Adobo seasoning is an essential, all-purpose blend in Caribbean and Latin American cuisine with garlic, oregano, pepper and more. It's ideal for seasoning or marinating any types of meats and vegetables.
Adobo Seasoning Recipe
We're making another batch of homemade spice mix today, my friends. "Spice is Life", as the old saying goes, and that's a philosophy we firmly believe in. Without spices, many foods would be boring and bland.
No thanks.
My pantry is filled with different seasoning blends, as well as the individual ingredients to make them. I love having a variety on hand for different recipes and flavors. One particular that is becoming a new favorite is Adobo Seasoning.
If you enjoy garlicky flavors and simple but effective seasonings, this is recipe you'll want to keep on hand.
What is Adobo Seasoning?
Adobo Seasoning is a staple seasoning blend in Latin American, Caribbean and Spanish cuisine. While the exact recipe varies from region to region, the primary ingredients include garlic powder, ground peppercorns and oregano, often with a bit of onion powder.
It is used as an all-purpose seasoning blend, as a rub for meats and as a base for marinades.
In some countries or regions, like Puerto Rico, it is as common as salt and pepper.
The name itself derives from the Spanish word "adobar", which means "to marinate". This comes from classic Spanish cooking, where variations of adobo seasoning are mixed with vinegar or other liquids to create a flavorful marinade for meats - chicken, beef, pork, or fish - or even for vegetables.
You'll find it in various regional cuisines, from Mexican cooking, Cuban, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rican and many more.
You can use it as a simple seasoning blend, a dry rub, as a sauce base or for making marinades. However you'd like to use it, I think you'll agree that is a great flavor builder.
Let's talk about how to make adobo seasoning, shall we?
Adobo Seasoning Ingredients
- Garlic Powder. 3 tablespoons
- Onion Powder. 1 tablespoon
- Dried Oregano. 1 teaspoon
- Salt. 1 teaspoon
- Ground White Pepper. 1/2 teaspoon (or use ground black pepper)
Optional Extras
- Paprika. 1 teaspoon
- Cooks Choice. See the Recipe Notes for other commonly used ingredients.
How to Make Adobo Seasoning - the Recipe Method
Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl, then transfer to a spice container and use as needed. Store in a cool, dark place with your other dry spice blends.
Boom! Done! Homemade adobo seasoning is pretty easy to make, isn't it? I love this spice blend. Great flavor, and you can adapt it however you'd prefer. Time to get cooking!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Adobo Seasoning Variations. As this is a general Latin American spice blend, you will find variations based on location and personal preference of the cook. Other ingredients can include cumin, chili powder, paprika, red pepper, turmeric, bitter orange, dried citrus, saffron, msg and others. As you can see, it is quite versatile.
Uses for Adobo Seasoning
- All-Purpose Seasoning Blend. Keep adobo seasoning in a small spice jar and sprinkle it over your everyday foods. Use it as a replacement for your typical all-purpose seasoned salt.
- Dry Rub. Use adobo seasoning to rub down any cuts of meat, from beef (like Churrasco or Bistec Encebollado) and pork to chicken, fish and more, before cooking. Try it with vegetables, too. This blend is commonly used to make Pernil, which is an amazing roasted pork with crispy skin.
- Marinade Base. Mix adobo seasoning with liquids like vinegar, broth, or juice along with fresh chopped ingredients like onions or chilies to make a flavorful marinade.
Storage
Store your homemade adobo seasoning in a sealed container in a pantry or cabinet for up to 6 months. You can still use it after that time, but it begins to lose potency.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy your new adobo seasoning recipe. How did you change it up? Which herbs and spices did you choose for yours? Got any secret ingredients? I'd love to hear!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Sazon Seasoning
- Tajin Seasoning
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Turkey Rub Seasoning
- Garam Masala
- Gochugaru
- Berbere
- Ras el Hanout
- Togarashi: Popular Japanese Spice Blend
- Elote Seasoning
- Homemade Spice Blend Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. Thanks! — Mike H.
Homemade Adobo Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper or use ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika optional - this is my own preferred addition
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Be sure to blend uniformly.
- Transfer the adobo seasoning to a spice container and use as needed. Store in a cool, dark place.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 4/23/21 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 10/12/20.
Paul:-) says
Hi Mike & Patty,
I’ve just made a batch of this and “tested” it on a butterflied chicken breast, simply pan fried and I must say that I’m very pleased with the result.
