The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

Seven simple ingredients are blended together to create the best homemade taco seasoning. This recipe makes a bulk batch of seasoning to keep in your pantry. It is low-sodium yet full of flavor. You will never buy packaged taco seasoning again.

I love making my own spice blends. When I make them at home, I can get them to taste exactly the way I want and I can make a large batch for a fraction of the price of packaged seasoning, especially when I buy the individual ingredients in bulk.

We use this homemade taco seasoning all the time. In fact, as soon as we finish a batch, we make another, so it’s ready for next time. I love that you can play with the flavors a bit, depending on what you feel like at the time.

Most of the blends I buy in the store are either bland or overpowering. And most store-bought seasoning blends are extremely high in salt, even the low-sodium options.

This blend contains a small amount of salt, less than two teaspoons for the entire batch. However, you can easily omit the salt if you need a no-salt taco seasoning, and it will not sacrifice the flavor.

And if you are looking to add more homemade seasonings to your pantry, then you need to try the Best Brisket Rub we’ve used. It’s perfect for all sorts of beef recipes, especially when done on the grill or in the smoker.

Why We Love Homemade Seasoning

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

It’s inexpensive – You can make a large batch at a fraction of the price of pre-made packages.

This bulk batch recipe will make almost one cup of seasoning, about ten tablespoons, to be exact, which is enough for several meals, and it only takes minutes to prepare. You can also double or triple the batch if you want to keep a larger quantity on hand.

It’s versatile – This taco seasoning blend can be used for so much more than tacos. Use it in any recipe that calls for taco seasoning or season burritos, fajitas, soup, chicken, pork, and chili!

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.

Ingredients & Substitutions

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

There are only seven simple ingredients in this blend:

Chili powder – This ingredient forms the recipe’s base and gives the seasoning its spicy flavor.

Paprika – Adds additional peppery flavor, but is much milder than chili powder. If you want a bolder flavor seasoning, you can use hot paprika or my favorite, smoked paprika.

Cumin – A common flavor in Tex-Mex cuisine, this gives the seasoning its distinct taco flavor.

Onion powder or flakes – I’ve used both onion flakes and onion powder in this recipe with great results. Often what I choose is simply dependent on what I have on hand at the time.

Dried oregano – Adds just a bit of herb flavor to the seasoning. If you need to substitute with ground oregano, reduce to one teaspoon.

Granulated garlic – You can use granulated garlic or garlic powder. Avoid garlic salt, however, as it will make the seasoning overly salty.

Kosher salt – I prefer kosher salt in my recipes due to the slightly milder salt flavor. This recipe contains a very small amount of salt, only one and a half teaspoons in the entire large batch. However, you can omit this ingredient if you need to follow a low or no-sodium diet.

Pro Tip – If you want this seasoning spicier, you can add some cayenne pepper, chili flakes, or chipotle chili powder. The nice thing about making it yourself is that you can decide how spicy it is. Just experiment and have fun.

Step by Step Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl.
• Mix well.
• Transfer the blended spice to an airtight container or jar for storage.

That’s it! It really is that simple.

Once you start making homemade 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.

How to use Homemade Taco seasoning

You can use this blend in any recipe that calls 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 eyeball it, so sometimes it’s more, and sometimes less.

If I’m not adding salsa or tomato sauce to my tacos, I’ll add between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of water or beef broth to help it mix with the beef; however, you will want to keep in mind that this is a seasoning blend, not a sauce. There are no thickeners in the seasoning, so you don’t want to add too much liquid. Just add enough to help it mix with the meat.

You can also use this seasoning with ground chicken or ground turkey for chicken or turkey tacos. Use it just as you would for beef tacos.

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

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

Top Tips and FAQs

• For the best flavor, make sure the individual spices are fresh.
• Keep the blended seasoning in an air-tight container to preserve freshness and flavor.
• For a no-sodium taco seasoning, you can omit the salt.

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