Taco Seasoning Recipe

Uh oh – it’s Taco Tuesday, the ground beef is already in the pan, and you forgot to grab a packet of taco seasoning at the grocery store. What do you do?

Don’t panic, and make our homemade taco seasoning recipe!

This easy spice mix is exactly what you can use if the alarm bells start going off in your head, saying “I don’t have any taco seasoning!” It’s super simple, made with just 8 ingredients from your spice rack, and it tastes better than store bought packets. So much better, in fact, that we’ve stopped buying store bought taco seasoning altogether and just use this one instead.

Taco Seasoning Recipe Ingredients

Store bought taco seasoning mix is usually made of chili peppers, cornstarch, salt, spices, and processed ingredients like maltodextrin and other preservatives.

Our easy taco seasoning recipe is much healthier than store bought packets, has less salt, and is naturally gluten-free. This is all thanks to using just 8 raw spices that you probably already have in the pantry:

• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Ground red cayenne pepper
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Salt 

While we do recommend adding a pinch of salt to this seasoning blend, since every dish benefits from salt as a flavor enhancer, we understand wanting to make taco seasoning with less salt – or even without salt at all. That’s why our recipe calls for just a pinch of salt. (Which is much less sodium than store bought packets have in them!) If you’d rather it have no salt, you can simply omit it and the flavors will still come through well enough.

How To Make Taco Seasoning

All you need to do to make taco seasoning at home is throw the spices in a bowl and stir to combine! Use this seasoning immediately, or store it in a glass spice jar with a lid for up to 6 months.

Spices tend to never really “go bad,” but they do lose their flavor after sitting for too long. Since it only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch of this taco seasoning, we recommend making it fresh every time. (Unless you’re making tacos every week and constantly reaching for the spice jar!)

Taco Seasoning Recipe Variations

You may be wondering how to make your taco seasoning less (or more!) spicy. Our recipe is slightly spicier than the packets labeled “mild” at the grocery store.

For a truly mild taco seasoning, we would recommend using half the amount of cayenne pepper.

If you want a little extra spice, bump up the cayenne a bit (~1.5 times to double).

Note that too much variation in either direction will start to affect the balance of flavors in the seasoning blend. For best results, stick to a range of anywhere from a quarter teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cayenne per batch while experimenting.

What To Use Homemade Taco Seasoning For

You can use this taco seasoning for chicken, ground beef, turkey, or even vegetables like sweet potatoes and black beans. And you don’t just have to use it for tacos – you can sprinkle this mix into enchilada filling, chili, or chicken tortilla soup, too. We actually created this exact taco seasoning recipe to flavor our sweet potato enchiladas.

Just like the taco seasoning packets from the grocery store, you can sprinkle this spice blend over your browned taco meat, add about ⅔ cup of water, and simmer until it thickens into a savory sauce. We love using this taco seasoning with ground beef for a Taco Bell inspired dinner at home – it tastes so much like the real thing, but with a little extra spice.

(Taco Bell fans – make sure to check out our copycat cheesy gordita crunch and crunchwrap supreme recipes that use this seasoning blend!)

If you’re wondering how much homemade taco seasoning to use per pound of ground beef, we made this recipe so that exactly one batch is the perfect amount for one pound of meat. And if you’re the kind of family who makes tacos at least once a week, we definitely recommend making a quadruple batch of seasoning to save yourself the effort every time!