Homemade Moroccan spice blend is the perfect way to add a little kick to your chicken, potatoes or vegetables! Great for sheet pan or grilling. Vegan, gluten-free, clean eating and paleo-compliant.
One of my all-time favorite ways to add more flavor to my meal prep routine without adding a ton of calories is to mix it up with a spice blend.
I have a pretty awesome collection of homemade spice blends (you can check them out in this post with 7 Dry Rub Recipes), and this homemade Moroccan spice blend is finally getting it's own post!
This spice blend is soooo good...it's savory, a bit sweet, and has the distinctive flavors of Morocco. Cinnamon, ginger and cumin give it such a cool flavor profile!
And the best part of this homemade Moroccan spice blend is that you can customize the heat. I have had problems in the past with store-bought Moroccan spice blends that were waaaay too spicy for me. All I got was so much heat that I couldn't even taste the flavors.
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How to make homemade Moroccan spice blend
Making your own spice blends is so easy, and I bet you already have all of these ingredients in your pantry! All you need to do is mix them up and store them in an air tight container for up to a year. A year!!
Let's discuss the spices in this blend:
- Paprika & cumin- these guys make up the savory base of the spice blend.
- Brown or coconut sugar- brings a subtle sweetness that helps balance out the other flavors.
- Cinnamon, ginger, cloves- bring the Moroccan flavors to the spice blend.
- Salt & pepper- essential for bringing all the other flavors to life.
- Cayenne- bringing the heat! Moroccan food is spicy, but I need to tone it down a bit for me and my family. Feel free to up the cayenne to your taste level 😉
(Pictured above: ingredients for the Moroccan Couscous Meal Prep Bowls tossed in the homemade Moroccan spice blend)
How to use this homemade Moroccan spice blend recipe?
There are so many delicious ways to use this seasoning! It pairs particularly well with a bit of lemon, so make sure to add a bit to your recipes if possible.
- chicken- we love this Moroccan spice blend on chicken, particularly thighs. Toss the chicken in a little olive oil, sprinkle on around 2 tablespoon of the seasoning per pound of chicken thighs, and bake or grill. Serve with lemony couscous!
- cauliflower- SO freaking good on roasted or grilled cauliflower. We toss in olive oil, add the Greek seasoning blend, and roast up for 25-45 min (will depend on the size of your taters) at 425°F. Squeeze on some lemon juice just before serving!
- ribs- OK I'm totally guessing but I have a feeling this Moroccan spice blend would taste pretty amazing on a rack of ribs. Let me know if you try it!
- roasted chickpeas- I haven't tried this either, but I would toss the chickpeas in 1 tablespoon of the Moroccan spice blend and roast up at 400°F for 30-45 minutes, until crispy! Follow directions here.
How much of this homemade Moroccan spice blend do I use per pound of meat? I roughly 2 tablespoons per pound. You want to use this seasoning aggressively, and it might look like too much. Don’t forget to pair your protein with something lemony flavored...even adding in some lemon wedges during baking or grilling can help.
What are some other ways I can use this Moroccan spice blend recipe?
- Add some olive oil and lemon juice and use it as a marinade (I would add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon Moroccan seasoning per boneless skinless chicken breast)
- Add it to the cooking liquid for your rice or quinoa to give it some pizzaz (I would add 1 tablespoon per 1 cup uncooked rice or quinoa)
- Add it to your hummus, or even to a yogurt based dip for a new flavor combo.
Looking for more delicious spice blends? Check out this post with 7 Easy Spice Blends!
How to Store Spices
You can easily store these spices up to one year in an airtight container. I love using small glass jars with screw-top lids. Sometimes spice jars will come with cork lids, and I've found those do not keep the spices fresh for as long. Small Weck Tulip Jars are also a favorite.
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Homemade Moroccan Spice Blend
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 4 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Stir together all ingredients and store in an airtight container for up to a year.
- Use aggressively: 1 tablespoon per 7 oz chicken breast, 0.5 tablespoon per 4 oz salmon fillet, and roughly 2 tablespoons per lb of vegetables.
Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Karen O'Brien says
Very good resource for spice blends!
Elizabeth says
Best one. I.ve made
Jean says
I recently used this spice blend to spice up some homemade peanut butter. I thought Moroccan spice would go well with peanuts. Of course, figuring out the amount of spice blend to use for a pound of peanuts without overpowering the peanut flavor is a balancing act.
Yvonne Conway says
Fantastic
Kirsten says
Delicious and so easy to prepare. We marinated some chicken thighs with garlic and lime juice with the seasoning and BBQ'd and it was great!
Brendan says
Used the morocan spice mix on some lamb and goat ribs and cooked them on a Webber and finished them w a honey and orange glaze flavour was amazing definitely one to had to your cook book
Venessa says
Goodmorning Denise, I was wondering if I could use chilli powder instead of cayenne as I want to make this but I'm missing the last ingredient from my cupboard...looking forward to making your recipe as I haven't been able to find the manufactured pot in any in the shops ...by the way I use this in my homemade cous cous recipe
Kind regards Venessa
Paulette says
I love this on chicken. I add my potatoes and veggies (peppers/broccoli/onions even garlic cloves) to same pan and bake everyting together and wow, so tasty. I have been using your recipes for years. Thank you for your hard work and for sharing it with us. Very much appreciated!
Lucy says
Can you reduce the salt for a lower salt version?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Lucy! Feel free to adjust the salt for your nutritional needs.
Robin Bruce says
This spice mix made our chicken taste just like our favorite Moroccan restaurant's.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Robin! That's so great to hear. Thanks so much for taking the time to report back.
Angelia Mullins says
I really love this spice blend. I used it to make a roasted vegetable shakshuka and on salmon. Delicious.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Angelia! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for reporting back <3
Dasha says
This blend is absolutely lovely tossed with olives!
Denise Bustard says
Ooh that sounds divine! Thanks for reporting back, Dasha!
Janice says
The Jamaican rub is linked to the Moroccan rub.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Janice, thanks for letting me know. I fixed it for a second time, let's hope it sticks this time 😉
JD says
This is an amazing blend of spices. I would compare it to someone giving me the KFC recipe! We love to put it on kabob and grill them outside. Love it, love it, love it!!!
Denise says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, JD! Thank you for coming back and letting us know 🙂
Zzoey says
My husband is Moroccan and have travelled there twice. I have cooked with many women who are in their 70’s and have been in the kitchen since they were 5 years old, cooking. Never have I ever seen anyone add any sugar at all to a dish. Maybe that’s just the region I was in but I would skip the sugar.
Rachelle says
I was surprised to see sugar in this. I’ve never seen sugar in Moroccan food. This blend is very nice without it. Maybe the sugar is meant to add a bit of sweetness that would usually come from dried fruit in a recipe.