Greek seasoning is a highly versatile, all-purpose seasoning blend that can be used to add an incredible flavor to many foods. So, let’s tackle everything you need to know about the Greek seasoning ingredients and the ins and outs of this blend.
Authentic Greek seasoning is a traditional combination that basically includes dried herbs and flavorful spices such as:
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Black Pepper
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Nutmeg
- Greek Oregano
- Basil
- Dill Weed
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Marjoram
In addition, most blends contain salt, and store-bought options might contain other additives and preservatives. So, let’s dig in for further information!
Greek Seasoning And Its Ingredients
What Is Greek Seasoning?
As mentioned previously, Greek seasoning is an ultimate blend of many dried, aromatic herbs and flavor-packed spices. It is one of the most versatile culinary blends and is considered an all-purpose seasoning.
This mixture contains the goodness of Mediterranean flavor and can be used in a wide variety of dishes ranging from meat, fish, other seafood, vegetables, dips, and salads. This blend has a great smell and is warm, earthy, savory with slightly sweet, peppery, and minty undertones.
What Spices And Herbs Are In Greek Seasoning?
One of the best things about this seasoning blend is that it hasn’t evolved much from its authentic recipe. Most people tend to follow a standard formula with basic ingredients with very few changes.
Thus, the list of spices and herbs is pretty uncomplicated. And if in case you make this at home, you will only need the essential pantry and kitchen staples.
01- Garlic Powder
Garlic powder is one of the primary Greek seasoning spices. This spice adds a pungent, potent, and great savory note to this mix. Garlic powder is often paired with other ingredients in this blend, like onion powder, black pepper, Greek oregano, thyme, basil, etc.
02- Onion Powder
This powdery spice has distinctive umami, sharp, slightly sweet, and sulfur-like flavor notes. It particularly pairs well with garlic powder and supplements the flavor of the dried herbs in this mix. Onion powder basically provides an overall oniony flavor even in the absence of real onions.
03- Black Pepper
Ubiquitous ground black pepper is an excellent spice that complements the piquancy of our topic leader with its unique peppery, woody, and earthy undertones. This is also considered one of the staples in the mix since it can pair with most of the ingredients used.
04- Ground Cinnamon
Contributing with a significant flavor contrast, ground cinnamon is regarded as one of the most iconic flavorings in Greek seasoning. This spice has a slightly sweet, peppery, and woodsy flavor note that could add a unique taste to the overall blend.
In fact, ground cinnamon makes a good team when paired with ingredients like nutmeg, basil, parsley, thyme, etc.
05- Ground Nutmeg
Nutmeg is not a staple in our topic leader. But we see that most recipes use ground nutmeg, thanks to its unique flavor.
This spice has a sharp taste with warm, nutty, slightly sweet, and astringent elements. It is a comforting component that could get along with ingredients like cinnamon, thyme, dill weed, parsley, etc.
06- Greek Oregano
Greek oregano is one of the most important herbs used in this blend. It has an incredible ability to complement Greek-inspired dishes with its amazing aroma and bold, warm, slightly sour, and pungent flavor notes.
Dried Greek oregano is more intense than its fresh form. Moreover, Greek oregano tends to be more savory and earthy than Italian oregano. Hence, this herb often pairs well with all the other aromatics and most spices used in this blend.
07- Basil
Basil has almost a fresh, minty flavor with subtle notes of black pepper and anise. This is another primary Greek seasoning ingredient that is often teamed up with nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, and most herbs used in this blend.
08- Dill Weed
Dill weed has a complex flavor that is very similar to licorice. It is also very aromatic with slightly sweet, citrusy, and grassy undertones.
This herb makes a beautiful pair with garlic powder in this mix. In addition, it backs up the flavor notes of onion powder and parsley.
09- Parsley
This herb has a clean, bright taste with potent herbal and slightly bitter notes. Parsley is a universal element that will get along with almost all the other herbs used in Greek seasoning, along with black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
If you go back to the Greeks and Romans, they talk about all three – wine, food, and art – as a way of enhancing life.
Robert Mondavi
10-Thyme
Dried thyme is very earthy and has a bold taste. It gives an excellent zest to our topic leader with its slightly peppery, warm, and minty notes. This herb is often paired with black pepper, garlic powder, and most other aromatics used in this blend.
11- Marjoram
Marjoram is not a primary Greek seasoning ingredient, unlike parsley, basil, or dill weed. But still, many recipes have used this herb due to its subtle flavor profile.
In fact, marjoram is a close relative of mint and oregano. However, it has a more delicate taste with sweet, earthy, and woodsy notes. This is a great flavoring component for this blend since it pairs with the bulk, especially with oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Other Ingredients
Apart from these spices and herbs, many homemade and store-bought Greek seasoning options contain salt. Moreover, most pre-packaged recipes might contain ingredients like:
- Corn starch
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Lactic Acid
- Other additives and preservatives
What Is In Mccormick Greek Seasoning?
McCormick is a leading culinary spice producer. And the Greek seasoning blend that comes under this brand is widely available in supermarkets and online shopping sites.
Thus, according to the list of ingredients on the label, this product contains:
- Garlic
- Onion
- Oregano
- Mint
- Salt
- Sugar
- Maltodextrin
- Autolyzed yeast
- Lactic acid
- Other spices (which is obviously their well-kept trade secret!)
Is Mccormick Greek Seasoning Gluten-Free?
McCormick Greek seasoning does not contain any gluten-related ingredients. Therefore, it is safe for anybody who is following a gluten-free diet.
The Lavish Greek Seasoning Blend Is Simply For Anything!
All these piquant and robust Greek seasoning ingredients, such as garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, ground cinnamon, dried oregano, dill weed, thyme, basil, etc., will combine to give you the supreme bliss of Mediterranean flavors.
In fact, This seasoning blend is powerful enough to whip the blandest dish into something incredibly delicious in a split second!
