Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend

Name: Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons Garlic Powder; 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder; 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt; 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper; 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin; 1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander; 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano; 1 Tablespoon Dried Cilantro

Cuban food . . . mmmm! This Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend is awesome on pork, chicken, steak, even on rice and beans! Make a batch of this and keep it stored for those simple delicious meals with a Cuban flare!

Cuban Cooking

When I lived in New Jersey, I had my fair share of Cuban food. I loved this place in Newark that was quite popular. It had amazing food! However, what I experienced there was nothing compared to what I learned about Cuban cooking once I moved to Florida. Oh My!

You can find mindblowing Cuban joints in just about every town! There’s this really amazing place just 10 minutes from me that has a lunch buffet that rivals any other buffet of other cuisines.

So I had to learn how to make this authentic style of Cuban food.

Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend

As with any food, there are the basics to cooking that make or break the flavor of what you’re cooking – the temperature you cook, paying attention while cooking, and so on. But one major component is learning the flavor profile and what flavors work well with each other. That’s where my Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend comes in!

I was fortunate to have learned a lot about Puerto Rican cooking from a good friend years ago. To me, it has enough similarities to Cuban food that it made it easier for me to learn. Some may disagree, but, like I said, for me there were enough connections to make sense to me.

I created my Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend by first asking both friends and waiters in restaurants what seasonings were used in certain dishes. Once I learned the seasonings common to my favorite Cuban dishes, I then paid close attention to recognize these flavors in the meals I ate. Then I started experimenting.

After many tries, I finally nailed it!

What Is in the Spice Blend?

This spice mix uses spices that are quintessential in Cuban cooking. You can find these in many Cuban meals:

Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt (I use Kosher Salt)
Black Pepper
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Dried Oregano
Dried Cilantro

Can You Make a Large Batch to Save?

Absolutely! I usually double the recipe and store the mix in an empty spice bottle (I wash them out and keep them for my spice blends). The best way to store a spice mix is in an air tight glass jar. They will stay fresh for up to six months.

What Can You Use This With?

I typically use this Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend on chicken, in particular chicken thighs. I also use this on rice and beans. I’ll add a couple teaspoons of this spice mix with some fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Here’s some other ideas:

Chicken Leg Quarters
Pork Chops
Pork Loin
Black or Red Beans

Recipe Idea: Marinate a pork loin in a gallon sized ziptop bag with some olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, and one or two tablespoons of this Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend for 2 hours or overnight.

Try this Cuban Seasoning Spice Blend with our Marinated Cuban Chicken Thighs!