Smoked Paprika Spice Blend

This smoked paprika spice blend is an essential ingredient in my pantry, and my go-to for so many recipes.

It’s a quick and easy cheat for adding flavour to almost anything you can think of, but it also serves as the spice blend for some of my favourite recipes: like my Quick Weeknight Chilli, or my Vegan Chickpea Stew.

But the great thing about this multitasker is that it doesn’t just flavour stews, this smoked paprika spice mix is great on fried (or oven fried) foods like roast potatoes and oven chips, eggs, and even salad dressings. 

This blend is customisable to fit your own personal tastes. And it is also scalable, meaning you can make as much of it as you want and keep it in a jar in the cupboard.

If you’ve come to this page from one of my recipes, make sure you make an extra batch and keep it on hand for future foods – anything from hearty winter stews to dainty summer salads!

As this is super customisable, here are some of the main considerations to bear in mind when you come to make up a batch:

Smoked Paprika Spice Mix

I like La Chinata brand of Spanish smoked paprika. It’s widely available and has a strong flavour that brightens even heavy dishes like stews. There are lots of specialty brands for this ingredient though, and it’s worth shopping around and trying a few to find out what you like the best. 

Spanish smoked paprika comes in three types: sweet, hot, and bittersweet (agridulce). I use a 2:1 mix of sweet to hot in this blend, but you can adjust it to taste. I find that this is a great starting point, and allows me to scale up the heat if i’m making something where I want a greater punch. Start with a tablespoon of this blend, and then just add more chilli flakes to taste!

Oh, and a final note on paprika here. I’m basing this recipe on Spanish smoked paprika. Hungarian paprika has a slightly different flavour profile, but can also be found smoked. Meanwhile, there’s also regular old paprika. This isn’t smoked, and so won’t lend that flavour to your food, but is great in things like Indian dishes where it lends a mild heat and a wonderful red colour – but no smokiness.

So just be sure you know what you’re using!

Herbs

I include oregano in this mix because I think the dusty flavour complements the smokiness of the smoked paprika. I also tend to use this mix in dishes where you might often see oregano used – think Mexican-inspired dishes, Southern US-style or Cajun-style foods or Spanish-inspired foods.

Sub in rosemary, thyme, dried parsley or sage if you prefer, or if your intended use would benefit from this slightly different flavour profile.

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Yield: Makes 4 servings

Smoked Paprika Spice Blend

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sweet Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp hot Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 ½ tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp onion granules
• ½ tsp oregano

Instructions

1. Add all spices to an airtight container such as a mason jar, spice jar or tupperware and seal.
2. If stored well in a cupboard it will essentially last indefinitely, but spices start to lose their freshness after around six months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 17Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g