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My Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe Makes All Your Mexican Dishes Better
Of all the seasoning blends I’ve made, I use this homemade taco seasoning the most (specifically for taco meat and taco salad). I always, always have it in my spice drawer. I started making it years ago because store-bought versions were either expensive or filled with chemicals and sugar. So, to learn how to make taco seasoning myself, I looked at the packaging of several store-bought brands to identify common themes. This taco seasoning recipe is what I came up with, and here’s why it’s amazing:
- Tastes like the real deal – Warm, savory, smoky, a little spicy, a little garlicky… I’ve got all the flavors you expect here. All with simple ingredients.
- No artificial ingredients or sugar – Have you checked the label on those store-bought packets? They’re filled with starches, fillers, preservatives, and sugar. Why?! My homemade taco seasoning recipe doesn’t have any of these, and I think that makes it taste better. It’s naturally gluten-free, too. (This organic one is my favorite when I run out of homemade, and even that brand has sugar.)
- Affordable – Even though these days it’s easier to find clean-ingredient brands, it’s still much cheaper to make your own DIY taco seasoning.
- Ready in minutes and stores well – Make a big batch and you’ll be set for months. It works for all kinds of Mexican recipes!
I loved this mix so much that I even included it in my first cookbook, and have used it in dozens of healthy recipes since then. Grab some (common) spices, because you need to DIY this taco seasoning mix with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the ingredients for my best taco seasoning, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Chili Powder – The main ingredient! Note I use American chili powder here, which is actually more than just chilies. The clean brand I use includes chili powder (actual chilies), cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic, rice concentrate, allspice, and cloves. I add more of many of these to the mix, as it’s not a taco seasoning by itself.
- Ground Cumin – There’s nothing quite like it. It balances the sweetness and heat of the other spices.
- Smoked Paprika – I have not seen smoked paprika in a store-bought packet, but always use it in mine because I believe it tastes better. Feel free to use regular sweet paprika if you want to.
- Oregano – I use this regular dried oregano which is earthy, but you can use Mexican oregano too, which is bolder and tastes a little like licorice if you like that. Ground coriander or dried cilantro would also make good substitutes.
- Aromatic Powders – Garlic powder and onion powder.
- Cayenne Pepper – For a kick, but I’d say this homemade taco seasoning is pretty mild overall. If you like a spicier blend, I recommend doubling the cayenne and adding 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – Because most store-bought mixes have salt and I wanted it to replace those easily in any dish, I included salt in my taco seasoning mix recipe. If you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, you can omit the salt or reduce the amount.
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How To Make Taco Seasoning
There’s not much to it! Stir all the taco seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl, then store in an airtight container or small glass jar.
TIP: When I want to save on dishes, I shake the spices right in the jar with the lid on.
How Much Taco Seasoning To Use
I highly recommend measuring your spice mix based on the weight of the meat you’re putting it on. A typical packet of taco seasoning contains 3 tablespoons, but I find that’s because they have unnecessary fillers.
For my homemade taco seasoning, my rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons per pound of ground beef, ground pork, chicken, or shrimp.
Sometimes I use a bit less (1 1/2 tablespoons per pound) for chicken or seafood, but beef and pork almost always do best with the full 2 tablespoons.
Ways To Use It
Here are some of the many recipes I use this spice blend for:
- Ground Beef – Hello, taco night! I have more detailed instructions in my taco meat recipe, but basically you’d brown the beef first, then add the seasoning along with 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until the liquid absorbs into the meat.
- Chicken – Sprinkle it on before baking chicken breasts or mix with shredded chicken. (I don’t always add it to my Crock Pot chicken tacos, but it definitely adds a lot of flavor when I do!) I also season my Instant Pot chicken before cooking and shredding when I need it for a Mexican meal.
- Taco Salad – My most popular and personal favorite! Tens of thousands of readers have made it and it gets rave reviews. You can also try it on my other Mexican salad.
- Soups – My favorite is 5-ingredient taco soup, but homemade taco seasoning would also work well in Mexican chicken soup.
- Veggies – Sprinkle it over roasted vegetables before roasting. I personally love it on air fryer cauliflower.
- Other Mexican-Inspired Dishes – I also use taco-seasoned beef for my taco dip, taco skillet, turkey stuffed peppers, and taco casserole. If you’re out of fajita seasoning, you can even swap in this taco seasoning recipe for chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, or shrimp fajitas.
Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe (5 Min)
By
Learn how to make homemade taco seasoning in 5 minutes! My taco seasoning recipe uses simple spices and tastes better than store-bought.
Instructions
[ See step photos ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Stir together, until uniform.
