Learn how to make the best homemade taco seasoning recipe with just a few pantry spices! This easy DIY taco seasoning is perfect for a pound of ground beef, turkey, or chicken and tastes better than store-bought. Plus, it has no fillers or preservatives. Make a single batch or scale it up for future taco nights.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Whether you’re ditching the store-bought variety with its preservatives and fillers or you simply forgot to pick up a packet at the grocery store, my taco seasoning recipe has you covered. We’re blending some fairly basic spices (that I bet you have in your pantry now) to make a flavorful and fast seasoning.
This recipe is simple and quick and can be used in any recipe where you’d use a packet of taco seasoning. We make it all the time and especially love using it for crispy chicken tacos (recipe coming soon!). If you remember the seasoning in my taco soup recipe, this is very similar.
Why Try It:
- Not just for tacos! This seasoning can be used in any recipe that calls for a packet of taco seasoning, like taco dip or taco salad.
- Customizable. Whether you love garlic or follow a low-sodium diet, making your own seasoning means that you can completely customize it to your specific needs.
- Make as much or as little as you want. As-is, this recipe seasons a pound of meat. However, you can absolutely scale it up to make a big batch of seasoning to have on hand for whatever you want to add it to (like scrambled eggs, oven roasted potatoes, or mac and cheese, just to name a few!).
- No fillers or preservatives (= better flavor!). Sure, the shelf life is a bit shorter as a result, but you’ll find yourself using it often enough I don’t think this’ll be an issue. Since your spices will be freshly combined, it means your tacos will have a better flavor than ones where the spices have been sitting for who knows how long.
Ingredients
A handful of staple spices come together for my taco seasoning recipe. I won’t review them all here–just a few of the important ones!
- Chili powder. This is a critical ingredient that serves as the foundation for the mix and adds a mild heat and earthy depth. If you want to mix things up a bit, substitute 2 teaspoons of chili powder for ancho chili powder for a richer, slightly smokier flavor.
- Cumin. You simply can’t make this recipe without cumin so I recommend keeping this spice in the seasoning even if you decide to play around with the other ingredients. You’ll also find this in my recent butter chicken recipe, if you’re looking for more reasons to use this warm spice.
- Oregano. While you may expect to see this ingredient in pizza sauce or meatballs, oregano is also a key ingredient in taco seasoning. Technically you’d want to use Mexican oregano here and Italian oregano in those recipes, but just use what you have on hand. I often use regular/Italian oregano and rest assured it will still taste great!
- Cayenne pepper. For a little heat! You can decrease or increase this according to your preference. I like a very mild heat since I’m usually sharing with my kids.
- Paprika. I recommend smoked which I find gives the best flavor, but you can substitute classic/regular paprika instead.
- Salt. Salt is essential for enhancing the flavor and a fine ground sea salt is my preference (table salt will totally be OK though). I recommend a teaspoon for best flavor, but for reduced sodium you can reduce this by up to half. Just be warned the final dish will taste a bit less bold.
SAM’S TIP: Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your preferences–increase the cayenne for more heat, reduce the salt, add extra garlic powder, etc. I talk more about how you can customize this seasoning below!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Taco Seasoning
Whisk together all ingredients until combined, then use as desired. This recipe makes about 3 ½ tablespoons, which is the perfect amount for seasoning a pound of ground meat (it tastes great with chicken, turkey, and beef!). This recipe can be used in any recipe that calls for a packet of taco seasoning.
STORING TIP: Want to make a big batch? Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple all ingredients and store in your pantry. Just make sure to store the seasoning in an airtight container in a cool, dark place away from humidity (above the stove is NOT ideal) to help it stay fresh. This seasoning will keep up to 6 months, depending on the freshness of the spices you used.
Customize This Taco Seasoning Recipe!
- Lower the sodium: reduce the salt or omit it entirely (you can always season the meat later if you find you reduced the salt too much in the seasoning).
- Crank up the heat: As written, this recipe yields a mild taco seasoning (my 3 year old can handle it!). Feel free to increase the cayenne or add some crushed red pepper flakes. If you love spicy food, my arrabiata sauce is perfect for you!
- Make it smoky: We’re using smoked paprika, but you can also swap half of the chili powder with ancho chili (chipotle powder would also work well, if you enjoy the flavor!). If you’ve made my chili recipe or potato soup recipe, you know that ancho chili is one of my favorite secret ingredient spices — it adds a lot of flavor!
- Add depth: add a pinch of sugar for more depth of flavor. I do this in many savory recipes, like my sloppy joes and my meat sauce.
How to tell if my taco seasoning’s gone bad
If the taco seasoning loses its rich color, clumps, or smells off, toss it out and make a fresh batch. Pro tip: Label your container with the date you made it so you can easily track its freshness!
Are there any other homemade seasonings you’d like to see? Let me know in the comments!
Enjoy!
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Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (may substitute sweet paprika)
- 1 teaspoon table salt reduce to ½ teaspoon for “reduced sodium” but note it won’t be as flavorful.
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a small dish, whisk together all ingredients until combined.4 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon oregano, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Use as directed in recipe. This recipe yields enough for one pound of ground meat and can be substituted anywhere that calls for a packet of taco seasoning.
- How to use for a pound of ground meat (chicken, turkey, or beef) for tacos: Heat a teaspoon of oil over a medium-sized skillet until shimmering. Add ground meat and cook, crumbling, until browned and cooked through. Drain excess grease if/as needed. Add (all) taco seasoning, sprinkling evenly over the meat and add ⅔ cup (158ml) water. Stir, bring to a simmer, and cook until sauce is thickened and no longer liquidy (several minutes longer).
Notes
Storing
How long you can store depends on the freshness of the spices that you use. If using fresh spices, this taco seasoning will keep in an airtight container in a dark place (like a pantry or cabinet) away from humidity for 6 months to a year. Discard the taco seasoning if the color has faded, the smell is weak, or any clumps have formed.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Ari
As you mentioned, I love this seasoning already from your taco soup! I’m so excited for chicken tacos!!! So curious as to how you do them!