Homemade Greek Seasoning
Homemade Greek seasoning is an herby blend of pantry spices with a little cinnamon and nutmeg for warmth, and it beats Cavender’s. Rub it on grilled chicken for a weeknight dinner or stir it into olive oil for a pita dip at book club. One batch keeps for months in the pantry. It takes 5 minutes and makes 16 servings.
When we moved to Atlanta, people told us about a Greek restaurant attached to a gas station. Our neighbors called it “Gas Station Greek,” even though it was an actual restaurant with a normal name.
We ordered from there all the time. I got the spicy chicken kebabs, and Brooks got the lamb gyro platter.
I tried to get this Greek seasoning as close to theirs as I could. Here’s the catch. I’m not a cinnamon fan. So when the guys there told me their seasoning had cinnamon in it, I really, really didn’t want to add it.
They were right. I was wrong. The cinnamon and nutmeg are what make this better than Cavender’s, and a jar never lasts long at my house.
I’ve got a bunch of recipes that use this blend, too. They’re listed further down.
More Homemade Spice Mixes
- Spice Mixes and Seasoning Blends – the whole homemade collection, sorted by category
- Italian Seasoning – dried basil, oregano and thyme for anything Italian
- Shawarma Seasoning – Middle Eastern spices for chicken, beef or lamb
- All Purpose Seasoning – garlic, cumin and herbs for whatever’s on the stove
- Chicken Seasoning – pantry spices for juicy chicken any way you cook it
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Garlic Powder – Use garlic powder, not granulated garlic, if you can. It’s finer, so it mixes in better.
Onion Flakes – If all you have is onion powder, that works fine too.
Oregano – Greek oregano is best, but use what you’ve got.
Lemon Pepper Seasoning – Store-bought is fine. If you’re turning this into a dressing or marinade, use lemon juice instead.
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How To Make Greek Seasoning
- Mix all the spices together in a bowl.
- Store it in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dark place until you’re ready to use it.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How To Store Greek Seasoning
Store it in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dark place, and it lasts up to 6 months. Not next to the stove, on the counter or under a sunny window, unless you’re using the whole batch in a week.
I make a big batch and keep it in a mason jar. Mine’s usually gone way before the 6 months are up.
How To Use Greek Seasoning
Start with 1 tablespoon and add more until you like it. For meat or veggies, I use about 2 tablespoons per pound.
Meat and Veggies – Season chicken breasts, pork chops, steak or veggies before they go on the grill or in the oven.
Salad Dressing – Shake 2 tablespoons of the mix with 1/4 cup vinegar. Then add 1/2 cup olive oil and adjust from there. Or go all in with my Greek vinaigrette and chopped Greek salad. They’re both in the list below.
Fries – My favorite. Sprinkle it on right after they come out of the air fryer. The herbs can burn and turn bitter if they go on before.
Bread Dip – Stir it into olive oil for dunking warm pita.
Recipes Using This Greek Seasoning
- Walking Gyros – ground lamb cooked in Greek spices, served walking taco style
- Greek Dipping Oil – 2 tablespoons in the oil for dunking pita
- Gyro Nachos – 2 tablespoons stirred in with the wine
- Easy Lamb Meatballs – 1 1/2 tablespoons in the meatball mix
- Lamb Sliders – lamb sliders with goat cheese and pepper jelly
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken – 1 tablespoon in the balsamic marinade
- Chopped Greek Salad – season the chicken with it to make it a meal
- Greek Vinaigrette – fresh lemon vinaigrette, with Greek seasoning for extra flavor
Frequently Asked Questions
Mine is dried oregano, garlic powder, basil, dill, parsley, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, onion flakes, lemon pepper, salt, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Oregano and garlic powder are the biggest amounts. The cinnamon and nutmeg are what set it apart.
Italian seasoning. My Italian seasoning has a lot of the same herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and marjoram). Greek seasoning adds dill, garlic, onion, lemon pepper, salt and pepper, plus the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Make a batch. It’s 5 minutes, and it’s all spices you probably already have. In a pinch, I mix a little lemon pepper with a little Italian seasoning.
In this blend, oregano and garlic do the heavy lifting, at 2 tablespoons each. Dill, rosemary and marjoram round it out.
Yes. That’s what makes it shelf stable. To wake them up, rub the mix between your fingers before you add it to your food.
I like the leaves, but either one works.
I don’t usually grind it, but you can. I use a mortar and pestle so I can control how fine it gets. You can also grind just the spices you want finer and stir the rest in after.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Make it without the salt first, then add salt until it tastes right to you.
- For a quick dressing, mix it with red wine vinegar, olive oil and lemon zest.
- Pack it into small jars with a label and some ribbon for holiday or housewarming gifts.
- If you like the lemon pepper in here, try making your own lemon pepper seasoning too.
Mediterranean Bites for the Snack Table
- Mediterranean Deviled Eggs – deviled eggs with kalamata olives, feta, capers and red onion
- Whipped Feta Dip – salty feta whipped with garlic, rosemary and lemon
- Greek Feta Dip – creamy feta dip made for a mezze platter
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!
Greek Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon basil dried
- 1 tablespoon dill dried
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 tablespoon parsley dried
- 1 tablespoon rosemary dried
- ½ tablespoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ tablespoon marjoram
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Mix all together and add to your favorite chicken or steak dish!
- Store in an airtight container, preferably in a cool dark place.
Video
Notes
- How much – Start with 1 tablespoon. Use about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat or veggies.
- Storage – Airtight glass jar, cool dark place, up to 6 months.
- Salt – Leave it out at first and add it to taste.
- Dressing – 2 tablespoons mix, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil.
