Homemade Taco Seasoning
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Make THE BEST homemade taco seasoning recipe to use in chicken or ground beef tacos, in taco soup or taco spaghetti! It’s easy to triple the recipe and store it in the pantry until you’re ready to use it. This recipe is mild, gluten free, preservative free and Whole 30 compliant!
Table of contents
I’ve been making this homemade taco seasoning recipe for years. It adds so much flavor to Taco Soup, Buffalo Taco Spaghetti, Taco Croissants, simple ground beef tacos and so many other recipes!
I always make a big batch to keep on hand, along with my homemade Italian Seasoning, French Onion Dip Mix and Fajita Seasoning. I store the seasoning mixes in half pint mason jars in the pantry, so they’re always ready to use when I need them for a recipe.
It’s so easy to make your own taco seasoning at home. It only takes 5 minutes to mix up the spices and you’ll love the flavor it adds to tacos, soups, dips and more!
The seasoning mix will stay good for up to 6 months, so you can store it in the pantry, and continue to use it week after week to make flavorful meals!
This homemade taco seasoning is so much better than anything store-bought. It contains no sugar, preservatives, or other ingredients you can’t pronounce, and it’s easy to make at home in minutes!
Ingredients
For the ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chili powder – be sure to use chili powder, NOT chile powder! Chili powder is a blend of ground dried chili peppers with other spices. Chile powder is straight blended dried chiles and is much spicier than chili powder.
- Paprika – while I use traditional paprika to make this homemade taco seasoning, if you’d like to add a little smokiness to the flavor, feel free to use smoked paprika instead.
- Garlic powder (or granulated garlic) – the only difference between granulated garlic and garlic powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated garlic. I prefer to use granulated garlic because it’s less likely to clump over time, than garlic powder.
- Onion powder (or granulated onion) – the only difference between granulated onion and onion powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated onion. I prefer to use granulated onion because it’s less likely to clump over time, than onion powder.
- Sea salt (or kosher salt) – both sea salt and kosher salt can be used interchangeably when cooking. I prefer either kosher or sea salt, over table salt, in this seasoning mix because of their coarse texture and superior flavor.
- Ground cumin – cumin pairs perfectly with the chipotle powder and cayenne pepper in this seasoning mix. It boosts the natural spicy flavor of these dried chili powders. And it adds a rich, earthy, and nutty element to the spice blend.
- Cayenne pepper – this adds most of the spice to the seasoning mix. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your spice preference.
- Dried oregano – if you have Mexican oregano on hand, use it in this recipe. Mexican oregano is a bit stronger in flavor, but the shared peppery flavor between traditional oregano and Mexican oregano, means that you can use either one and end up with similar flavors. I’ve made this recipe at least 100 times, with most of those times using traditional oregano, because that was all I had on hand. Just to confirm both will work great in this recipe!
For this recipe, and all of my homemade seasoning mixes, I like to buy the spices in large bulk containers, either online or at Costco. It saves money and I know I’ll always have them on hand to mix up my favorite seasoning blends or to refill smaller spice jars.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, in 5 minutes or less, you have a flavorful taco seasoning, ready to spice up all your favorite taco recipes!
How to make ground beef tacos
- Add 1 pound of ground beef to a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
- Cook until the beef is browned, then drain any grease.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix over the browned beef, along with 1/2 cup of water, chicken broth or beef broth.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the taco meat to crispy taco shells or tortillas.
- Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes or your favorite taco toppings.
You can use ground chicken or ground turkey can instead of ground beef, for a taco meat that’s lower in fat and calories.
Other ways to use the seasoning
Mix up a batch of the homemade taco seasoning, then use it in these delicious dishes throughout the week. It’s tasty in more than just tacos, use it to make scrumptious soups, dips, pasta dishes and more!
Recipe tips
- For every 1 pound of meat, you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. A typical store-bought packet of taco seasoning contains 1 ounce of taco seasoning. This is equivalent to 2 tablespoons of homemade seasoning.
- This taco seasoning is mild. If you want a seasoning that’s on the spicier side, simply add more cayenne pepper to taste. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, you can double or triple this for a spicy taco seasoning.
- This recipe makes 7 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The taco seasoning will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. Label the taco seasoning with a date and use the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- This seasoning recipe is naturally gluten-free, sugar-free and whole30 approved.
The difference between taco seasoning and chili seasoning
Chili seasoning and taco seasoning use similar ingredients, but in different quantities. Homemade chili seasoning is going to have 4 times more chili powder, with a little more spice than taco seasoning from the addition of crushed red pepper flakes.
You can substitute taco seasoning for chili seasoning in a pinch. Or do what I do, and while you have all the spices out, make both seasoning mixes at once. Store them in the pantry together, so you’ll be ready for taco or chili night anytime!
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the spices together in a small bowl or mason jar.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Notes
- For every 1 pound of meat, you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. A typical packet of taco seasoning found at the grocery store contains 1 ounce of taco seasoning. This is equivalent to 2 tablespoons of homemade seasoning.
- This taco seasoning is mild, but if you want a seasoning that’s on the spicier side, simply add more cayenne pepper to taste. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, you can double or triple this for a spicy taco seasoning.
- This recipe makes 7 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The taco seasoning will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. Label the taco seasoning with a date and use the seasoning mix within 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
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8 Comments on “Homemade Taco Seasoning”
Made this today and used it tonite in hamburger! It was excellent! I tripled the recipe and will be using it often! LOVED!!!
Perfect taco taste. You get the taco spice but it’s not too spicy for my family members that have a more “delicate “ palate.
Wonderful to hear Paula, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this. It’s so refreshing to know I can make my own in bulk, and even more affordable!
This is the best to have on hand! I love just making this in bulk.
What a great recipe! I made a big batch to keep on hand.
OMG! This is so much better than the store bought stuff – thanks for the recipe!
I have been using this seasoning for a while now, I find many uses for it, it’s an all around good combination of spices to have in the pantry.