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This Caribbean green seasoning will take your island dishes to the next flavor with flavor! this is the cornerstone to West Indian dishes aromatics! As a busy West Indian (Bajan) mom of 4 who cooks Caribbean foods from scratch,having that authentic Caribbean flavor and aroma is important to me. I always make sure to have fresh green seasoning on hand. Green seasoning is needed in just about every Caribbean meal, from Jamaican Ox Tail marinade to Trini Chana. In Barbados, green seasoning is also used to marinade fish before frying. This seasoning paste is the heart of any Caribbean meal prep, luckily it’s super easy to make and store away for when you’re ready to make a delicious Caribbean dish!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe?

Easy Storage –This recipe is extremely easy to prep and store to make cooking and prepping meats faster. Green seasoning can stay good in the fridge for 6 week or and frozen for 6 months. Adding Vinegar helps stabilize the paste and lasts longer.

Easy To Make – Only one tool is needed, no cooking required

Authentic Caribbean Flavor–

Why This is a Staple in Our Home

I’ve been cooking from scratch for years and preparing daily meals for my family. Every recipe on this blog is tested multiple times in my own kitchen using real ingredients and practical methods that work for busy homes.

What is Caribbean Green Seasoning?

Green seasoning is a fresh herb marinade traditionally used across Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, and other Caribbean islands. While each family has their own version, the heart of the recipe always includes fresh herbs, garlic, onion, peppers, citrus, and vinegar blended into a thick green paste.

Instead of using dried spices, Caribbean cooking often begins with this fresh seasoning base. It’s the reason Caribbean dishes taste deeply seasoned all the way through, not just on the surface.

Think of it as the Caribbean version of:

• pesto
• chimichurri
• sofrito

But designed specifically for marinating and cooking.

Ingredient Notes

Shado Beni or Cilantro, Culantro – This herb is vital ingredient in Caribbean green seasoning the peppery, citrus flavors of this herb is a staple aromatic in Caribbean cooking.

Pimento Berries – Also known as all spice is another staple in Caribbean cooking. This aromatic has warming flavors of cinnomon ,black pepper and clove

 Fresh Thyme – I’d say thyme is a pillar in Caribbean cusine, this herb is earthy and slightly minty with floral tones. It’s a important to use fresh thyme when making ANY West Indian Meal especially when it calls for thyme.

Scotch Bonnet Pepper – My favorite pepper! This pepper is mildy hot to very hot depending on how you use it. Simmering Scotch Peppers can make soup and stews very spicy where as using a small piece of this pepper raw with no seeds yield milder results.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below

Caribbean Green Seasoning vs Sofrito: What’s the Difference?

Caribbean green seasoning and South American sofrito are both fresh herb blends used as the flavor foundation of traditional cooking, but they come from different culinary traditions and are used a little differently in the kitchen. It’s popular in Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica and other islands) is a herb-forward marinade made primarily with cilantro, green onions, thyme, garlic, peppers, and oil or vinegar. It’s usually used to season raw meat, fish, beans, or rice before cooking, almost like a wet seasoning paste that replaces dried spices.

Sofrito, common in Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, and many Latin American cuisines, is more of a cooking base rather than a marinade. It typically includes cilantro, garlic, onion, peppers, and culantro (recao), but it often contains tomatoes or tomato sauce and is sautéed in oil at the beginning of cooking to build flavor in dishes like rice, beans, and stews.

In simple terms:
• Green seasoning = marinade and all-purpose wet seasoning
• Sofrito = aromatic cooking base that gets sautéed first

Both are deeply traditional, incredibly flavorful, and show how different cultures use fresh herbs to build bold, homemade meals.

Tools You May Need

Food Processor – I love my, but there are many countertop grain mills to choose from. You could also buy freshly milled flour from a local mill. 

Mortal & Pestle – Traditionally using a mortal & pestle was always used to ground ingredients into a paste all around the world. This is a great option if you don’t have any of the kitchen gadgets of today.

How to Make Caribbean Green Seasoning

Step One

Start by washing your ingredients and patting them dry. Roughly chop onions and green onions. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Step two

Pulse till ingredients consistency is like a minimally chunky paste, not a liquid. Pour into a Mason jar or plastic air-sealed container. Place in the fridge or freezer.

Budget Tip: Grow Your Own Green Seasoning Herbs

If you make Caribbean green seasoning often, growing a few herbs at home can cut the cost dramatically. Cilantro, parsley, thyme, and green onions are some of the easiest herbs to grow in small containers on a sunny windowsill or porch. A single $3–$5 plant can produce multiple batches of seasoning for months, turning a $7–$8 recipe into one that costs only a few dollars to make. Fresh homegrown herbs also give the seasoning a brighter flavor and make it easy to whip up a new batch anytime you need it.

How to Always Have Caribbean Green Seasoning Ready to Use

I always make large batches at a time. I keep at least four 8oz containers in the freezer. For easy seasoning, I keep 1 extra container of green seasoning in my fridge. So I can easily scoop out a portion without having to wait for it to thaw. Frozen green seasoning will last 6 months or more

Fresh Herbs vs Dried Herbs

Dried time is a scam – Feed and Teach on Youtube

Dried herbs’ flavor profile changes dramatically when dried out; dried herbs flavor becomes less potent. This is especially true for the two main herbs in Caribbean recipes, thyme and cilantro. Dried versions of these herbs will not carry the delicious aromatic flavors we know and love in Caribbean recipes. The fresh aromatics of thyme and cilantro are needed in Caribbean cuisine.

Good Substitutions to Remember

I normally use shado beni in my green seasoning, but normally in American markets near my house shado beni is less commonly found. When I can get my hands on it, I buy a lot of it and make a large batch of Green Seasoning. I usually end up substituting cilantro, the leafy version of this herb; it’s a perfect substitute, the flavor is nearly exactly like shado beni. Unfortunately, certain ingredients I haven’t found to be helpful when substituting, so I left those out. Below are good swaps I use if my main choices aren’t available.

I ordered the list from 1st, 2nd & 3rd choice. The first ingredient listed is my top choice

• Shado Beni → Cilantro → Parsley
• Yellow Onion → Red Onion → White Onion → Shallot
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper → Habanero Pepper → Jalapeño
• Black Peppercorn → White Peppercorn → Red Peppercorn → Ground Black Pepper
• White Vinegar → Apple Cider Vinegar

What Caribbean Recipes Use This?

This seasoning is a flavor bomb in just about every Caribbean recipe:

• Channa
• Curry Chicken
• Soups
• Meat Marinade

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars!⭐ Tag me on Instagram @ourlovedhomeliving.