- Gifts – Pack it into small labeled jars.
Nutrition
{Originally published 05/19/16 – photos and recipe notes updated 10/20/26}
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I love this group of seasonings! And I use them on salmon as well as chicken and lamb!
Can’t wait to try this seasoning in a recipe. FYI when you click to print your recipe there is a flaw that doesn’t print the picture and the text in the normal way “they are faded” up to where it says “Equipment” from there on it prints with normal darker print text. You can see it on the print screen when you click print the upper portion of the recipe look unhighlighted. I think your tech person needs to fix this.
Sorry about that! I think it has something to do with if it’s a clickable link then they are colored differently. I will have them look into this. Thanks for letting me know:)
I love this seasoning. I use it often. I make Greek bowls often and Greek turkey meatballs. Going to try it as a dressing for my salads!
I am so glad you like it!
Being that i have not been able to find any greek seasoning at my local grocery, i decided to make this recipe. Wow! This stuff is amazing! I admit i was kind of skeptical on the cinnamon and nutmeg, but i used it and i think those 2 ingredients raise it to another level! 5 stars! A#1! Thank u!
Thank you so much! I asked the guys at our favorite Greek restaurant about it and I was skeptical too. I’m also not a huge cinnamon fan so I REALLY didn’t want to add it but you are so right. It is what makes it perfect! I am so glad that you like it! Check out my meatloaf seasoning🙂 It’s my new favorite!
Thank you. I eye balled measurements because I didn’t scroll all the way through originally. It worked perfectly! Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
This recipe sounds great! Can’t wait to make it. How much spice and vinegar/olive oil do you need to make salad dressing?
I start with 2 tablespoons of the spice mix and add to 1/4 cup vinegar. Shake and then add 1/2 cup olive oil. If you want more vinegar/oil you can adjust from there.
You say this lasts 6 months? Mine doesn’t last 6 weeks! Well mainly because by then the container is empty and I have to make more! This is THE BEST seasoning I have ever used and it goes with everything. It is my usual goto. Try it on some breakfast potatoes.
Mine is empty before then too:) So glad you like it!
Hi, this recipe sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. Does the recipe call for ground thyme and marjoram or thyme and marjoram leaves?
I like to use the leaves but feel free to use either!
I didn’t have a couple ingredients and used what I had. The seasoning mix I made was awesome on ground chicken. I can only imagine how good it would be with all the seasonings LOL!
Can you sprinkle your seasoning on air fryer French fries?
Absolutely! I love Greek seasoning on my french fries! I would season just after they come out as they herbs and spices can burn a bit and get bitter if you put it on before air frying.
This worked so well on some grilled chicken…. It was so easy to make and tasted great! I also used it with some olive oil and vinegar for a greek salad dressing…. hello yumminess!
Greek food is definitely one of my favorites! My mind is swimming with ideas to use this!!
I love Greek anything!! I have to make a batch of this and keep it on hand 🙂
I love making my own spices, so much better and such great flavor! PLUS you know what’s actually in it! Your recipe sounds amazing!!
There’s a lot of great favor going on in this mix! It sounds so tasty and would be great used so many ways!
I love making my own spice seasoning mix too! I use my taco seasoning all the time, but I don’t have a Greek mix! I’ll be making a couple of batches to have on hand. Thank you!
This looks so fresh and wonderful. Pretty colors. And I bet it’s fabulous on chicken. I’d also love to do a roasted chickpea with Greek seasonings! Yum!
We LOVE this recipe. We went through it and now I am making it again tonight. It is wonderful on fish fillets. It’s light, yet perfect. We love it in deviled egg salad. I use it all the time. Mmmm, good. Thanks for this treat.
I am so glad!! Thank you!
Do you or can you blend these to make it a finer seasoning?
I don’t typically grind this mix, but you can certainly do it. I use a mortar and pestle when I grind down my everything bagel seasoning so I can control just how fine I get it and I can’t really do that with a spice grinder. Or you can just add the spices that you want to grind down and then add the other ones after. Thank you!
Are all of the herbs dried?
Yes, they are. It makes it shelf stable. If you want to revive them, just rub the spice mix between your fingers or hands before adding to your food.
We love Greek flavors and will be trying this very soon!
I love how versatile this is! This would be so awesome to have on hand!
I always make my own spice mixes and this one looks lovely! Such pretty photos, too! I’m so glad you share with us on throwback thursday because I’ve really been enjoying your blog!
Mollie
Thank you for a great party!
I love seasoning mixes! Thank you for linking up to last week’s Tasty Tuesday linky! I’ve pinned your recipes to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board and hope that you’ll join us again this week.
Thank you for a great party!
I love mixing up my own seasonings. I’ll have to try your recipe soon. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Have a great week ahead. Shared.
Thank you for a great party!
This looks like a really delicious seasoning! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Share The Wealth Sunday!
Thank you for a great party!
Oh, wow… this looks amazing!! I have most of the herbs planted and growing already. I may have to make a batch of this when I get a harvest of each!
Thank you so much for sharing! I can’t wait to try!!
Have a great week!
*Hugs*
Thanks so much! I hope you like it!
Hi Jennifer, I like making spice mixes, too. This Greek seasoning sounds really flavorful! Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Janet
Thank you!
Thanks!! I never thought about making up my own spice mixes! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up!
Thanks so much! I feel like I need to take a few extra jobs just to pay for all the food!
Loved your newsletter this week. It had me chuckling out loud just as here you about 2nd mortgage for the growing boy grocery bills. Seriously though where do they put it all???? This Greek seasoning is brilliant… great little grilling combo. Sharing everywhere!