Adobo Seasoning Calculator, Scaled to Your Batch

By , Ready Utilities

This adobo seasoning calculator scales Sense & Edibility's Authentic Adobo Seasoning, which mixes kosher salt, granulated garlic and onion, dried oregano, cumin, black pepper, and turmeric.

Common batch sizes

Tap a batch size to load it into the calculator, and the exact amounts appear below.

Adobo seasoning calculator

Scale by

Weight mode needs a USDA gram weight for every ingredient; kosher salt doesn't have one.

From 0.25 to 20. Use 0.5 for half a batch.

Salt

Grind changes how much salt fits in a spoon. Amounts match by weight.

Your batch

Kosher salt is close to 40% of this blend by volume, with granulated garlic and onion next. This is the dry, shelf-stable Latin American and Caribbean seasoning used as an everyday rub, not Filipino adobo, which is a braised dish with a completely different meaning.

Pulsing the mixed spices in a spice mill makes the finished blend a little smaller than the measured total before grinding.

The base recipe

Authentic Adobo Seasoning

Adapted from Authentic Adobo Seasoning, Sense & Edibility

Yield: 200 servings of 1/2 teaspoon, as published (the listed ingredients add up to about 1 1/4 cups before pulsing)

  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup granulated garlic
  • 3 tablespoons granulated onion
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 4 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a spice mill or food processor and pulse until a little finer than coarse.

Scale this recipe

On this page

Batch size chart

IngredientHalf batchBase batchDoubleTriple
kosher salt1/4 cup1/2 cup1 cup1 1/2 cups
granulated garlic2 tbsp1/4 cup1/2 cup3/4 cup
granulated onion1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp3 tbsp1/4 cup + 2 tbsp1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
dried oregano leaves1 tbsp (3.0 g)2 tbsp (6.0 g)1/4 cup (12 g)1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (18 g)
ground cumin2 1/4 tsp1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp3 tbsp1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp
black pepper2 tsp (4.6 g)1 tbsp + 1 tsp (9.2 g)2 tbsp + 2 tsp (18 g)1/4 cup (28 g)
ground turmeric1 tsp (3.0 g)2 tsp (6.0 g)1 tbsp + 1 tsp (12 g)2 tbsp (18 g)
Total volume1/2 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp1 1/4 cups + 1/2 tbsp2 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp3 3/4 cups + 1 1/2 tbsp

Authentic Adobo Seasoning from Sense & Edibility, scaled with the site's kitchen rounding. Weights from USDA FoodData Central where USDA lists the exact form. Salt is shown as the recipe lists it.

How the scaling works

Authentic Adobo Seasoning totals 1 1/4 cups + 1/2 tbsp as published, across 7 ingredients. Every one is multiplied by the same number, so kosher salt stays 39% of the blend whatever size you make. Pick a multiplier directly, or enter the amount you want and the calculator works back to it from that 1 1/4 cups + 1/2 tbsp total.

The salt control changes only the salt line, never the rest of the blend. Amounts under 3 teaspoons round to the nearest 1/8 teaspoon, and larger amounts round to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon in tablespoons.

Worked example: doubling the base recipe

IngredientBasex 2
kosher salt1/2 cup1 cup
granulated garlic1/4 cup1/2 cup
granulated onion3 tablespoons1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
dried oregano leaves2 tablespoons1/4 cup
ground cumin1 1/2 tablespoons3 tbsp
black pepper4 teaspoons2 tbsp + 2 tsp
ground turmeric2 teaspoons1 tbsp + 1 tsp

How this was checked

This recipe is Sense & Edibility's Authentic Adobo Seasoning by Marta Rivera. Cedrick Reese checked the amounts against Sense & Edibility's own recipe page for Ready Utilities. The recipe lists kosher salt without naming a brand, so the salt line is shown as a range between the two major brands. Granulated garlic, granulated onion, and ground cumin show no gram weight because USDA FoodData Central doesn't carry those exact forms. The published yield of 200 half-teaspoon servings doesn't match what the seven listed ingredients add up to, so the calculator scales from the ingredient amounts rather than the stated serving count.

Frequently asked questions

What is in adobo seasoning?

Sense & Edibility's recipe uses 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup granulated garlic, 3 tablespoons granulated onion, 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves, 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin, 4 teaspoons black pepper, and 2 teaspoons ground turmeric.

Is this the same as Filipino adobo?

No. This page is the dry seasoning blend common in Latin American and Caribbean cooking. Filipino adobo is a braised dish made with vinegar and soy sauce, and it doesn't use this seasoning.

What is turmeric doing in adobo seasoning?

In this recipe, turmeric is mainly for color. Sense & Edibility notes that Bijol powder or paprika can stand in for it if you don't have turmeric on hand.

How much adobo seasoning should I use?

Sense & Edibility calls a serving 1/2 teaspoon, used as desired to taste. Since it's mostly salt, start light and add more rather than measuring it like a low-sodium spice.