Homemade Thai seasoning is easy to make for a flavorful, fresh Thai spice blend you can use to add to your recipes. This spice blend is perfect with meats, vegetables, rice, and noodle dishes and only takes a few minutes to mix. Making your own homemade blended spices is a great way to use up spices and save some money.
This Thai seasoning recipe is the inspiration behind this Thai Grilled Chicken Recipe which uses the Thai spice blend as a rub to spice up chicken breasts cooked on the grill.
I find making my own spices a great way to use up spices while they still have flavor and it also saves me spending more money on store-bought spice blends. If you want to explore making more homemade spice blends, you might also enjoy this easy Seasoned Salt Recipe, Sazon Seasoning, and Homemade Mexican Seasoning Blend.
What is Thai Seasoning?
Thai food and cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic seasonings and a spicy edge. While the seasoning might seem spicy for a foreign palate, this Thai seasoning blend recipe ensures that there’s an even balance of a little sweet, some savory, and a touch of heat.
How Do You Use Thai Spice Blend?
This simple Thai seasoning can be used to infuse flavors on poultry, seafood, and beef by using it as a marinade or a simple rub on the meat. It also makes an easy way to add robust flavor to noodles, rice, marinades, and stir fry dishes.
🥘 Ingredients
Thai spice blend is made from basic spices you might actually already have on hand in your pantry.
- paprika
- turmeric
- ground black pepper
- ground coriander powder
- dry mustard
- ground cumin
- ground ginger powder
- cayenne pepper: You can add a little or a lot, depending on how spicy you like it.
HINT: For the freshest flavor use whole spices and blend them up as you need them with a spice blender.
Variation for Thai Spice Blend
Turn it into a seasoning sauce and marinade to use for chicken, fish pork, beef, or even vegetables. Mix together a few tablespoons of the spice mix with a can of coconut milk. Allow the meat to marinate under refrigeration and then you can cook it on the grill, in the oven, or even the air fryer.
Make a quick wet spice rub by mixing together 1 tablespoon of Thai seasoning with 2 tablespoons of your favorite oil. Or skip the oil and simply use it as a dry rub for meats.
Make a homemade Thai seasoning paste by mixing together 3 tablespoons of miso paste with 1 teaspoon of the Thai spice blend.
Miso Paste White Soybean Paste
Make a Thai peanut sauce. Mix one teaspoon of Thai Seasoning with 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 teaspoons tamari,1 teaspoon of vinegar, and some water to thin out to a consistency you like. It makes a delicious sauce to serve with chicken skewers or fried shrimp.
Make it into a dipping sauce. Add in 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix to 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil for a savory dipping sauce for egg rolls or spring rolls.
💭 Top Tips
If you use spices in your cabinet make sure they are still fragrant and aromatic. Spices lose their potency after about 6 months.
Extend the life of your spices by storing them in airtight containers in a dark, cool location.
To make a spicier blend of Thai seasoning mix you can add more of the cayenne to make it spicier. If you like it really spicy, make you sweat kind of spice then substitute the cayenne pepper for habanero powder.
How to Store Spices and Homemade Seasoning Blends
I store my spices in glass see-through jars with airtight lids. I also label my jars so I can easily see what is in the jar.
If possible store them away from light such as in a drawer, cabinet, or pantry.
If your spices have been hanging around for a while and you want to bring them back to life a little, heating them in a pan for just a few minutes releases the oils again and may make them more flavorful.
Recipes Using Thai Seasoning
One of my favorite ways to use my Thai spice blend is to fire up the grill for this slightly spicy, exotic flavored Thai Grilled Chicken. It’s easy to prep ahead so all you have to do at dinner is to grill and eat, which is perfect for a quick night dinner or a bbq on the patio.
Thai Spice Seasoning Blend Recipe
Note: Be sure to read through the recipe’s post for tips and details about this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons paprika, smoked or plain will work
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if you like it spicy
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a small bowl. Stir to combine spices. If you have any small clumps, break them apart by mashing them with the back of a spoon.
- Place in an airtight spice jar and label.
Notes
Variation for Thai Spice Blend
Turn it into a seasoning sauce and marinade to use for chicken, fish pork, beef, or even vegetables. Mix together a few tablespoons of the spice mix with a can of coconut milk. Allow the meat to marinate under refrigeration and then you can cook it on the grill, in the oven, or even the air fryer. Quick wet spice rub by mixing together 1 tablespoon of Thai seasoning with 2 tablespoons of your favorite oil. Or skip the oil and simply use it as a dry rub for meats. Homemade Thai seasoning paste by mixing together 3 tablespoons of miso paste with 1 teaspoon of the Thai spice blend. Thai peanut sauce. Mix one teaspoon of Thai Seasoning with 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 teaspoons tamari,1 teaspoon of vinegar, and some water to thin out to a consistency you like. It makes a delicious sauce to serve with chicken skewers or fried shrimp. Dipping sauce. Add in 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix to 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil for a savory dipping sauce for egg rolls or spring rolls.Equipment
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2020, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips, in January of 2022.
This is a “must make” seasoning blend to have in your spice cupboard.
I make all my own rubs and seasoning blends…so much cheaper and better for you than store bought brands that have unpronouneable “who knows what” added.
The best part of “make your own” is the flexibility…if too hot for you or your family, just cut back the cayenne pepper (l add a bit more, and a pinch of red pepper flakes LOL)
So glad to have found this Thai Spice Seasoning Blend recipe…mixed it up and added it to the broth of pork, baby bok choy, and bean sprouts noodle bowls
It was exactly the flavor profile I had been looking for!!!
P.S. I like that other ideas for using this spice blend are included in this post!!!
Next up for me will be the marinade for some chicken skewers, the Thai Peanut Sauce, and the Dipping Sauce :)