Homemade Taco Seasoning comes together quickly to create a cheaper, tastier, healthier version of store-bought taco seasoning.
Keep this Homemade Taco Seasoning on hand at all times to use in recipes, such as Taco Meat, Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, and Taco Pizza, that call for a packet of taco seasoning.
The #1 pice blend used at my house would have to be Taco Seasoning. From shredded chicken tacos to bean burritos to Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, taco seasoning adds just the right amount of flavor to endless recipes.
Instead of relying on store-bought seasoning packets, I opt to make my own taco seasoning, just as I prefer preparing homemade chili seasoning, dried onion soup mix, and ranch seasoning.
why homemade taco seasoning is best
- Homemade is more economical. I know I just said that the store-bought packets are cheap, but when you use taco seasoning several times per month, it still comes out to be less expensive to make your own.
- Allergy-Friendly. This recipe for taco seasoning is free of the top 8 allergens--no need to carefully read labels to look for traces of gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, or nuts.
- Quality Control. Most store-bought taco seasoning mixes are full of preservatives, MSG, and added sugars. Not to mention they are high in sodium. By making Taco Seasoning at home, you can skip all those additives AND you can customize your taco seasoning blend to suit your taste buds and dietary restrictions.
- Easy. It is INCREDIBLY easy to make taco seasoning. Much easier than having to run out to the store to grab a packet when the craving for tacos strikes.
- Flavorful. The dried spices I use in this recipe for taco seasoning are the perfect ratio to replicate the store-bought seasoning--without being overly salty!
Spices in Taco Seasoning
- Chili Powder: Use basic chili powder, not ancho chili powder or chipotle chili powder for the best balance of flavor.
- Cumin: Use ground cumin, not cumin seed.
- Paprika: Use regular paprika. While smoked paprika adds a nice smokey finish, it may overwhelm the seasoning blend.
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Oregano: Italian or Mexican dried oregano both work in this taco seasoning recipe.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add a bit of balanced heat to the taco seasoning without being overly spicy.
- Black Pepper
- Salt: Use kosher salt for best results, as you it imparts more flavor using less sodium than table salt.
∗ important to remember ∗
For optimum flavor, be sure you use dried herbs that are no more than 6 months old. As spices sit in the pantry, they begin to lose their flavor.
How to Make Taco Seasoning
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix together until everything is well distributed.
- Transfer the mixture to an airtight container for storage.
Storage Instructions
Be sure to store taco seasoning in an airtight jar or container, like a ball jar, or small spice jar, to keep out moisture and so that it will not absorb flavors from other spices in your spice cabinet.
Homemade Taco Seasoning will last for up to 6 months when stored in an airtight container in the pantry. While certainly safe to consume after 6 months, the flavor will begin to lose potency.
Recipe Modifications
As stated earlier, by making your own Taco Seasoning, you can control the flavoring and adjust the seasonings to fit your taste buds.
- Don't like garlic? Omit the garlic powder.
- Can't handle the heat? Omit the red pepper flakes.
- Like it spicier? Increase red pepper flakes from ¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon.
- Need Sodium-Free or Low Sodium Taco Seasoning? Omit the salt completely or cut it in half. I promise this spice blend will still add great flavor to your recipes.
How to Use Taco Seasoning
This recipe for taco seasoning can be used in any recipe that calls for taco seasoning. And while it is the perfect seasoning for traditional ground beef tacos and Instant Pot chicken tacos, think outside the box and use taco seasoning to give your recipes a Mexican spin.
- In place of salt, use 1-2 teaspoons of taco seasoning to season homemade fries.
- Add taco seasoning to Crockpot Chicken Chili, Instant Pot Taco Chili, or Instant Pot Tortilla Soup to add a Tex-Mex flair to easy recipes.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning with 1 cup of sour cream for a quick dressing for Taco Salad or Southwestern Chicken Salad.
- Season Burgers with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning to ground meat and form burgers with a Southwestern spin.
- Add taco seasoning to Lentil Tacos, Cauliflower Tacos, or Black Bean Tacos for a meatless spin on taco night.
- Make a creamy taco dip by adding taco seasoning to cream cheese and sour cream.
- Add just the right flavor to Refried Beans, Rice and Beans, Bean Burritos, or Sweet Potato Burritos by using a homemade taco seasoning blend.
More Homemade Spice Blends
- Homemade Fajita Seasoning
- Adobo Seasoning
- Homemade Chili Seasoning
- Old Bay Seasoning Recipe
- Homemade Cajun Seasoning
If you tried out this homemade version of taco seasoning I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup chili powder
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup cumin
- ⅓ cup paprika
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¼ cup black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the spices to a small mixing bowl or jar and mix to evenly combine.
- Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and store in the pantry for up to 6 months.
- For every 1 packet of taco seasoning, use 2 tablespoons of this homemade taco seasoning.
Notes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Tina
Flavors look good. Thank you for the recipe.
Regarding using the tool for making fewer servings: The software changes the quantities, but not the units. For example, if I say I want to make 5 packets, it reduces the garlic powder to 0.06 cups, which is in fact 1 tablespoon (well, actually that would be 0.0625 cups, but the software does rounding). The software would be far more useable if it did unit conversions: just call it 1 tablespoon. This is a trivial programming problem for first year students.
Since the software does have this problem, the base recipe would be better published for fewer packets. It is easier for people to scale up in their heads than it is to deal with the (rounded) decimals.
Again, thank you for what looks like a good recipe. I prefer to try it out with smaller quantities.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tina! I am aware of this issues and have included the amounts for 1 packet in the recipe card, but thank you for the feedback 🙂
Jeanne
I have been doing research on the amounts of sodium in food. According to the American Heart Association, your Nutritional values need to change on this great Taco Seasoning and many other recipes. Apparently the software you use is giving off false values. But those of us who search making our own seasonings need to have the proper amounts since the salt flavoring is so good and critical to both our cooking and health. This information can be found on the AHA web site. Thank you for the delicious recipes especially for the Instapot we have come to love.
sodium in a given amount of salt:
1/4 teaspoon salt = 575 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,150 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,725 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jeanne! I absolutely agree that having accurate information is crucial for dietary purposes. The nutritional info is based on 1 taco packet seasoning. This recipe makes 20 packets using a total of 16 teaspoons of KOSHER salt or 1/3 cup). Kosher salt actually only 1800 mg vs table salt which has 2300 mg. That can really add up to make a huge difference in a recipe or in your daily diet. 1/3 cup of Kosher Salt is the equivalent to 28,800 mg which when divided by 20 (for 20 packets of seasonings) equals 1440 mg per serving (which is what the nutritional information states). I hope that helps clear up any confusion 🙂
Randy Crum
Great bulk taco seasoning recipe and terrific reasons why taco lovers should make it!!!!!
Terri
This is delicious. Thank you for the small amount directions. I ended up making more and tossed it with some popcorn. Maybe I should have just made a bigger amount to start with after all. Lol
Kristen Chidsey
Next time 🙂 I am happy you enjoyed it so much Teri!
August VanAlmkerk
Hi Kristen!!
This is my go to now for taco seasoning it's so amazing and tastes just like store bought. The only issue I ever had was it not sticking to the meat loo ike the packets do. I now add just a little corn starch to the meat the very end to make it thicker. It's not a precise measurement each time but it works perfectly!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing your cornstarch trick and the fact you enjoy the taco seasoning! 🙂
Beth
Great recipe, love having a big batch on hand! I keep making more. Thank you for sharing.
Terry
I love this taco seasoning mix. However, if I try to adjust the recipe to fewer than 20 packets, it converts it to metric measurements. I have used your DIY chili seasoning and Homemade Ranch Seasoning recipes too and when I converted them to less than 20 packets, it converted them correctly. Is there a way to fix this for the Taco Seasoning Mix?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Terry! I have tested this recipe on several devices and am not having the issue of the ingredients changing to metric measurements. I submitted a help ticket though to see if it can be fixed for you! So sorry!
Micki
Yum! I used this in a bean taco recipe - just the perfect spice level. Thanks so much for adding the small batch instructions!
Gina
Love the idea of making my own rather than buying the packets which tend to have additives and way too much salt - so easy because these are spices I definitely have on hand already!
Rosalie
I add coriander (1 tsp.), dash of oregano and a dash of red pepper flakes. After draining the cooked beef, I saute, finely chopped, a half green pepper , a half jalapeño and half red or yellow onion in evoo, low and slow, and 5 cloves of garlic minced. Add back the beef and add 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce and 1/4 c. of water. (Add more water as needed.)
For taco salads, crisp iceberg lettuce, fresh tomato, diced red onion. Toss. Dump hot taco meaton top of salad,, top with grated sharp cheddar cheese, toss; add black olives and crushed corn chips. Serve with dab of sour cream and avocado makes it divine! Muy bueno.
Kristen Chidsey
Sounds like a WONDERFUL dinner! So glad you enjoyed.
Megan Hill
I used this recipe to season some chicken breasts in the instant pot with some diced tomatoes and chicken broth, it tasted delicious! Also, I added this seasoning to white rice with some chipotle paste...it was better than I expected. Going to be making this recipe in bulk! Thanks for sharing
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing Megan! Glad you will be stocking up on this taco seasoning--I always have it on hand!