About Smoked Paprika Uses, Pairings and Recipes

By: McCormick Kitchens

May 28, 2025

Instructions

Think of paprika as the gentler, sweeter cousin of hot chili peppers. It enlivens your favorite dishes with fruity notes and a toasty red color without ever taking over the show.

Paprika is found in kitchens all around the world. You really can use it in so many of your favorite dishes for that gentle touch of sweetness, no matter what type of cuisine you like.

FLAVORS THAT GO WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA:

Add some more flavor to your meals with these herbs and spices. They go great with smoked paprika.

Rosemary: Aromatic rosemary adds distinctive Mediterranean flavor to grilled lamb, roast chicken, tomato sauce, roasted vegetables and potatoes.
Black Pepper: Our pure black pepper is the most widely used seasoning on Earth. It delivers a mild kick of heat that highlights rather than overwhelms other flavors. Native to the Malabar Coast of India, McCormick Black Pepper comes from the mature berries of the evergreen vine Piper nigrum. From plantation to package, we monitor the process every step of the way to ensure that every bottle delivers consistent sharp aroma and earthy flavor. In ancient times, peppercorns were rare and valuable. They were used as currency to pay dowries and even rent. Although no longer used as money, pure black pepper is still one of the world’s most valued and beloved spices in all types of food.
Cumin: Our pure cumin is an easy way to add deep, earthy citrusy flavors to spark your favorite meals. Cumin is one of the top 10 selling spices in the U.S. The spice dates back to Egypt 4,000 years ago, and McCormick Cumin is hand-harvested, sun-dried and carefully screened so you know you're getting nothing but the purest flavor. Add this spice for a warm flavor and earthy color to everyday soups, stews, meats and vegetables.
Oregano: In Greek, oregano means “joy of the mountain." Even though it's super popular today, it actually wasn't wasn’t widely used in the U.S. until GIs returned from Italy during World War II. Our pure oregano is a delicious addition to any tomato dish, eggs and omelets, chicken, fish and pork, cooked vegetables, vinaigrettes and more. Consider it your go-to herb for that real Mediterranean flavor.
Cinnamon: Our pure cinnamon lends a warm, sweet aroma to everything from morning toast to cookies, and it also has a savory side, with earthy, mahogany-colored flavors. McCormick Cinnamon begins as bark peeled from the base of cinnamon trees grown in Indonesia. We are the only company to have facilities there. This means we are able to clean, dry and sort right there and not wait to be imported to US. The trees must be at least 15 years old, which is when the flavor is fully developed. The trees themselves are naturally sustainable: If cut down, they will regrow. The bark is then cleaned, dried and shipped to our McCormick plant near Baltimore, Maryland. There, it’s cleaned again, gently dried, ground and bottled with nothing but pure cinnamon.