I used your recipe as a base (Mexican Oregano rather than Mediterranean) with a teaspoon each of dried Thyme, dried Epazote and African Chilli powder.
Your Carne Guisada will be on the menu this week which we’re all looking forward to. Just need to get to the butcher’s. No supermarket meat here!
Paul
Mike Hultquist says
Very cool, Paul. Glad you're happy with it. And enjoy the Carne Guisada!
Vaughn Burckard says
Hi Mike,
I'm curious, do you grind your spices, or 'mortar & pestle'?
I've come to enjoy the mortar method, as I tend to make smaller amounts that get used in 6 months.
I've been making my blends for 25 years, and love that 45 minutes of sneezing afterwards!!!
Love the site, thanks!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Vaugh. You can do that, or use a spice grinder. I do both, actually, depending on the size of my batch. Haha, yes, the sneeze!
Lynn Colledge says
Just made this for my
Pollo Guisado. Perfect. Thank you.
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Lynn!
Lorie Verkuyl says
This sounds amazing! I am going to make it and let you know what my family thinks! Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Lorie!
Melissa says
Thank you for this recipe for adobo spices. I'm planning to make adobo chicken for the first time. The recipe doesn't seem to call for any spices, just fresh onion and garlic! I'm wondering how much of your spice recipe would go into one "batch" of about 7 pieces of chicken. Thanks for your help.
Mike Hultquist says
Sure thing, Melissa. I would use 2-3 tablespoons for 7 pieces of chicken, or a bit more if you prefer heavy spices. Enjoy.
mike says
Why not use Mexican oregano? Seems like the logical ingredient.
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely. Go for it.
Kevin Flynn says
Great article and recipe, but Puerto Rico isn’t a country.
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, correct. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, wonderful place.
D says
Puerto Rico is a country, it was just annxed by Spain then the US...just like the US virgin island Guam etc people from there don't say I'm a US Guam-an it's just im from st john st Croix Guam puerto Rico, etc n yes its a lovely country, blessing.
Jim Gray says
The recipe says garlic and onion powder but your ingredients looked more like granulated. Can either be used?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jim, either can be used. Enjoy.
Leslie says
Wonderful! So happy to have this recipe, to control the salt! Want to try adding Urfa chile to kick it up a bit. Never thought about using Adobo for a marinade - will try that too.
Do you have a recipe for a Santa Maria mix? We had a butcher in Bailey, CO who made THE BEST Santa Maria roasts using a tri tip roast...it was a secret of course, but my pals and I experimented...came really close. It seemed to me, Old Bay was an important ingredient.
Also, Thank You for sharing your Chili love! I enjoy your newsletters immensley!!
Your recipes are pure joy!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Leslie! I don't have that on the site, but will check it out!
Jade says
Thank you for this wonderful Adobo seasoning. I have made your pollo guisado with it. The recipe was a hit with my family. We will have it in our dinner rotation.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Jade!!
Dylan says
I grew up in Santa Maria, California. Home of the Santa Maria style barbecue. Santa Maria style seasoning is mostly,
Salt, Granulated Onion, Powdered garlic, lots of dried parsley, a little bit of pepper and sometimes paprika ( though it’s rare to have paprika in traditional Santa Maria style seasoning.)
If there is Paprika in it, they usually market it a little differently. Especially when they add smoked paprika and label it, “Santa Maria style smokehouse”
That was for traditional Santa Maria style seasoning. Back in the Late 1990’s and early Millennium, there was only reason a few types of Santa Maria style seasoning and the most popular was “Susie Q”
After about 2009 or 2010 Susie Q became hard to find and tons of people started making their own version of Santa Maria style seasoning. Also after that time the town changed a lot, instead of Strawberry fields and cabbage patches, it became strip malls and car dealerships.
If you can find Pappy’s seasoning it’s going to be the most authentic thing and it should say Santa Maria somewhere on the bottle.
After 2010 it became hard to find a true Santa Maria style barbecue for some reason and most of these parking lot barbecues went indoor and lost the whole tradition of an SM style bbq
Dylan says
Here you go, traditional Santa Maria style seasoning
One tablespoon salt
One tablespoon granulated onion
One tablespoon powdered Garlic
3 tablespoons dried Parsley
One teaspoon ground black pepper
Variation, add Two teaspoons smoked paprika for smokehouse style.
Mix everything together, you can reduce the salt if needed. I know it sounds really bland, but I lived in Santa Maria for 15-18 years, during the glory days when it was just strawberry fields forever and grew up on Santa Maria style barbecue.