Italian seasoning is a spice mix chock full of a fabulous blend of dried herbs, such as thyme, rosemary and oregano. It’s aromatic and flavorful and comes in handy when you want a lot of flavor with just one jar. Make the spice blend once at it will last you many dinners. It’s convenient and I think there’s no shame in reaching for this jar, when you want that extra snap with minimal thinking.
Sometimes we just want a lot of flavor fast. So no, maybe Italians and professional chefs don’t really use this blend, but I don’t see any problem with it. You have made it yourself after all, you are just pre-making your dinner well in advance, right.
As a Norwegian, Italian seasoning is something that became new to me when I started food blogging and researching food. I noticed a lot of American recipes using this spice blend. And as you may have guessed, since I didn’t know about it, I couldn’t buy it in the stores here either.
Well, I call that a win situation. This forced me to make my own, and now I make it on a regular basis and use it at least weekly. And I hope you will do the same!
What is Italian Seasoning
Italian seasoning is a spice and herb mix not made by Italians, but made by Americans to easily get the flavors of Italy in a wide array of dishes. The seasonings that are usually in this spice blend are oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil among others. It’s just a big party of delicious herbs, don’t you think!
But what about marjoram?
It does usually include marjoram. Both oregano and marjoram are in the mint family and they are kind of similar. The oregano is more pungent and spicy, while the marjoram is more floral and woodsy. The marjoram is so mild that you can’t really substitute oregano for marjoram, but in this case I don’t think it matters. Of course, if you have marjoram, I would definitely put it in. But as this is a pantry staple, and pretty epic, spice blend without it, I am so okay with it.
Most of the typical substitutions for marjoram are in this spice blend, so this Italian seasoning is perfectly balanced. Typical substitutions are:
- Less oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Basil
- Sage
How to Make Italian Seasoning
How to make spice blends in general is super easy. You simply measure out all the ingredients in a bowl, give it a good mix and store in an airtight container. I prefer a glass jar with a tight lid, so I can always see if it’s time to make another batch.
The amount of chili flakes you add really depends on two things; 1 – how spicy you like it, and 2 – how spicy your chili flakes are. I used to purchase my chili flakes in the normal super market. That was pretty mild chili flakes, so I used 1 tbsp of it in this Italian seasoning. I don’t want this to be overly spicy, because it’s meant to be an all around spice mix. Now I purchase my chili flakes at an Asian specialty store, and these are STRONG. I have totally burned myself on that several times. I keep forgetting it’s so strong. So I don’t put more than 1 tsp of this strong kind of chili flakes in. I’m just giving you a warning, and my experience, so you can be a better judge of the spice situation.
Recipes Using Italian Seasoning
Of course we need some recipes to use it in. That is why we make it after all. This is not the kind of spice blend you make, are really excited about it, but then you hide it in the cupboard and never use it again. This baby can be used in pretty much everything:
- Tomato based sauces you want an Italian kick to. Such as a ragu or bolognese (recipe is on its way).
- Homemade Sourdough Crutons (scroll down a bit to find it)
- Baked Mozzarella Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- On pizza or this Serrano Ham and Mozzarella Pita Pizza > just swap za’atar with Italian seasoning
- On baked potato wedges or fries
- Sprinkle some on roasted vegetables
- Italian stuffed baked peppers from Dinner then Dessert
- Zesty Italian Seasoned Pretzels from Accidental Happy Baker
- Italian Orzo and Sausage Skillet from The Recipe Critic
And plenty of other recipes. Let me know if you have any exciting ones. And I’ll make sure to post new recipes using it as I go.
Other Spice Blends
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- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (not technically a spice blend, but also something we tend to just buy instead of make)
- Moroccan Spices (scroll down until you see it, under Moroccan Turkey Stew)
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I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later!
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Italian Seasoning
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp dried oregano *
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 2 tbsp dried coriander I like to use cilantro/coriander leaves.
- 2 tbsp dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp chili flakes **
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container, good for several months. Makes about 3/4 cup or 11-12 tbsp.
I love this! I use Italian seasoning in so many recipes, so having this homemade version will be super handy. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!
