Homemade Poultry Seasoning Recipe

Learn how to make this delicious homemade poultry seasoning recipe that goes excellent on your favorite turkey dishes. You won’t believe how easy this is to make.

Spice blends and rubs can significantly enhance the flavor of any dish you use them in.  You will likely already have many spices in your cabinets that make up some of these great rubs.  If you are looking to try out some of these rubs, then be sure to check out my Grilled Pork Chops or Jerk Chicken.

Poultry Seasoning

Poultry seasoning has been used for generations to help season turkey recipes.  William G. Bell of Boston is said to be one of the earliest creators of the spice, founding his blend in 1867, known as Bell’s Poultry Seasoning. 

You can still find Bell’s Poultry Seasoning in grocery stores today.  A simple poultry seasoning blend can easily be made at home with your current spices.  It’s very easy to make and lasts just as long as all your dry spices. This simple blend has a unique flavor profile that greatly complements poultry, especially turkey. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Thyme – I prefer to use dry thyme leaves as opposed to ground.
• Sage – This is usually pre-ground, but you can find it in the dry leaf form.
• Rosemary – I like to use the whole dried leaves.
• Marjoram – Any dry-leaf marjoram will do. You can substitute it with dried oregano.
• Pepper – I use ground white pepper, so there are no large black specks in the all-green seasoning. If you only have black pepper, then please use i.t
• Nutmeg – You can use ground or freshly ground whole nutmeg seed.

How to Make Poultry Seasoning from Scratch

Add all the ingredients to a spice blender or a mortar bowl with a pestle.

Grind the spices until they are combined and like a seasoning blend.  It’s ok if there are a few big chunks of spices.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 2 months ahead.

How to Store: Cover and keep in your cabinet or a dark place for up to 3 months or as long as each spice will last.

Recipe Chef Notes + Tips

• You can add salt separately or one tablespoon into the mix of this recipe.
• Other spices you can add to this blend are oregano and ginger.  If you cannot find marjoram, you can substitute it for oregano.  
• If you have all powder or pre-ground spices, then there is no need to grind them up.
• It’s okay if there are a few big chunks of spices after grinding.
• This recipe procedure is for when only leaves of herbs are available.

More Seasoning Recipes

• Cajun
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pickling Spice
• Blackened Seasoning
• All-Purpose Chicken Seasoning

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Homemade Poultry Seasoning Recipe

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5 from 4 votes

This homemade poultry seasoning is an herbaceous green blend of sage, thyme, and rosemary that seasons any bird, from a holiday turkey to a Tuesday chicken. There is no salt in it, so you control that separately. I have every spice in my cabinet, and it takes me 5 minutes.

Servings: 5 tablespoons

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 tablespoons sage
• 1 ½ tablespoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 2 teaspoons marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

Instructions

• If using leaves of herbs, then add all the ingredients to a spice blender or to a mortar bowl.
• Grind the spices together in the blender until they are combined or if it’s in the mortar, use a pestle to break up and grind. Store.
• If you are using the powdered or ground version of the spices simply add them to a bowl and whisk until combined. Store.

Notes

The key tip I have to advice you about this blend: leave the salt out of the jar and salt the bird separately, because those two seasonings are working on completely different scales. A whole chicken or turkey wants a real amount of salt on the skin and in the cavity, far more than you would ever want of the herbs. Fold the salt into the mix and you are stuck choosing between an underseasoned bird or a wall of herb flavor, so keep them apart and season each one for what it actually needs.

Match the grind to the cook: Grind it fine for anything that sits in the oven a long time so no single herb scorches. Keep it rustic for a fast roast where a little texture is welcome.

Salt to taste, or add one tablespoon: If you would rather have it pre-salted, stir one tablespoon of salt into this batch. Otherwise leave it out and salt the bird directly.

Swap marjoram for oregano: They are close cousins, so dried oregano stands in one for one if marjoram is not on the shelf. A pinch of ground ginger is a nice optional addition for a little warmth.

Skip the grinder for pre-ground spices: If every spice you have is already powdered, there is nothing to grind. Whisk them in a bowl and store.

Make-Ahead: I mix this up to 2 months before I need it, usually a big batch right before the holidays so it is ready when the turkey is.

How to Store: Cover and keep in your cabinet or a dark place for up to 3 months or as long as each spice will last.

Nutrition

Calories: 8kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 28mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 116IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg

Course: seasoning, spice rub

Cuisine: American

Author: Chef Billy Parisi