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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
Geri A Inama
0I have a friend who is allergic to garlic. Is there another herb/spice that can be substituted yet imparts a similar flavor profile?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Geri, Unfortunately there isn’t a substitute that has the same flavor, so I would just leave it out. There’s still plenty of flavor from the other spices here.
Sooz
0This taco seasoning rates the best! Smoked paprika puts it over the top!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Sooz! I’m so glad you liked this seasoning.
cmcilwrath
0I just made the taco seasoning for the second time … after running low. This is easy to make, very tasty, and much cheaper than anything you get at the store.
Nancy
0Awesome awesome. Thank you 😊
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you like it, Nancy! Would love to hear how you’re using this taco seasoning, too.
Lorain̈e
0Thank you so much for this recipe. I haven’t made it yet but know it will be delicious. I use a lot of taco seasoning ,will be making it real soon.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Loraine! Let me know what you think when you try it.
Tabitha Griffith
0Hi! How do I scale this so that it makes the same amount as one packet? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tabitha, A typical packet is 3 tablespoons, but with my homemade blend I recommend using 2 tablespoons per pound of meat. The entire recipe makes 6 tablespoons total, so you can scale based on that if you only want to make enough for one use.
Tabitha Griffith
0Thanks!!
Brandon
0I just made tacos using this seasoning and I followed the recipe perfectly.. and this made some of the best tacos I have ever had. There is a ton of flavor and quite a kick as I added a little more cayenne pepper. Thank you for the amazing recipe
Tarah C
0This is the best seasoning out of all the different ones I’ve tried. I like that the cumin doesn’t overpower everything else.
Kim B
0I am obsessed with this seasoning and use it on EVERYTHING! Ground beef for tacos, chicken breasts and thighs, mixed in cottage cheese with diced avocado, all over a oven roasted whole chicken, eggs, pork, shrimp – and I’m open to other suggestions 🙂 so much better than the packets. I always double/triple/quadruple it and store it in an airtight jar. The best!
Sonya Gartin
0Made this recipe today and it was beyond amazing. Best tacos ever! My husband absolutely loved them! Thanks for sharing!
Kat
0Absolutely delicious! Been looking for a recipient this good for a while!!
Maddie
0Sooo good! This is the only taco seasoning recipe use. I’d been searching for a good one for a while since starting keto. Perfect, as is, in my opinion. Great job, thanks.
Lindsey
0I used this taco seasoning on chicken fajitas last night and it was delicious! The perfect blend!
Gina
0This is great to have on hand in a pinch when you run out of prepared seasoning mixes and I like how I can easily adjust the spice level when making it myself too.
Erin
0This was so easy to make and had just the right amount of heat! This will be my new go-to, thanks!
Claire
0I made this last night when I realised that I didn’t have any of the packets of seasoning that I usually use.
It was so good! Tasted just like normal taco seasoning but it didn’t have anything bad in it. I don’t know why I thought homemade wouldn’t be as good ??♀️
I only made a small amount as I wanted to try it. But I am going to make up a bigger batch for the pantry so I always have it on hand. No more packets for me!
Angie
0I followed the recipe…except cut the salt in half and I didn’t have oregano so I used Italian seasoning…also added some minced onion…used 3 TB to 2 pounds of hamburger with a cup.of water… perfection!
Stacey
0This recipe is perfect and quick to whip up :).
Karen Smith
0Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Valerie Holk
0Sugar free and we omitted the salt. Thank you, it”s a delicious seasoning for tacos! Am sure it will be a standard for us from now on.