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Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 3 reviews

This homemade grill seasoning is perfect for chicken, steak, pork, seafood, & veggies! Great for grilling or as an all-purpose seasoned salt.

I've been using this blend on anything and everything in my kitchen lately and I'm excited to finally share the recipe with you!

Homemade spice mixes are super easy to put together and come in handy so, so often.

I don't use spice blends too often but I do have a few staples in my pantry including our favorite fajita seasoning and this super versatile grill seasoning blend.

This 5-ingredient workhorse is great any time you want to add a little extra oomph to an otherwise plain, unseasoned ingredient like steak, chicken, pork, salmon, shrimp, tofu, or veggies.

There are a lot of recipes that call for grill seasoning or seasoned salt, and this homemade mix can be used as either.

Jump To:

🧡 Why we love this recipe
📝 Ingredients
🧂 A note about salt
✅ Instructions
💡 Ways to use homemade grill seasoning
🫙 Equipment and storage recommendations
📖 Recipe

🧡 Why we love this recipe

It comes together with just 5 ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry.
Making your own spice blends is less expensive than buying them from the store.
When you make your own, you can tweak the ingredients to fit your family's preferences.
Grill seasoning is endlessly useful to add flavor to otherwise "plain" items.
The flavor of this grill seasoning compliments so many different ingredients - it's endlessly versatile!

📝 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make a batch of homemade grill seasoning (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

Kosher salt (see notes below)
Ground black pepper (use the pre-ground kind here, not freshly cracked)
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika
Chili powder

🧂 A Note About Salt

This recipe uses kosher salt which can be found in your grocery store located in the baking aisle.

Prior to 2025, I used Morton coarse kosher salt in my cooking. I switched over to Diamond Crystal kosher salt after having size inconsistencies over multiple packages of Morton.

Image showing the size difference between 3 different containers of kosher salt.

In the photo above, you'll see the size that this particular salt has always been (left), what seems to be the "new" size (center), and Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, which is the other major brand that is used in most professional kitchens (right).

Why does salt crystal size matter? 🧂

When the crystal size is larger, salt doesn't dissolve as quickly as its smaller counterpart. This proved problematic when my husband made eggs for breakfast, and me and my son kept getting super salty bites. We realized it was because those larger salt crystals weren't dissolving or dispersing evenly.

You can also fit a larger quantity of salt in your measuring spoon when the grains are smaller. So you'll have a saltier ½ teaspoon of a finer-grained salt than a coarser one.

What this means is that you need to be aware that salt measurements can vary. If you follow a recipe and it's too salty using those measurements, it's possible that the recipe writer used a different size of salt than what you used.

There's no right or wrong brand to use, but be sure to get a hang of the characteristics of what you're using when you're cooking. Nobody wants to have overly salty food!

Because of the inconsistency in size, I'm switching to Diamond Crystal in my kitchen. It may take a little getting used to, but it's something that seems necessary to the consistency of my home cooking.

One further note - this article from Food 52 goes into more detail about the differences between these 2 brands of kosher salt (not the grain-size difference in one single that sparked my switch), and it's a great read!

✅ Instructions

This recipe is super simple to put together! Just add all of your ingredients to a jar and shake to combine!

You could also stir or whisk everything together in a bowl and then transfer it to your storage container(s) of choice.

See recipe card below for full instructions.

Holding a glass jar filled with layers of spices.

Shaking a glass jar full of spices to combine.

Glass jar filled with homemade grill seasoning.

💡 Ways to use homemade grill seasoning

I'm constantly finding new ways to use this spice blend. I've said it before, but I really do mean it... it's incredibly versatile!

Sometimes we actually grill whatever item we season with this mix, and other times we use the air fryer, stovetop, or oven. It's awesome on roasted veggies. Again - it can really work wherever you need it!

Below are just some of the many items we've sprinkled our grill seasoning on so far:

Salmon
Chicken (thighs, breasts, cutlets)
Steak
Burger patties (turkey, beef, or vegan meat substitute - we like Beyond Beef)
Shrimp
Scallops
Cod
Tofu
Asparagus
Broccoli
Veggie skewers
Bell peppers
Shishito peppers
Corn on the cob

As far as recipe-specific uses, here are a few ways I love using this grill seasoning:

To season the chicken for this BBQ chicken pizza with smoked mozzarella
Sprinkled on the chicken for this Thai chicken pizza
To season the water in this chicken salad recipe

Scooping a small spoonful of homemade grill seasoning from the jar.

🫙 Equipment and storage recommendations

Once your grill seasoning is mixed, you can pour it into your storage container(s) of choice.

You may need to use a small metal funnel to help guide some of the spices into the jars. I find it helpful when working with more finely ground ingredients.

Store your homemade seasoning blend in an airtight container (like a tightly closed spice jar) in a cool, dry place.

When choosing a storage location for your spices, it's best to keep them away from heat sources. That's why storing them next to your oven isn't recommended.

It's preferable to keep them in a dark place, or at least away from direct sunlight, to retain maximum flavor.

This blend will keep for several months, stored properly in your pantry or cabinet.

Glass jar with homemade spice mix inside next to a labeled metal lid.

🌱 Eco-Friendly Tip

Eco-friendly tip: Hang on to empty spice jars as you use them in your kitchen. That way when you have a homemade spice blend, you already have a perfect storage container!

You can remove the label from old jars and tins and write on them with a permanent marker. Or bust out your label maker and make a pretty new label if that's more your style.

I personally have a mix of both handwritten and "properly" labeled mixes in my house.

Label maker with the word seasoning typed out.

Glass jar full of spice mix labeled "grill seasoning".

My tiny kitchen is short on space, so I have to store my spices in a few different places.

I have a bin of spice jars above my sink. I also have an assortment of magnetic spice tins displayed on the wall in my kitchen. I keep bags of spices in buckets tucked away in a cabinet.

Use whatever works for the space you have. Here are a few recommendations if you're in the market for new spice storage options:

Recommended spice storage containers

spice jars

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spice jars with shaker lids

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magnetic spice tins

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magnetic hexagon glass spice jars

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4 oz canning jars

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Doing some online shopping? Check out my Amazon shop page for recommendations!

📖 Recipe