This recipe for Homemade Poultry Seasoning is a simple, yet flavorful blend of dried herbs that adds incredible depth to chicken, turkey, and more!

Poultry seasoning is a blend of spices that is used to season everything from roasted turkey, chicken stock, baked chicken, and even stuffing. It is earthy, warming, and really does add incredible flavor to poultry and more.

Why Make Poultry Seasoning?

When it is so easy to purchase poultry season from any grocery store, why would someone want to take the time to make their own?

It's more cost-effective. Just like my recipes for taco seasoning, chili seasoning, and cajun seasoning, you likely have everything you need to make Homemade Poultry Seasoning in your spice cabinet right now, which can in turn save you money.
Homemade blends are customizable. Don't like thyme? Omit it? Love the flavor of onion? Add dried onion powder. Only have black better on hand? Use that in place of white pepper. You get the idea!
You can make what you need! If you only need poultry seasoning on hand for one dish or for your Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing, you can easily cut the recipe in half, instead of letting a large jar of poultry season sit in your spice cabinet where it will lose flavor. Alternatively, if you regularly use poultry seasoning, you can make a large batch to have on hand.
It is so easy! It only takes minutes to whip up this homemade spice blend. Much faster than heading out to the store!

Spices in Poultry Seasoning

spices for poultry seasoning in small white dishes labeled with text.

The main spices in poultry seasoning are sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. It is rounded out with nutmeg, celery seed, and white pepper to deliver a unique spice blend that works well with any type of poultry.

Sage: Ground sage is a pungent, powerful dried herb. You can use rubbed sage, which is a bit less pungent, or dried sage (powdered sage) which is a bit more intense in flavor. Feel free to decrease it by half if you aren't a huge fan of the flavor, but don't omit it completely or your spice blend will be missing some warmth and overall flavor.
Thyme: My recipe gives amounts for using either ground thyme or dried thyme leaves. I always have dried thyme leaves on hand, but I don't personally use ground thyme often, so don't keep it on hand.
Rosemary: It can be hard to find ground rosemary. If you happen to have it on hand, I have shared amounts for using either ground rosemary or dried rosemary leaves.
Marjoram: Marjoram has a slightly citrus flavor that pairs well with chicken and turkey.
Pepper: Most store-bought brands of poultry seasoning use white pepper. It is a bit more subtle, has a milder flavor than black pepper, and is lighter in color. If you don't keep white pepper on hand, use slightly less black pepper in its place.
Nutmeg: Nutmeg adds a wonderful warming note to the spice blend. You won't taste it, but you will miss it if not included.
Celery Seed: This is not a commonly used spice in most homes and may not be one you typically keep on hand. If you don't have it on hand you can simply omit it. Celery Seed is also delicious in salad dressings, Homemade Onion Soup Mix, and rubs, so it won't go to waste in your pantry if you opt to purchase it.
Onion Powder (optional): If you love the savory flavor of onion powder, feel free to add up to ½ teaspoon of onion powder to this spice blend.

∗ important to remember ∗

For the most flavorful spice blend, be sure your dried spices are no more than 6 months old. While certainly safe to use, they begin to lose flavor.

How to Replicate the Texture of Store-Bought

If you are using dried thyme leaves and or dried rosemary leaves, versus ground rosemary and thyme, you may want to grind or blend your poultry seasoning to give it the same powdery, uniform texture as store-bought poultry seasoning.

You can opt to use a spice grinder, bullet blender, or mortar and pestle, to blend up the poultry seasoning. I don't recommend using a coffee grinder unless you have an extra one that you use just for grinding spices (personally do!) Even after washing well, your coffee may end up tasting like poultry seasoning or vice-versa.

Side by side photo of spice grinder before and after grinding spices.

How to Store Poultry Seasoning

Just like all my spice blends, I recommend storing this poultry seasoning in an airtight container in a cool, dark space, like a spice cabinet or pantry. It will last indefinitely but is best if used within 6 months, as the flavor will begin to fade.

Ways to Use Poultry Seasoning

Poultry seasoning is suited to dishes like Instant Pot Whole Chicken, Baked Split Chicken Breasts, Roasted Turkey, or any poultry dish. However, it can be used in many other delicious ways.

Add 1-2 teaspoons of homemade poultry seasoning to homemade chicken stock or Instant Pot stock, for additional flavor.
Add 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning to Instant Pot Stuffing or Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing for a flavor reminiscent of Stove Top Stuffing.
Add a tablespoon or two to rice, like Instant Pot Brown Rice or Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, while cooking for a savory flavor.
Use it to make Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup for an authentic taste.
Add up to 1 teaspoon to Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings, Crockpot Chicken and Rice, and Creamy Chicken Pasta Casserole for an extra depth of flavor.

Additional Homemade Spice Blends

If you tried out this recipe for Poultry Seasoning, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.