11 Popular Seasoning Blends for Creating Bold Flavour Profiles

Bold flavour is the foundation of a best-selling spice blend. After all, delighting customers with every bite requires enticing flavours and aromas.

Ready-to-use spice blends provide a consistent and reliable flavour profile for your customers, while also being easy to use. Furthermore, spice blends are an excellent way to stand out from your competitors. Even popular and well-known spice blends offer opportunities for customization and reinvention!

These are our top 11 picks for popular seasoning blends. They are all bold in flavour and can be personalized to best represent your brand.

1. Advieh

Ingredients: cumin, cloves, cinnamon, dried rose petals, black pepper, turmeric, cardamom, saffron.

Advieh is the name of a Persian spice blend, which translates simply to “spice.” Like many of the blends listed here, the recipe varies depending on what the advieh will be used for. Regardless, advieh is typically mild, aromatic, and flavourful. 

2. Berbere

Ingredients: cayenne pepper, chiles, paprika, onion powder, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, fenugreek, garlic powder, peppercorn, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves.

Berbere is a robust spice blend featuring several chile varieties. As a result, it can be quite hot, but that depends on how it’s used and the chiles it contains. Regardless, berbere adds a wonderful spiciness to dishes and helps amp up the flavour.

3. Chilli powder

Ingredients: chile powder, oregano, paprika, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt.

Chilli powder (not to be confused with chile powder) is a robust blend combining dried chiles with other spices. There are endless varieties in the flavours offered by chilli powder because there is no one way to make it. It can be customised and tailored to suit different taste buds and consumer preferences.

4. Chinese five-spice blend

Ingredients: cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel, white pepper.

The Chinese five-spice blend is incredibly versatile and has uses far beyond Chinese cuisine. Its five ingredients include the five fundamental flavours of cooking: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. The result is a complex flavour perfect for both savoury and sweet dishes.

5. Creole seasoning

Ingredients: paprika, garlic, thyme, oregano, celery powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black (or white) pepper.

Creole seasoning is a bold spice blend that originates in Louisiana. It carries hints of Native American, Southern European, and African-American influences. There is no definitive way to make Creole seasoning, although it tends to be more herb-forward than its close cousin, Cajun.

6. Garam masala

Ingredients: cumin seed, coriander seed, black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf, mace, nutmeg, star anise, black pepper, fennel seed.

Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that offers a distinct and pungent flavour. It’s known for being fragrant and warming, which explains why the name “garam masala” translates to “hot ingredients.” The recipe for garam masala varies between chefs, brands, and regions.

7. Herbs de Provence

Ingredients: oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, lavender, savoury, bay leaf, black pepper. 

Herbs de Provence is a delightful blend containing a selection of herbs found in Provence, France. It’s light, flavourful, and aromatic. Furthermore, it’s a staple in French and Mediterranean cuisine.

8. Old Bay seasoning

Ingredients: celery salt, paprika, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground allspice, ground cloves, ground ginger.

Old Bay seasoning consists of 18 herbs and spices. Historically, it was used to add a spicy citrus flavour to seafood dishes in the mid-Atlantic and southern regions of the United States. Now, Old Bay seasoning is a welcome addition to any dish in need of a flavour kick.

9. Ras el hanout

Ingredients: black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, allspice, anise cloves, ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, mace.

Ras el hanout also offers incredible opportunities for companies looking to leave their own mark with a custom spice blend. There is no set recipe for ras el hanout, nor is there a required number of spices. Variations contain anywhere from 8 to 10 spices. Ras el hanout is known for having a warm, sharp, and earthy aroma.

10. Shichimi togarashi

Ingredients: red chilli peppers, sangho (Japanese) peppercorns, roasted satsuma mandarin peel, black and white sesame seeds, hemp seeds, ground ginger, nori.

Shichimi togarashi, or seven spice powder, consists of seven ingredients packed with umami flavours. The chile peppers also add a bit of spiciness. Overall, this ancient spice blend offers a smoky-sweet heat.

11. Za’atar

Ingredients: salt, sumac, dried thyme, oregano, toasted sesame seeds.

Za’atar is a highly aromatic and extremely versatile spice blend. It is a staple of Middle Eastern cooking, but perfectly complements a wide range of meals from grilled chicken to popcorn. Earthy, savoury, and a little tangy, there are endless uses for this incredible spice blend. Its ingredients do vary, so there is plentiful room to make this blend your own.

Create Your Own Unique Flavour Profile With Custom Spice Blends by Hela Spice

There are already many popular and delicious spice blends available from around the world. They have been able to bring bold flavours, pleasing aromas, and heat to countless dishes for generations. From the Persian blend advieh to the classic French blend herbs de Provence, the globe is full of both familiar and new flavour combinations.

Most of the popular spice blends included in this list do not have strict ingredient checklists. There is thus ample opportunity to personalize them to better represent your brand and appeal to your customers. Both chilli powders and ras el hanout vary considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer. At Hela Spice, we can help design the best blend for you.

However, you are not limited to using existing spices. We specialize in crafting high-quality custom spice blends that are unique to your brand. Whether you want to reimagine one of these popular spice blends to suit your brand or create a new exciting spice blend that will entice consumers, Hela Spice is there.

To learn more about our custom spice blending at Hela Spice, visit our website here or contact us here.