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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
Cheryl Hval
0Great taco seasoning. Thank you.
Cara B.
0Just used this for lunch. WAS AWESOME! I swapped the cayenne for chipotle seasoning and it was incredible. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat, lol. It was the same as the cayenne and did not change the nutritional information. Seriously loved this. Thanks!
Sandra
0Maya: Ever since I’ve learned to cook & beyond that, I’ve been hearing this “rule” about storing all red spices in the refrigerator. You won’t find this on any red spice containers, though. This is even said in some spice stores, so I have no idea where this originated from. I do store the red pepper & cayenne pepper spices in the refrigerator. They do keep their aroma in there. Has anyone else ever heard of this? Sandra W.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sandra, I don’t follow this rule about red spices.
Linda Kern
0It was good but a little hot for my taste (and I didn’t use ANY cayenne pepper in it), so I think next time I may take the chili powder to 1.5 tablespoons. Otherwise, it tasted great!!!
Jim Lee
0This recipe is FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Lynn
0Will come back after I make it, to let you know , How it was, ,,,
Penny Bobincheck
0I don’t understand how to pin a recipe & how to get it back. Same is true with saving a recipe. Thank you Penny
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Penny, Pinning a recipe saves it on your Pinterest account. You will need a free Pinterest account to be able to save pins to refer back to for later use. If you would like to mark a favorite recipe on this website, log in to the Members Area. Once you are logged in you can return to browsing for recipes. Using the ‘Save’ button at the top of the page will keep your saved recipes in the member’s area for you to refer back to at any time. I hope this helps!
Ruth
0LOVE this recipe!
I use it over and over and over again. My boys, who are not Keto, adore Taco Tuesdays … made possible by this recipe.
Thank you for sharing it.
Ruth
Tonya
0Absolutely delish!!! I cut up all the bell peppers really small. My husband has a thing with them but I did leave the onions like the direction said. Then we eat the casserole with low carb tortillas. Needless to say we both loved it. Oh and your right the smoked paprika made a huge taste difference.
I did have a problem printing the recipe. I couldn’t find a print button but it would let me pin it to Pinterest or post it to FB.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tonya, There is a ‘Print it’ button in the recipe card. So glad you enjoyed your meal ❤️
Tonya
0I guest I should state what recipe I made. I made your Philly Cheesesteak Casserole. Definitely a 5 star.
Jennifer
0Literally just made and used for tacos in the past hour…so good! Didn’t have onion powder but did have onion flakes and that didn’t (don’t think it did) deviate from the taste. Thanks for another keeper!
Holli
0Hi do you use dry ground oregano or dried oregano leaves? What works best? Thank you!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Holli, I used dried ground oregano, but feel free to use dried oregano leaves if you don’t mind the texture in your spice mix.
Lex
0I tried this recipe to make the seasoning for Wholesome Yum’s taco soup. I have to say that you don’t need all the preservatives, yeast extracts, MSG, sugar, HFCS or a truckload of salt to make a great taco seasoning. After trying this one, I have vowed I will never go back to that ancient Texas city brand ever again. It’s just too easy to make your own and store it in a spice shaker called, “Taco Seasoning”.
sheila haliotis
0Excellent!!
Andrea
0Can someone please tell me what in here gives it carbs?! Lol. I’m so confused! Is there no such recipe with zero carbs? Thanks!
Joe
0Andrea – both garlic powder and onion powder have very small amounts of carbs in them.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Andrea, The nutrition for this recipe is located in the recipe card, under the measurements. This seasoning is 1 net carb per 1/2 tablespoon.
Lynda Pedersen
0I make tacos fairly often and have always bought the premixed taco spice. I tried your recipe for the first time tonight and it is way better than the store bought stuff. I used about half the salt called for and it was perfect!
Jill Fuller
0You inspired me. I had all the ingredients and it was delish!!! Thank you!
carmenahanna@gmail.com
0I use this taco seasoning all the time! Thanks for the great recipe!
dana
0I would like sodium count in the nutrition information
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dana, I’m sorry, I don’t track the sodium content of my recipes. If you are interested in knowing this information, feel free to enter the recipe in an online recipe calculator!
Sarah
0From what I understand of gluten, it is that anti-caking agents are made from gluten. And many spices have anti-caking agents in them. So it is important to either read the label or look up the brand ingredients to be sure. Otherwise you will have a gluten reaction without knowing why.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sarah, Most commonly with seasonings, the problem is with cross-contamination. So the seasonings may not disclose that they contain wheat flour, but there may be trace amounts from the manufacturing process, or yes, anti-caking agents.
Deb Seeley
0Thanks for this. I use it regularly.
Shirley
0I just made this as I was craving soft tacos. This is some awesomeness. Thank you!