pantry seasoning essentials

Real Life

The Seasonings I Actually Use (And Where to Get Them)

ByDinner is Easy May 13, 2026May 13, 2026

Here’s the thing about spices: most people have too many of them. There’s a jar of za’atar from 2019, some ground allspice purchased for one recipe, and approximately fourteen half-empty bottles of chili powder at various stages of staleness. None of it is doing anything useful.

Every seasoning on this list lives in my kitchen and gets used regularly — not occasionally, not for one specific recipe. These are the ones that show up across everything on this site: weeknight chicken, slow cooker soups, quesadillas, burgers, pork, fish. If I’m building a recipe, I’m pulling from this list first.

I’ve linked to what I personally buy on Amazon. Your grocery store version is not a crime — but if you’re restocking anyway, these are the ones I reach for and why.

ⓘ This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Start Here

The Non-Negotiables

These six go in everything. If your pantry has all of them you can make about 80% of the recipes on this site without a grocery run.

Essential

🧂

Kosher Salt

Goes in everything

Coarser grain than table salt — easier to control, less likely to over-season. Table salt is denser and will ruin anything written for kosher salt. This one actually matters.

I use: Diamond Crystal — larger flakes, easier to pinch and feel

Essential

🫙

Black Pepper

Every savory recipe

Pre-ground is fine. Whole peppercorns freshly ground are noticeably better — more aromatic, more complex. If you have a grinder, use it. Replace pre-ground every 6 months.

I use: McCormick whole peppercorns with a simple grinder

Essential

🧄

Garlic Powder

Rubs, seasonings, everything

Not a substitute for fresh garlic — a different ingredient entirely. Distributes evenly in a dry rub and won’t burn the way minced garlic does at high heat. You need both.

I use: McCormick Garlic Powder — buy the large jar

Essential

🧅

Onion Powder

Rubs, soups, every protein

The seasoning that quietly makes everything taste more like itself. Adds savory depth that garlic powder alone doesn’t provide. Most people underuse it significantly.

I use: McCormick Onion Powder — buy the large jar

Essential

🌶️

Smoked Paprika

Chicken, pork, salmon, soups

The smoked version — not sweet, not hot. Adds warm, smoky depth that registers as “this tastes complex” without being identifiable as any one flavor. In more recipes here than almost anything else.

I use: McCormick Smoked Paprika

Essential

🌶️

Chili Powder

Tacos, soups, rubs, carnitas

A blend — ancho chili, cumin, oregano, garlic. Adds warmth and complexity without building those flavors individually. The workhorse of every taco night and slow cooker soup.

I use: McCormick Chili Powder

Build Your Pantry

The Rest of the List

These don’t go in every recipe but they’re the difference between a pantry that can handle dinner and one that can’t.

🟤

Ground Cumin

Mexican, Middle Eastern

Backbone of carnitas, chicken tortilla soup, and tacos. Goes stale faster than most spices — if yours smells like sawdust, replace it. Fresh cumin smells earthy and slightly citrusy.

I use: McCormick Ground Cumin — replace every 8–12 months

🌿

Italian Seasoning

Chicken, pasta, soups

Oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram in one scoop. Handles all the Italian herb work without measuring five things separately. Used in the air fryer chicken rub and half the soups here.

I use: McCormick Italian Seasoning

🔴

Crushed Red Pepper

Heat, pasta, soups, eggs

The lowest-commitment way to add heat. Blooms in hot oil and amplifies significantly — know that before adding a full teaspoon. Can also be added at the table which cayenne can’t.

I use: McCormick Crushed Red Pepper

🫙

Dried Oregano

Mediterranean, Mexican

More assertive than Italian seasoning on its own — slightly bitter, herbal. Exactly right in carnitas, Greek-style dishes, and anywhere you need an herbal counterweight to richness.