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Store in an airtight container or small glass jar.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 tablespoon
- How to use it: I recommend 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning per pound of meat. See ways to use it above for more details and recipe ideas.
- Recipe yield and serving size: This recipe makes about 6 tablespoons, or enough for 3 pounds of meat. That’s usually 3 meals at my house, at 1 pound of meat each. If you have a larger family, or if you want to make this seasoning blend even less often, feel free to double, triple, or even quadruple it. The serving size (1/2 tablespoon) is enough seasoning for 1/4 pound, which is usually how much meat you’d have for one serving.
- Storage: Store this mix in a cool, dry place in an airtight container, such as spice jars with lids or a small multi purpose jar. It will last 1-2 years, but is best used within a year for the best flavor. You can also freeze it if you like.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Cookbook here.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Taco Seasoning Recipe
145 Comments
Kathy
0Its pickle time :>) and I like Bread & Butter pickles, BUT what do I use in place of brown sugar when making the brine? thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathy, You can use a sugar-free sweetener – read about them in my sweetener guide.
Sonya
0I love this seasoning recipe. It works great for chili too!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, I love this seasoning in chili too, Sonya! Thanks for stopping by!
Teresa Rantanen
0We love this seasoning mix so much. I make 60 servings at a time so I don’t have to make it every week. My son puts it on everything but breakfast. But I have adjusted it a little and I thought you might want to try. I keep a star anise pod in the jar. It contributes that little something nutmeg is usually used for and is the thing my kids miss when they eat someone else’s food.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Teresa! Thanks for stopping by!
Debi
0Hi Maya,
This recipe sounds great. Quick question I have never tried cumin and I was wondering if it was on the spicy side, because I can’t eat very spicy food. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to try this taco seasoning mix.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Debi! No, cumin is not spicy hot at all. It just adds flavor. You may want to omit the cayenne pepper if you don’t want spicy hot.
Chantelle
0It’s Cinco De Mayo so I decide to make my own healthy version of tacos using this taco mix, let me say absolutely amazing!
Keep the recipes coming. This was easy for someone who doesn’t cook very often. Can you provide guidance on how to prepare chicken tacos?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked them, Chantelle! Thanks for stopping by!
Gina C
0Very good taco seasoning. I like the option of making my own seasoning mix, because of high blood pressure I can adjust the salt content. It will certainly become part of my spice rack.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Gina! I am so happy you liked the taco seasoning! Thanks for stopping by!
Jules Shepard
0This recipe fits every bill and you can’t go wrong with Julia! Will definitely try!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Jules! Agree, she would know. 🙂
Jeanette Clayton
0Looking forward to putting this in all of my mince dishes
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Jeanette! Hope you love it!
Nicola
0Hi Maya,
Congratulations on your career change.
We’ve never eaten tacos before.
The quantity of chili is a bit spicy for my family. If I reduce the amount to 1 tbsp, which of the other ingredients would you recommend adding to make the same quantity?
Would you suggest onion powder over garlic powder, for example?
Many thanks, in advance.
Nicola
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Nicola! If you don’t want spicy, I’d actually skip the cayenne pepper which is more spicy than the chili powder. The reason is because the chili powder provides a big part of the flavor. So, you could try it as written but with no cayenne pepper – in that case everything else can just stay the same. If you still want to reduce chili powder to 1 tbsp, I’d probably replace that with an additional 1/2 tbsp cumin and 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika. Let me know how it goes if you try something different!
Susan
0Can you make this without cumin? My younger daughter is deathly allergic to peanuts and awhile back there was a cross contamination.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, Yes, you can. The flavor would just be a little different. If you omit the cumin, the right amount of seasoning mix to use per pound of meat would be 1 3/4 tbsp, which is 1 tbsp + 2 1/4 tsp. Otherwise, you could replace the cumin with more smoked paprika, if you like the flavor of that.
SUsan
0Thanks, Maya. I really enjoy your recipes! Thanks for the tip… I’ll definitely make this!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I hope you like it, Susan!
Malcolm
0Maya, I need a little help with the directions on How to Use the mix.
How to use taco seasoning mix: Brown the ground beef (or other meat) first. Then, add 2 tbsp seasoning and 1/2 cup water per pound of meat. Simmer until the extra liquid evaporates or absorbs into the meat.
What do I add the 2 tbsp of mix to? Do I simmer the mix and water in with the meat in the skillet, or is the simmering in a separate pan and then stirred in with the meat after the water evaporates? I can see doing it either way—the point is to get it into the meat. Thanks and congratulations on leaving the corporate rat race.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Malcolm, Great question, thanks for asking! Add both the mix and water directly to the meat in the skillet. You don’t need a separate pan. And thank you, I’m really grateful to be able to do this!