I love making my own mixes so I can adjust the amount of each ingredient. This recipe is brilliant! I’m hoping to be able to make mixed from my garden this year.
Thank you so much. Mixed from your garden sounds like the ultimate version!
i totally need to start making my own spice mixes. i know they are much better than store bought. you have totally motivated me!
That makes me really happy, Danielle!
We use Italian seasoning all the time – this would be so great to have on hand. Homemade versions are ALWAYS better!
Yes, homemade versions are always better!
This is so great! I go through Italian seasoning like a boss, so it’ll be nice to have this option of making it in bulk at home!
Then it sounds like this spice blend is just your thing!
I’ve never heard of marjoram before! This looks like a great recipe that would be pretty easy to make. I love using italian seasoning!
Homemade spice mixes are really easy to make yourself!
These Italian seasoning recipe is just for me. I loved every ingredients in it.
Thank you so much.
I love Italian seasoning and I use it all the time!!! I have all the ingredients to make this at home so I don’t have to go to the store. Thanks for sharing
That’s great! We often do have all the ingredients to make our own spice mixes, without even knowing it.
This is so useful! I’m pinning for later. And your photography is beautiful!
Thank you so much, Tiffany!
I love making my own spice blends. They’re so much better for you!
They definitely are!
This is awesome thank you so much. I am so glad we could make the spice blend once at it will last you many dinners. My friend made me a curry spice mix and an Italian spice mix and they are both almost gone!
I have yet to make a curry mix, but I’d love to try that as well. I hope you’ll like this Italian seasoning mix!
What a fantastic Idea! Love the pictures as well.
Thank you so much!
Fabulous idea to have a homemade Italian seasoning blend. That way you can also use herbs that you prefer. I have nearly all these herbs growing in my garden (except coriander) but some recipes actually taste better with dried herbs!
Yes, exactly. I’m looking forward to growing some herbs for the summer. Just too bad they won’t last the winter!
We love Italian Seasoning but I have never made my own. Will have a look at your Jamaican Jerk as that is one of my favourite flavour combinations but again I’ve never made it myself.
Both spice blends are fantastic! I really hope you’ll try them. 🙂
Yeah here in the States we have italian seasoning at the ready in the stores but I think I want to take a cue from you and make my own. I might like it so much more!
Making your own you can add and subtract to your own liking, it’s great!
I love Italian seasoning, but I’ve never thought to make it from scratch. This is a great idea, and I’ll definitely have to make a big batch. I’ll definitely use it a lot
It’s usually ingredients we already have, so it should be easy to just whip up a batch. Thank you so much!
I started to make my own spice mix. I will definitely make italian seasoning. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I love making my own spice mixes!
This is such a useful one for me, I will be saving it for later use. Thankyou for sharing as I do love Italian food but make it rarely.
Having a batch of Italian seasoning makes it that much easier to quickly get that Italian flavor!
Italian seasoning is one of the spices I always run out of! This is so handy as I have most of these ingredients already … I just have to put them all together. 🙂
It’s the first I run out of as well. But I always have the ingredients so I’ll just make another batch. Hope you try to make your own. 🙂
I love using Italian seasoning in my recipes but I mostly use the already prepared one. This is such a fantastic way to make the blend myself – thank you for sharing your insights!
Thank you, April!
I agree – Italian seasoning has some incredible flavors and is such a versatile blend to use. Definitely one of my favorites – I always keep it next to me just in case I want to add some taste delights 🙂
So versatile! And so easy to get a lot of flavor in your dishes, right 🙂
I have all these spices separately so makes sense to put them all together. beautiful photos btw!
Thank you so much, Janna. Hope you’ll like it!
The homemade spices are the best and I love this Italian seasoning. I got one from store but bookmarking this recipe to make my own.
Thank you, Lathiya. Hope you’ll like it!
It’s so good to know that I don’t need to be buying a separate thing of italian seasoning! I’ll definitely have to keep this in my pantry!
It’s just stuff we already have (or should have!). Thanks, Stephanie!
I use Italian seasoning all the time but have never thought to make my own! It’s so easy, thanks for the recipe !
Then it sounds like you could benefit of making your own! Cheap and mega delish 🙂