Most shop-bought gyros blends taste flat because they have been sitting on the shelf pre-ground for months. We buy coriander seeds, peppercorns and cumin whole, store them unground, and only grind them in the mixing bowl just before filling the jar. That is precisely the step that takes a blend from ordinary spice rack standard to a genuine taste of the holidays.
We have been making this spice blend for years in one single run in the Thermomix®. Before that, we worked with a pestle and mortar and three drawers full of ready-made jars, and the result was different every time. We now know exactly what matters: a ratio built around oregano and salt, and speed 10 for a full minute. That is all it takes to make gyros salad, gyros soup and oven gyros with exactly the aroma we know from the taverna.
Gyros Spice Blend with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 13 ✓
- 40 g coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tsp cumin whole
- 2 tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 3 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 4 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp dried thyme
- 3 tsp dried basil
- 3 tsp sweet paprika
Instructions 0 / 2
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1
Grind the spices.
Add all ingredients to the mixing bowl and grind for 1 min / speed 10.
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2
Fill the jar.
Fill the spice blend into the screw-top jar and seal tightly.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why whole spices and 60 seconds at speed 10
The Thermomix® is the reason we work with whole spices at all. Three points explain why this blend tastes so noticeably better than anything from the supermarket.
- Whole coriander seeds, peppercorns and cumin hold their aroma for six to twelve months. Once ground, most of the essential oils evaporate within four to six weeks. Anyone buying ready-made blends is almost always buying powder that has already lost its punch.
- Speed 10 breaks down the spices evenly to a fine powder. The closed system of the mixing bowl reaches speeds that no pestle and mortar or domestic grinder can match. The result is finer than any shop-bought blend. That fineness is what makes the spice cling to meat fibres and salad ingredients instead of sitting in a heap at the edge of the plate.
- Coarse salt acts as a grinding aid. The 40 g of coarse salt crystals create friction, prevent smaller quantities of individual spices from catching on the blade, and ensure even distribution throughout the finished powder.
The ratio in the recipe has developed over the years: 4 tsp of oregano dominates, 3 tsp of cumin and 3 tsp of coriander seeds provide the character, 3 tsp of sweet paprika add colour, and a tiny hint of cinnamon (1/4 tsp) makes the decisive difference from anything that simply tastes of a generic Mediterranean blend. Do not leave out the cinnamon. We tried it without, and the depth and roundness disappear completely.
How we grind the blend in the Thermomix®
All ingredients go into the mixing bowl in any order. Putting the salt and sugar in first helps smaller quantities start moving, but it is not essential. Then one minute at speed 10. Anyone with a TM31 should stop after 30 seconds and check, because the motor works harder on tough coriander seeds than it does on a TM6. With the TM5 and TM6 it runs straight through in one go.
After the minute, open the mixing bowl carefully so the fine powder does not billow up. We always let it settle for half a minute. Then the blend goes straight into a clean screw-top jar. The quantities fill just under a 250 ml jar. Exactly the right size for three to four gyros pan dishes or around ten servings of gyros salad.
Where gyros seasoning goes flat or bitter
Using pre-ground spices instead of whole seeds
This is mistake number one, and it turns a top blend into a mediocre one. Anyone buying pre-ground cumin and pre-ground coriander skips the key aroma step. Our solution: keep only whole seeds on the spice shelf and grind a fresh batch every six months. We already have whole peppercorns for the pepper mill. Coriander seeds and cumin seeds in whole form usually cost less than their ground equivalents anyway.
Grinding for too short a time, leaving a coarse powder
Anyone who grinds for only 30 seconds will see pale brown specks in the jar. Those are half-ground coriander seeds that taste like hard splinters when you eat. Our solution: a full 60 seconds at speed 10. If needed, open the mixing bowl, use the spatula to push the ground spices down from the sides, and grind for a further 20 seconds. Better too long than too short. Over-ground blend does not turn bitter.
Using fine salt, which removes the grinding aid
If fine table salt goes into the mixing bowl instead of coarse salt, the friction that grinds the spices against each other is lost. The powder comes out uneven and the pepper stays crumbly. Our solution: use coarse sea salt. We use medium-grain Mediterranean sea salt from the health food shop, but any coarse-grained variety works. The salt is ground along with everything else and is no longer distinguishable in the finished powder.
Filling into a jar that is too large or not completely dry
Dry spices absorb moisture. A half-full 500 ml jar with a lot of air space speeds up aroma loss considerably. Our solution: choose a jar that fits the quantity, ideally 200 to 250 ml with a tight-sealing screw lid. Rinse it briefly with hot water before filling and dry it completely, ideally at 100°C in the oven for 10 minutes. The jar will then be dry and virtually sterile, and the blend will keep its aroma for six months inside it.
Variations we make regularly
- Spicier version with chilli. Add 1 tsp of coarse chilli flakes to the mixing bowl and keep everything else the same. This works particularly well with souvlaki marinades and spicy grilled gyros. If you like, replace some of the paprika with smoked pimentón.
- Milder version for children. Halve the peppercorns to 1 tsp, reduce the coriander seeds to 2 tsp, and increase the oregano to 5 tsp. The blend becomes more herby without any heat on the nose. Works well in our family for pita wraps with chicken.
- With fresh lemon zest. Grate the zest of one unwaxed lemon, leave it to dry in the open for a day, then add it to the mixing bowl. This gives a fresh citrus note that works well with gyros salad and yoghurt dressing. Note that with the zest, the blend keeps for only two to three months because the zest introduces a little residual moisture.
- Double batch for the store cupboard. Double all the quantities and grind for 90 seconds at speed 10. More than that does not fit reliably in the mixing bowl without the grind becoming uneven. Divide between two smaller jars and give one away. It makes a better gift than any shop-bought packet.
What we combine the blend with
The spice blend is the base for three classics. For gyros salad, we rub 2 tbsp of the blend with a little oil into the chicken, then fry it and layer it with the salad. For gyros soup, 2 tbsp go straight in with the braised vegetables. For oven gyros, we mix 3 tbsp with olive oil, lemon juice and yoghurt to make a marinade. These quantities also work as a useful rule of thumb for your own recipes: 1 tbsp of blend per 250 g of meat or vegetables.
6 months in a sealed jar, cool and dark
In a sealed screw-top jar, kept dark and dry at room temperature, the blend keeps for six months without any loss of aroma. The spice cupboard above the hob is too warm. We no longer store anything there. We keep the jar in the pantry at eye level. After six months, it is better to grind a fresh batch. The salt and dried herbs will still be fine, but the freshly ground pepper and cumin lose noticeable strength.
Freezing does not make sense for dry blends because condensation forms when they defrost, causing the blend to clump. Better to use smaller jars and grind more frequently.
How other recipes approach this
Goes well with: Tzatziki and pitta bread.
Many recipes leave out granulated onion and garlic because both taste better fresh. We keep both in the blend because the spice mix is often applied dry to meat without anyone grating a fresh onion beforehand. Others toast the cumin briefly in a dry pan before grinding, which boosts the aroma considerably. We grind all seeds fresh in the Thermomix® at speed 10 and prefer to use high-quality sweet paprika alongside hot rose paprika rather than adding chilli at the end. A useful rule of thumb when seasoning: 1 tbsp of blend per 500 g of meat.
More Greek classics made with the Thermomix®:
- Gyros Salad with the Thermomix®
- Gyros Soup with the Thermomix®
- Oven Gyros with the Thermomix®
