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Make authentic Jamaican jerk seasoning from scratch in just 5 minutes! This bold dry rub is smoky, spicy, and slight sweet, perfect for jerk chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables and more.
Ready to put this seasoning to work? Try it in my Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe, it’s one of the most popular recipes on this blog! And if you’d rather a wet rub, head to my Jerk Marinade next.
Table of Contents
- Jerk Seasoning
- What is Jamaican Jerk Seasoning?
- Ingredients
- How to Make Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- Recipe Tips
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Use Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- Can I Make this Ahead of Time?
- How to Store Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- More Jamaican Spices, Sauces, and Seasonings
- Recipe Tip
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Recipe Recipe
Jerk Seasoning
If there’s one thing that takes me straight back to Jamaica, it’s the smell of jerk anything hitting a hot grill. Growing up, this jerk blend wasn’t something you bought in a store, it was something you made without measurements and always had on hand.
I love how easy it is to whip up using simple pantry staples, and you can adjust the heat level to suit your taste. After tweaking ratios and testing on everything from chicken to tofu, this is now my go-to homemade Jamaican jerk seasoning.
And I promise once you make it yourself you will never reach for the store-bought stuff again!
What is Jamaican Jerk Seasoning?
The main ingredients in jerk seasoning are allspice, hot pepper (typically scotch bonnet), and dried thyme.
Ingredients
- Garlic and Onion Powder: These aromatics are essential in jerk seasoning and should definitely be included.
- Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Cloves and Ginger: Use a blend of these spices for the perfect combinations of deep, warm, earthy, woodsy flavouring.
- Cayenne Pepper and Red Chili (Pepper) Flakes: This is where you’ll get the heat from, adjust as needed. You can also dehydrate your own scotch bonnet peppers and grind them to make your own dried scotch bonnet pepper.
- Dried Thyme and Parsley Flakes: These dried herbs work well here, thyme is essential, but you can omit parsley.
- Smoked Paprika and Paprika: This not only enhances the colour of the seasoning blend, but also add the traditional smokiness that is essential and most notable in jerk.
- Salt and Black Pepper: You can opt to leave the salt out of the blend and salt your individual dishes as you go. Adjust to taste.
- Dark Brown Sugar: This is optional, however adds a delicious subtle sweet note to the seasoning blend that balances the heat perfectly.
How to Make Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
To make Jamaican jerk seasoning, I add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Then I mix until evenly combined. I transfer the mix to an empty spice jar or airtight container and store it in a dark cool place (like a spice cabinet).
Recipe Tips
- Make this spice blend your own. You can adjust the ratio of each ingredient. For example, if you want to enhance the spiciness, use less sugar.
- Want a bigger batch? Double or triple this jerk seasoning recipe.
- Check the expiration dates for each of the ingredients. This is how you ensure maximum freshness.
- Never pour the seasoning over extremely hot or steaming food. If it is exposed to moisture, it will clump.
Substitutions & Variations
- Spicy: Add dehydrated and ground scotch bonnet peppers for an even spicier jerk seasoning. You could also double the amount of cayenne pepper.
- Low Sodium Jerk Seasoning: Lower the amount of salt or omit it altogether.
- Touch of Sweetness: Instead of dark brown sugar, you could use light brown sugar or regular white granulated sugar.
How to Use Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
This is an incredibly versatile blend, here’s every delicious way to put it to work:
🍗 Chicken The classic pairing. Start with the recipe that started it all, my Authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken and then explore every other way to enjoy jerk chicken:
- Jerk Spatchcock Chicken – butterflied for faster cooking and crispier skin
- Jerk Chicken Wings – perfect for game day
- Jerk Chicken Skewers – great for grilling season
- Pineapple Jerk Chicken & Shrimp Skewers – sweet, smoky and a crowd-pleaser
- Jerk Chicken Tacos – a weeknight favourite
- Jerk Chicken Sandwich – bold and satisfying
- Jerk Chicken Mac & Cheese – you just need to trust me on this one
- Jerk Chicken Poutine – a Caribbean-Canadian mashup you didn’t know you needed
- Jerk Chicken Cobb Salad – light but packed with flavour
🦃 Turkey Jerk seasoning transforms turkey from boring to unforgettable:
- Whole Roasted Jerk Turkey – your new Thanksgiving centrepiece
- Jerk Turkey Legs – smoky, juicy and fun to eat
- Jerk Turkey Wrap – great way to use up leftovers
🐟 Seafood The smoky heat of jerk pairs beautifully with fish and shellfish:
- Honey Jerk Salmon – glazed, caramelized and ready in 20 minutes
- Honey Jerk Shrimp – quick, flavourful and seriously addictive
🥩 Beef & Pork
- Jamaican Jerk Pork – slow cooked until tender and falling apart
- Jamaican Jerk Burger – classic burger with a homemade smoky jerk beef patty and my Honey Jerk Mayo
- Jerk Burgers with Mango Salsa – sweet spicy mango pineapple salsa and perfectly seasoned homemade jerk beef patty
- Cheesy Jerk Sliders – saucy jerk seasoned ground beef with a cheesy blend
🌿 Plant-Based & Pasta
- Crispy Baked Jerk Tofu – even tofu skeptics love this one
- Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe – jerk cream sauce that will change your life
Can I Make this Ahead of Time?
