Homemade Taco Seasoning is easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought. Loaded with an abundance of flavor and a tiny bit of heat, taco seasoning gets used more than anything else in my spice cupboard.
It is beyond simple to stir together this Mexican spice mix and it will save you time when you are cooking later. My family eats a lot of Mexican food and for years I have used taco seasoning regularly in countless recipes.
Mexican Seasoning
About ten years ago, I decided to try making my own taco seasoning recipe and I’m so glad I did. I found a basic recipe for taco seasoning over on Allrecipes.com long ago and over the years, I’ve tweaked and adapted it to our tastes.
It makes sense to prepare a double or triple batch of this seasoning mix and keep it on hand at all times.
Just a bit spicier than standard taco mixes and completely adaptable to your individual tastes, these are some of my favorite Mexican spices in the kitchen.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
I use this Homemade Taco Seasoning at least 3-4 times a week and I keep it on hand at all times. My kids already know to stir a new batch together when it’s running low.
This is probably the most used spice staple in my pantry. Just a spoonful will add an abundance of flavor to any meal.
Homemade spice mixes always taste so much better than store-bought and they’re surprisingly easy to make too. If you haven’t tried it yet, you need to put Homemade Crazy Salt on your must-try list.
This Homemade Italian Seasoning is another favorite that gets used constantly in my cooking. Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Homemade Mild Curry Powder, and Harissa Dry Spice Mix are great ones to try as well.
Many of our favorite recipes use this Taco Seasoning. The Best Taco Meat has been a hit with everyone who tries it along with Taco Meatballs.
I keep a package of that taco meat cooked and ready to use in the freezer almost all the time.
Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas are a dinner that almost cooks itself and these Black Bean Taco Nachos are a kid and adult favorite for lunches and for dinners.
The Southwest Chicken Skillet is filled with plenty of vegetables and an abundance of flavor from these Mexican spices.
Kitchen Tip: I use these jars to make this recipe.
Taco Seasoning Recipe
- In a jar or small mixing bowl, combine chili powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and pepper.
- Shake or stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Taco Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of chili powder I used NM Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together all of the spices. Store the seasoning mix in an airtight container. I keep mine in a glass mason jar in my spice cabinet.
Nutrition
{originally published 10/17/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/29/21}
Diego Lopes says
Homemade is always better, tho we don’t always enjoy the process of doing hahah. Thanks for this recipe!
Nancy McCullough says
Awesome, thanks for sharing
FALEEN says
in the above recipe….i think you meant that it makes 32 teaspoons perhaps??
Mary says
You are correct! Thanks for catching that.
february says
This is the best recipe for taco ‘meat’ that I’ve ever eaten. I became vegetarian the end of November, 2017. I missed tacos so much. I’ve tried ‘meat alternatives’ and there’s no comparison to this! I LOVE this! Wow, I can’t say enough about it and have told everyone about it (even the grocery cashier, ha). The taco seasoning is also SO, so good! Thank you so much for taking the time to develop this recipe
Mateo Pedersen says
To make it mild, I only used 1 Tbsp of chili powder and about 1/8 tsp of black pepper. I cut the salt in half. When i ADDEd it to the ground turkey, i also stirred in 1/2 cup water. Yummy for the whole family!
Melinda says
Mixed but haven’t tried yet. Looks and smells amazing. Can’t wait to try🤗
Mary says
I hope you love it as much as we do, Melinda!
Cynthia says
How much water & ground beef to seasoning ratio?
Mary Younkin says
I don’t add water when I make it, Cynthia.
Kam says
Used this tonight and my teenage son said it was the best tacos he’s ever had. Coming from a kid whose eaten a lot of tacos! So thank you for making him happy. 😁
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the seasoning, Kam!
Pam says
Just put together taco seasoning. Will try.
Mary Younkin says
I hope you love it as much as we do, Pam.
Heather says
How much do i use per pound of ground beef
Mary Younkin says
It depends on how much flavoring you like best and / or how spicy you like the meat to be when you make it. I typically use about 3 tablespoons per pound of ground beef, Heather.
Betty Bruce says
I cut the chili powder down to 2 Tbs & it still had more heat than I like. Next time I will only use 1 Tbs of chili powder.
Mary Younkin says
I love how adjustable homemade spice mixes are for that reason. Hopefully, the less spicy version will be perfect for you!
Amber says
I use this recipe all the time. It’s a great one.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying the taco seasoning, Amber!
Amanda says
I just made this and LOVED it! I happened to not have paprika but this was still delicious. I’m used to using taco seasoning packets and this was so much better.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the spice mix, Amanda!
Joyce Miller says
Hi Mary.
Thank you for this recipe!
I used it tonight to make turkey tacos.
SO MUCH BETTER THAN PACKAGED SEASONING
!!
Happy being Barefoot in the kitchen!
Sincerely,
Joyce Miller
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you love the taco seasoning, Joyce!
Vickie Garcia says
I love that you use NM red chile! I have a taco seasoning mix recipe that has been so so. I am anxious to try your recipe. My question- is one teaspoon enough? I look at the amount of seasoning in a taco seasoning package and wonder if the one teaspoon is enough. I like to make batches of chicken tortilla soup and freeze it. Also use mix for tacos.
Mary Younkin says
oh goodness! That’s just the measurement that the recipe card uses to calculate the nutritional info (which is kind of silly anyway, for a spice mix, right?) At any rate, I use 3-4 tablespoons for a pound of ground beef when making taco meat.
Lisa Kunzler says
Just curious What is the spice to ground meet ratio
Mary Younkin says
I usually use 2-3 tablespoons per lb of meat. (Although, I’ve been known to go heavier on the spices depending on how I’ll be using the meat.)
Monica says
How is the saltiness compared to store bought? We’ve recently had to adopt a low salt diet in our household. I know I could adjust and take out all of the salt but am curious how it is as written.
Mary Younkin says
I think it tastes much less salty than store-bought. However, I would just mix it up without any salt at all and then you can salt to your personal tastes.
Valerie says
I’m wanting to make several jars for gifts. What would be the easiest way ? One jar at a time ??
Mary Younkin says
I would simply multiply the recipe by however many jars you’d like to make and stir it all together in a large bowl. You can funnel it into the individual jars once everything is combined. What a great gift, Valerie!
Anita Moolman says
I’m from South Africa and have just tasted Tacos for the second time in my life. Now would like to make them back home. However I cannot eat very spicy foods. How much spice do you use on a pound of meat meats. Thanks in anticipation
Mary Younkin says
I use about 3 tablespoons for a pound of meat, but you might want to start with 1 1/2 or 2 tablespoons, if you want to be cautious with the heat in the spices, Anita.
Lynn rego-rafferty says
Would you use the condiments for making chili.? Thank you, Lynn
Mary Younkin says
Yes, these are the spices I use when making chili, Lynn.
Jan Carter says
Amazing spice!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the recipe, Jan!