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Home » Recipes » Dips, Sauces, Spices & Spreads » The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

Published: Oct 16, 2019 · Modified: Jun 25, 2020 by Deanna · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

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Taco seasoning in a jar

Just 7 simple ingredients are blended together to create the best homemade taco seasoning. You will never buy packaged taco seasoning again.

Taco seasoning on a spoon beside a jar
Jump to:
  • Why this recipe works
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • How to use Taco seasoning
  • If you like this recipe you might also like:
  • Recipe

I love making my own spice blends. When I make them at home I can get them to taste exactly the way I want.

I experimented for a while before I nailed down the perfect taco seasoning, but now that I have, we use it all the time.

Most of the blends I buy in the store are either bland or overpowering, not to mention most of them are extremely high in salt.

This blend contains some salt, but at a far lower amount than even most of the low sodium varieties of taco seasoning.

If salt is an issue for you, feel free to leave it out completely. The other flavours in this taco seasoning are so good that you probably won’t even notice that it’s missing.

Why this recipe works

By blending your own spices, you get to control how spicy or salty it is. You also avoid things like extra preservatives, msg, and anti-caking agents.

In addition, you can make a large batch at a fraction of the price of pre-made packages.

The recipe I’ve given below will make almost one cup of seasoning, about 10 tablespoons, to be exact. This is enough for several meals.

Looking for some recipes to use with this seasoning? Try these pulled pork tacos, this salsa chicken, or these stuffed bell peppers. It is also used in these grilled chicken burritos.

Seasonings on a plate

Ingredients

There are only seven simple ingredients in this blend:

  • Chili powder
  • Paprika
  • Cumin
  • Oregano
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion Flakes or onion powder
  • Salt

I like to onion flakes in this recipe, but if you don’t have any you can use an equal amount of onion powder without any issue.

If you want this seasoning spicier, feel free to add some cayenne pepper or chilli flakes. The nice thing about making it yourself is that you get to decide how spicy it is. Just experiment and have fun.

Instructions

  • Add all the ingredients to a small bowl.
  • Mix well
  • Transfer to an airtight container or jar

That’s it! It really is that simple.

Once you start making your own seasoning blends, you will never want to buy them from a store again. Not only do they taste better, but in the long run they are far less expensive as well.

Taco Seasoning in a jar

How to use Taco seasoning

You can use this blend in any recipe that call for taco seasoning.

If you are using it for ground beef tacos I use about one tablespoon of seasoning per pound of beef. But honestly, I just eyeball it, so sometimes it’s more, and sometimes less.

If I’m not adding salsa or tomato sauce to my tacos, then I’ll add between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of water to help make it a bit saucier.

In addition to tacos, this blend is one of our favourites for seasoning chicken wings or legs. You could also use it in your chilli, soups or stews.

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out this collection of 21 homemade seasoning and sauce recipes!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

Cilantro avocado yogurt dressing

Buttermilk ranch dressing mix

Amazing Mango Salsa

Pin this recipe for later!

Taco seasoning in a jar

Tried this recipe? Leave me a comment!

Recipe

Taco seasoning in a jar

The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

7 simple spices are blended together to create the best homemade taco seasoning.
4.56 from 43 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 10 Tablespoons
Author: Deanna

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp Chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp Ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp Paprika
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp Oregano
  • 1 Tbsp Onion flakes
  • 1.5 tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

  • Blend all ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Store in an airtight container.

Video

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meghan says

    July 08, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    Thanks for sharing! I made tacos before I realized I was out of seasoning! Worked great and your right! Probably won’t go back to store bought!

    Reply
  2. Jaime says

    April 27, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    Do you use water with your 1TB of seasoning like the packets call for, if so, how much water

    Reply
    • Deanna says

      April 27, 2020 at 9:14 pm

      It depends a bit on how much moisture or fat my beef has and if I’ve added anything else, like salsa. But if I’m using just the beef and taco seasoning I will generally end up adding about 1/4 cup of water. If it’s really lean beef I may add a bit more.

      Reply
  3. Maddie says

    April 16, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    I’m allergic to paprika, is there a good alternative?

    Reply
    • Deanna says

      April 19, 2020 at 3:01 pm

      Hi Maddie. I think you could just leave it out. Most of the flavour in this seasoning comes from the other spices and the paprika adds just a wee bit of heat, bulk and colour. You could add a bit of extra chilli powder, or 1/2 tsp cayenne, depending on how spicy you like it.

      Reply
  4. Kim says

    March 26, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    How much of the seasoning do you use for 1 lbs of beef?

    Reply
    • Deanna says

      March 26, 2020 at 3:42 pm

      I usually use about 1 tablespoon for a pound of ground beef, but I really just eyeball it. You can use more or less depending on how much flavour you are looking for.

      Reply
  5. Bob says

    October 23, 2019 at 11:00 pm

    This is great! No reason to buy that store stuff that has all the preservatives in it. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

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Hello there! Welcome to Tastes of Homemade. If you are looking for delicious, easy to make recipes, you have come to the right place. I ...

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