Carne Asada Seasoning

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Looking for the ultimate carne asada seasoning recipe that will give your food a mega flavor boost? This homemade blend is quick and easy to make and can be used as a dry rub or incorporated into a marinade for your meats, poultry, fish and seafood, vegetables and more!

Growing up in Arizona, my husband Todd loves his Mexican food and carne asada is probably his favorite, especially the massive carne asada burritos that weighed like 3 pounds each. Every time we go back to Arizona getting one of those burritos is at the top of his list. And I agree, when they’re done right they’re good. Well I’ve since gone to work developing the ultimate carne asada seasoning blend that will work MAGIC on your beef, chicken, vegetables and beyond. Whether you’re making carne asada, pollo asada, or are simply looking for a great all-purpose seasoning blend, this is for you!

Homemade Carne Asada Spice Blend

With its combination of savory, earthy, zesty, spicy, herbaceous, sweet, woodsy, tangy, salty and smoky, this DIY seasoning blend packs some serious flavor. Here are a few reasons I love this carne asada spice and I think you will too:

• Making it yourself gives you full control over what goes in it – and what stays out. No junk ingredients and fully customizable to your taste.
• It can be used either as a dry rub or combined with wet ingredients (e.g., oil, lime juice, cilantro, etc) to make a marinade.
• It’s deliciously versatile – not only is it phenomenal on your steak, chicken, seafood and grilled veggie, it also makes an excellent all-purpose seasoning (see blog post below for ideas).
• Whether you need more or less of it, simply half, double, or triple the recipe.
• It keeps for months.

Carne Asada Seasoning Ingredients

This blend uses a combination of spices, herbs, and dried ground chilies. Here’s what you’ll need to make it along with substitutions:

• Chili powder: Specifically, I recommend ancho chili or a combination of ancho and guajillo. Products simply labeled “chili powder” are usually a blend of chilies along with other ingredients including cumin, coriander, oregano, etc. If the latter is all you have access to go ahead and use it.
• Garlic powder:  For depth of flavor and umami.
• Onion powder:  For more flavor depth and umami.
• Smoked paprika or ground chipotle powder: This contributes a wonderfully sultry, smoky accent to the blend. That way if you’re not grilling the food on the barbecue you’ll still get some of that smoky flavor.
• Cumin: A savory, nutty spice that’s an intrinsic flavor in Mexican cuisine.
• Mexican oregano: Mediterranean oregano (which is what’s most commonly used around the world) is more earthy, sharp and slightly bitter in flavor whereas Mexican oregano is brighter with citrusy notes. For an authentic Mexican flavor I recommend Mexican oregano but if you can’t find it you can use regular.
• Dried cilantro: For a nice herbaceous note. If you don’t have dried cilantro you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (which is the seed from the cilantro plant; different flavor but still good in this blend).
• Salt: Kosher or sea salt, whichever you prefer.
• Sugar: For flavor balance, enhancement and just a touch of sweetness. You can omit it if you prefer.
• Black pepper: Freshly ground will always give you the best flavor. You can also use a combination of black and white pepper.
• Dried ground lime zest: This adds such a great flavor to the blend, I highly recommend including it. And don’t worry about special ordering it, it’s so easy to make it yourself and I’ll show you how in the recipe below.
• Cayenne pepper:  Optional for some heat.

Carne Asada Seasoning Recipe

Let’s get started!

First let’s make the dried lime zest. Preheat the oven to 170-180F/75-80C.

Zest one lime, lay the zest out on a plate and stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let it cool completely, then crumble it up finely with your fingers.

To make the carne asada spice blend, place all of the ingredients in a bowl or jar and stir or shake to combine.

Storage

Store your homemade carne asada seasoning in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place. It will keep for several months but I recommend using it within 3 months for optimal flavor.

How to Use It

Use this homemade carne asada seasoning as a dry rub for your meat, chicken or seafood. This recipe makes roughly 1/4 cup of seasoning which is enough for a 2-3 pound skirt or flank steak. To make a marinade, mix all of the seasoning blend with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems. Place a 2-3 pound flank or skirt steak (or equivalent chicken, etc) into a gallon ziplock bag or 9×13 casserole dish and pour the marinade over. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours then proceed with grilling. Additionally you can use this seasoning blend in a variety of other ways, for example:

• Tacos: Use it to season your ground beef, chicken, shrimp or fish.
• Pulled Pork: This adds a nice smoky, spicy, flavorful punch.
• Grilled Veggies: Toss your vegetables in some oil and some of this spice blend before grilling.
• Roasted Potatoes, Skillet Potatoes and Hash Browns: For a delicious zesty twist.
• Mushrooms: It’s especially great on grilled portobellos.
• Rice and Grains: Stir some into your rice, quinoa or other grains while cooking for a flavored side dish.
• Scrambled Eggs: It adds a delicious smoky-savory touch.
• Breakfast Burritos: It adds a fantastic mega dose of flavor.
• Meatballs: Mix into ground beef, chicken, or turkey for zesty burgers or meatballs.
• Popcorn: Mix with melted butter or oil and drizzle on top.
• French Fries and Potato Wedges: For a delicious flavor upgrade.
• Roasted Nuts: Toss the nuts with oil and some seasoning before roasting for a smoky, spicy snack.
• Soups and Stews: For extra flavor depth it’s great in chili (e.g., white bean chili, instant pot chili), albondigas soup, pozole rojo, bean stews and chicken tortilla soup.
• Guacamole and Salsa: Just add a pinch for boost the flavor.

For more seasoning blends from around the world try my:

• Elote Seasoning
• Sazon Seasoning
• Chili Powder
• Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
• Greek Seasoning
• Old Bay Seasoning
• Curry Powder
• Creole Seasoning
• Garam Masala
• Chaat Masala
• Dukkah
• Za’atar
• Chinese Five Spice
• Shichimi Togarashi
• Berbere
• Baharat