I use: McCormick Dried Oregano Leaves — not ground

🌶️

Cayenne Pepper

Background heat, rubs

Adds background heat you feel after the bite — not upfront spice. A quarter teaspoon in a dish for four is often enough. Makes food taste more alive without tasting spicy to most palates.

I use: McCormick Cayenne — start with less than you think

🥯

Everything Bagel

Eggs, salmon, avocado

Sesame, poppy, dried garlic, dried onion, salt. Adds crunch and savoriness to anything it touches. On smoked salmon, avocado, cream cheese, scrambled eggs. It earns its jar space.

I use: Trader Joe’s when possible, Amazon when not

🧂

Seasoned Salt

Burgers, fries, eggs

The secret weapon in American comfort cooking nobody talks about. Salt plus paprika, turmeric, onion, garlic. The shortcut to that “tastes like a diner” quality on burgers and home fries.

I use: Lawry’s — been around since 1938 for a reason

✨

Flaky Sea Salt

Finishing — steak, salads

Finishing salt only — not for cooking. A pinch on a finished steak or salad delivers a burst of salt in each bite rather than uniform saltiness throughout. The thing that makes people ask what you did differently.

I use: Maldon — a small box lasts a long time

🟡

Ground Ginger

Asian dishes, marinades

Better than fresh ginger for marinades and rubs — disperses more evenly, no fibrous texture. In a soy-sesame marinade or stir fry sauce it’s indispensable. One most people don’t have but should.

I use: McCormick Ground Ginger

⚪

Sesame Seeds

Garnish, Asian dishes

Adds crunch, nuttiness, and visual texture that makes food look finished. Toast in a dry pan for 30 seconds and the flavor doubles. Keep in the fridge after opening — they go rancid.

I use: McCormick Sesame Seeds

🌮

Taco Seasoning

Ground beef tacos, rice

Yes, it’s a pre-made blend and yes it’s fine. Perfectly calibrated for a pound of ground beef. The recipes here use the standard 1 oz packet specifically. Keep a few in the drawer.

I use: Old El Paso or McCormick Original

🦞

Cajun Seasoning

Salmon, chicken, shrimp

The Cajun Air Fryer Salmon on this site lives or dies on good Cajun seasoning. Bold, slightly spicy Southern flavor — equally good on chicken thighs. Keep this one stocked.

I use: Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere’s

A few things worth knowing about spices

01

Spices don’t go bad — they go dull. A stale spice won’t hurt you, it just won’t do much. The test: smell it. If it doesn’t smell like anything, it’s done.

02

Ground spices last 1–3 years. Whole spices last 3–5 years. Write the purchase date on the bottom with a marker when you buy them.

03

Store away from the stove. Heat and steam degrade spices faster than almost anything else. A drawer or cabinet across the kitchen beats a rack next to the burners.

04

Bloom your spices. Adding them to hot oil or butter for 30 seconds before adding liquid amplifies their flavor dramatically. It’s the difference in every slow cooker recipe.

While You’re At It

You’ll Need Somewhere to Put All This

Four options across different setups and budgets.

Best All-In-One

SpaceAid Spice Rack with 28 Jars

Comes with 28 uniform glass jars, 386 labels, a chalk marker, and a funnel. Counter, cabinet, or wall-mounted. The one kit that does everything.

~$40–55

View on Amazon →

Best Countertop

Kamenstein 20-Jar Revolving Rack

Polished stainless, spins for easy access, comes with 20 spices included plus five years of free refills. Good-looking on a counter.

~$45–65

View on Amazon →

Best for Drawers

SpaceAid Bamboo Drawer Organizer

4-tier bamboo insert so you see all spices face-up at a glance. Expands 12–23 inches to fit most drawers. Cleanest option if you want spices out of sight.

~$30–40

View on Amazon →

Best Budget

Copco 3-Tier Cabinet Shelf

Simple non-slip three-tier shelf for inside a cabinet. No assembly, no tools. Holds about 18 jars. The right answer if you just want your cabinet to stop being a disaster.

~$15–20

View on Amazon →