Sazón Seasoning

What is Sazón Seasoning?

Sazón seasoning is my kitchen secret to better-tasting rice, beans, roasted veggies, meats, and everything in between. It’s a vibrant, reddish-orange seasoning blend popular throughout Latin American and Caribbean cooking, especially in Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisines. Traditional sazón blends were made with coriander, cumin, garlic, and ground annatto seeds. These ingredients reflect the influence of Taíno (Indigenous Caribbean), Spanish, and African cooking, which together shaped the foundation of the region’s cuisine.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that Goya Foods introduced pre-packaged sazón seasoning packets, aka Sazón Goya con Culantro y Achiote, to the mass market. These yellow and orange single-use packets are engineered to be convenient and unbelievably tasty. Unfortunately, they’re filled with crap including Monosodium Glutamate, Salt, Dehydrated Garlic, Cumin, Yellow 5, Tricalcium Phosphate (Anti-Caking Agent), Coriander, Annatto (Color), Red 40.

These days I just make my own sazon seasoning blend. And, you can too!

Key Ingredients

This homemade version of sazón includes the key ingredients listed above, plus, turmeric powder, ground oregano, salt, and black pepper. Although turmeric powder is not a traditional ingredient, I’ve added it for its earthy, savory undertones, and gorgeous yellow-orange hue. It’s optional, so skip it if you’re out.

What is annatto? If you’re unfamiliar with ground annatto, aka achiote, it’s a spice made from the seeds of the achiote tree. It is mild, earthy, and slightly peppery, but its flavor is pretty subtle. It’s primary purpose is to give sazon seasoning its bright reddish-orange color. Some mainstream grocery stores sell ground annatto, but unless you have an Asian or Latin market nearby, your best bet is to order it on Amazon.

Ways to Use It

I’ll use this homemade sazon seasoning in everything from slow-cooked meats and stews to rice, bean, and potato recipes galore. Some examples include my Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, crispy baked Sweet Potato Fries, Pork Carnitas, and poultry like Spatchcock Chicken or juicy Baked Pork Chops. Sometimes, it’s as simple as adding a teaspoon or two to a can of black beans. Serve them with fried eggs, cooked rice, and tortillas- so easy!

Of course, sazon seasoning is an an absolute must if you’re making Pollo Guisado (Puerto-Rican Chicken Stew), Arroz con Gandules (Puerto-Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas), Arroz Amarillo (Yellow Rice), and many more.