Yes! This homemade jerk seasoning is supposed to be made ahead of time so that it’s ready for use whenever you need to add a dash of flavour to your food.
How to Store Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Store your jerk seasoning in an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight. When stored properly, it can last up to one year.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Jamaican jerk seasoning is bold, smoky, spicy and slightly sweet all at once. The allspice and thyme give it a warm earthiness while the scotch bonnet brings the heat. It’s deeply flavourful and completely unlike any other spice blend you’ve had!
Jerk is a hot and spicy dry-rubbed or wet marinated blend of herbs and spices used on all types of meats and seafood. Traditionally, jerked foods were cooked over a small open coal or wood fire. Jerk has a spicy, woodsy, smoky flavour.
Jerk seasoning is made from a blend of dry herbs and spices whereas jerk marinade is more of a wet blend. The spice blend is often used as a dry rub, whereas the marinade is often used to marinate meats overnight as the flavours soak in more effectively. Both are used very similarly, but it’s all up to preference.
Scotch bonnet is the traditional pepper used in authentic Jamaican jerk. It’s fruity, fiery and distinctly Caribbean. In this dry rub I use cayenne and chili flakes to replicate that heat but if you can find a scotch bonnet dry rub use that!
Yes, but you can control the heat level easily. Reduce the cayenne and chili flakes for a milder version or add dehydrated scotch bonnet for extra fire. It’s customizable to your preference.
Yes. Habanero is the closest substitute and the one I recommend. It has a similar fruity heat profile and is much easier to find in regular grocery stores. Avoid jalapeño as it’s too mild and lacks that Caribbean flavour.
No, jerk seasoning and Cajun seasoning are different spice blends. Jerk combines spicy, smoky, and sweet flavours with ingredients like Scotch Bonnet peppers, allspice, and nutmeg, while Cajun seasoning focuses on a mix of herbs, hot peppers, and spices like paprika and cayenne.
Most spice blends are built around one dominant flavour. Jerk seasoning layers heat, smoke, sweetness and warm spice all together in one blend. That combination is uniquely Jamaican and has no real equivalent in any other cuisine.
Absolutely. Coat your meat generously and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking. For deeper flavour, leave it overnight in the fridge uncovered.
Use about 1 tablespoon per pound as a starting point. For seafood, start with 1 teaspoon per pound as it’s more delicate.
Yes and it’s delicious! Toss cauliflower, sweet potato, corn or chickpeas etc. in olive oil and jerk seasoning before roasting, you won’t regret it!
Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free. If buying store-bought always check the label as some brands add fillers that may contain gluten.
Although it can last a long time, it can become stale. If the colour has faded significantly and the aroma is weak, it’s lost its potency.
More Jamaican Spices, Sauces, and Seasonings
Recipe Tip
The best way to use this seasoning is in my Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe!
If you try this Jamaican Jerk Marinade, please leave a star rating below — it helps others find this recipe! Tag me on Instagram using #theseasonedskillet for a chance to be featured, and follow TSS on Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest for new recipes every week.
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Recipe
Equipment
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Empty Spice Jar or airtight jar
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar, optional
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley Flakes, optional
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Red Chili (Pepper) Flakes
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients and add to a small mixing bowl. Check expiration dates on each spice before using — fresh spices make a significant difference in flavour.
- Stir or whisk all ingredients together until evenly combined and no clumps remain. Taste and adjust.
- Transfer to an empty spice jar or airtight container. Store in a cool dark place like your spice cabinet away from direct sunlight or heat. Keeps for up to one year.
