Caribbean Green Seasoning

I love Caribbean cuisine like this cozy weeknight dinner Rasta Pasta and loved by the whole family Jamaican Steamed Cabbage.

Today I am sharing this addictive homemade Green Seasoning is vibrant, fragrant and full of aromatic herbs that when blended together pack an amazing flavor punch that makes recipes sing.

This green spice sauce is easy to whip up with a few affordable ingredients and minimal prep and comes together in under 5 minutes.

And like this Tomato Choka and and Jamaican Jerk Sauce and Jamaican Curry Powder, it is great to have on hand to add to all your breakfast, lunch and dinner eats.

What Is Green Seasoning

Green Seasoning is a Caribbean staple paste or sauce made from all-natural ingredients and used mostly as a marinade for meats but can be drizzled over veggies or fish and as flavoring to soups and stews, etc.

Various households and various Caribbean islands have their own version. Trinidadian green seasoning is actually the original version of this. Basically, it is like a Caribbean pesto sauce (without the nuts and cheese).

Why Make This Recipe

• Great way to use up leftover herbs.
• Great freezer staple to easily add flavor to food.
• Prep ahead and store for meal prep.
• Easy to adapt to your taste pr with herbs you have to hand.
• Suitable for vegan and gluten free diets.

How To Use Green Seasoning

Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of green seasoning to your recipes as you cook. If you like more, then be my guest.

To be honest, this is one very flexible recipe. This is all about mixing and match herbs to your taste. Plus, it is all about throwing in whatever herbs you have to hand. It is a staple in Caribbean Cooking.

Green Seasoning Ingredients

This is a base recipe for making Jamaican Green Seasoning, so start with this and adapt with herbs to your likening.

And while it looks like a long list of ingredients, it really is made with simple everyday things that you have in your pantry or refrigerator.

This recipe calls for a lot of fresh ingredients:

• Herbs – this version calls for cilantro, chives and fresh parsley and fresh thyme leaves. Spanish thyme adds a great flavor profile.
• green onions – green onion adds a little heat.
• onion – use white onion but I have used red onion too.
• lemon juice – you can substitute in some white vinegar or lime juice too.
• scotch bonnet or another habanero pepper adds heat.
• ginger and garlic – Use fresh ginger and fresh garlic.
• salt – add salt to taste.

How To Make Green Seasoning From Scratch In A Food Processor

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Add all the ingredients minus the water to a food processor and then pulse into a paste (this method gives a bit of a coarse texture).
2. Next, adjust seasoning as needed.
3. Decant into a mason jar or large spice jar for storing.

Make It In A Blender

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and then blend into a smooth paste. 
2. Next, adjust seasonings as needed.
3. Then decant into a clean jar before storing.

Recipe Tips

Making green seasoning is really easy.

• Do rinse off the herbs and then pat dry before adding to the blender or food processor.
• If making in a blender, roughly chop the onion and herbs a little smaller to make blending them easier.
• Add more or less chili to suit your taste.
• Use a sharp knife and remove the woody stems from the fresh herbs before adding them to the blender or food processor.
• The bright green colour will go darker over time, don’t worry this is normal.
• Make sure to rinse your herbs and other ingredients thoroughly to get rid of any dirt.

Delicious Variations

This is a key ingredient in Caribbean recipes and everyone has their own variation of Caribbean Green Seasoning. It is as simple as mixing and matching fresh herbs to suit your taste.

• If you like more cilantro then add more in. Love thyme? Then add in a bit extra.
• Other ingredients you can add in include: Celery, Basil, Pimento, Shallots, Sweet peppers, Olive oil, Culantro and Rosemary.
• For heat add in some hot pepper like habanero pepper or scotch bonnet pepper or milder ones like pimento peppers.
• Add bell peppers for a different flavor profile. Adding red peppers or orange peppers gives a fun colour as well.

Storage

• Store – You can store Jamaican Green Seasoning in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Freeze – Portion the Trinidad green seasoning into ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop out the individual ice cubes form the ice trays of seasoning and then add them into labeled zip lock bags or other freezer bags. Store in your freezer for up to three months. Note: a silicon ice cube tray will make your life much easier.

Chef’s Tip ==> You can add the frozen cubes directly into soups, stews, rice dishes, curries or any recipe you are cooking. But if using them as a marinade, you will need to thaw the cubes first.

More Jamaican Recipes

• Jamaican Rasta Pasta. Great weeknight supper.
• Jamaican Rundown Recipe. Creamy dreamy seafood.
• Jamaican Oxtail Stew.
• Jamaican Rice and Peas.
• Jamaican Sorrel Drink.
• Dump and Start Instant Pot Jamaican Carrot Soup.
• Jamaican Goat Curry.
• Jamaican Steamed Cabbage.
• Instant Pot Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge.
• Jamaican Vegetable Soup.
• Caribbean Tomato Choka
• Instant Pot Rasta Pasta.

More Marinades and Seasonings

• Jamaican Curry Powder.
• Homemade Poultry Seasoning.
• Lemon Butter Sauce.
• Blackened Seasoning.
• Fajita Seasoning Mix.
• Tuscan Seasoning.
• Greek Seasoning. {<= a favorite}
• Steak Seasoning.
• Jamaican Jerk Sauce.
• Homemade Spice Blends.
• Easy Chicken Marinades.

Weight Watchers Points

This Green sauce contains 0 Blueplan SmartPoints!

Get the Green Seasoning Recipe: