customize spice blends to your own taste preferences! Want a bit of sweetness? Add sugar. Want it spicier? Add more cayenne pepper. Love oregano? Add more!
Ingredients
For this recipe, you'll be using a lot of spices, most of which you probably already have in your pantry or spice drawer!
- Paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper (or ground birds eye chili or ground pequin pepper)
- Oregano
- Garlic powder
- Ground ginger powder
- Onion powder
- Ground cardamom
- Ground coriander
- Sugar (optional)
- Salt (optional)
How to make homemade peri peri seasoning
First, add all the spices into a mixing bowl. I did mine on a plate, just so you can visually see all the spices, but a bowl works best for mixing together!
Mix the spices together.
And keep mixing until all blended together.
Store the peri-peri spice mix in an airtight container or airtight jar. Use seasoning whenever needed!
Recipe tips and customizations
- For a spicier seasoning, simply increase the amount of the cayenne pepper.
- To add sweetness to your peri-peri spice, add a little bit of granulated sugar. I like mine sugar-free, but a bit of sweetness can add even more depth.
- I usually leave salt out of my spice blend so that I can add my preferred amount of salt directly to my food, but you can add salt to your peri-peri seasoning if you prefer.
How to use the peri-peri seasoning
There are so many ways to use this spice blend!
The peri-peri seasoning is delicious and adds so much flavor to meat when used as a dry rub. I love it on chicken thighs, chicken breast, salmon, cod, and even steak.
I also love using the homemade peri-peri blend when roasting vegetables, especially hearty ones like carrots, zucchini, and potatoes.
Peri-peri can give a unique kick to tomato sauce, chilis, or stews.
And one of my absolutely favorite ways to use this spice mix is a seasoning for peri-peri french fries. The slightly spicy seasoning just adds that perfect kick to ordinary fries!
How long does the seasoning keep?
Store the homemade peri-peri seasoning in an airtight container. The seasoning should last for 6 months and still retain all its flavor.
What is peri-peri?
Peri-peri (also called piri-piri) is a spice that can bring spicy, savory, and sweet elements, which is why I love it so much. It is characterized by the addition of peri-peri peppers (also called African bird's eye chilis).
Unfortunately, these chilis can be very difficult to find in many locations (I hardly ever can locate them!), so a common swap is to use cayenne pepper in the homemade spice blend.
Peri peri recipes
- Peri peri mayo
- Peri peri rice
- Peri peri pasta
- Peri peri salmon
- Peri peri fries
- Air fryer peri peri chicken
Peri Peri Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons paprika
- 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- salt optional
- granulated white sugar optional
Instructions
- To a medium bowl, add all of your spices.
- Stir together until completely combined.
- Add to an airtight container or jar and store until ready to use.
Notes
- For a spicier seasoning, simply increase the amount of the cayenne pepper.
- To add sweetness to your peri-peri spice, add a little bit of granulated sugar. I suggest 1-2 teaspoons.
- I usually leave salt out of my spice blend so that I can add my preferred amount of salt directly to my food, but you can add salt to your peri-peri seasoning if you prefer. I suggest 1 teaspoon.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
Lex Hochner Jr
Aimee,
Bullseye with the PERIPERI seasoning recipe, as good as it gets - keep it up!!
Ahmed
Hello Aimee,
Can Nando's sauce be used in place of the seasoning blend? I’m asking because the blend is dry, while Nando's is quite liquid. Thanks!
Aimee
It depends on what you are making! If you're seasoning something like fish or chicken, then the sauce works great too. If you really need it to be drier (like seasoning french fries after cooking), I'd stick with the seasoning.
Joyce
How long can you store these xx
Aimee
You can store the seasoning for at least 6 months.