Taco Seasoning

I’ve been making this taco seasoning recipe for years and have perfected it. Use this easy homemade taco seasoning for all your Mexican recipes! Pro Tip: Triple or quadruple the batch and store it in your pantry.

About This Recipe

This house LOVES Mexican food, and I now use my special seasoning blend in all of it. My 2-year-old will scarf down a whole bowl of spicy Mexican Soup without any protest. We make Taco Meat for a Taco Bar at least once every few weeks. More recently, we’ve been using this spice blend to make Taquitos for the freezer.

Why Make Your Own Taco Seasoning Mix

Like me, you may like the convenience of the little store-bought packets. But let’s talk about two reasons why I’ve been completely converted over to making my own.

Over the years, I’ve grown increasingly aware of what is actually in pre-packaged foods. I realized that my little bundles of taco-joy were filled with some questionable ingredients. Check out the ingredients in the packet that I used to buy:

• Maltodextrin – hidden sugar
• salt
• chili pepper
• onion powder
• spice
• monosodium glutamate – also known as MSG and can cause headaches among other things
• corn starch – thickener
• yellow corn flour – thickener
• partially hydrogenated soybean oil – one of the most unhealthy oils out there
• silicon dioxide – anti-caking agent
• natural flavor – no idea what this is
• ethoxyquin – preservative

I also hated that I was paying $1-$2 for a single serving. I used taco seasoning so much that I finally realized it’d be worth it to make my own batch and triple it for future use.

Turns out I had every ingredient I needed in order to make a big batch of this yummy taco seasoning mix! Isn’t it pretty?!

You’ll need the following ingredients in order to make your own taco seasoning…

Just keep your pantry stocked with these cheap herbs and spices all year round so you can whip up your favorite Mexican dishes anytime.

This Taco Seasoning mix makes about 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup), but I almost always double or triple it and store my mix in a mason jar in my pantry.

We typically use 2-3 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of ground meat. Add more if you like the flavor, less if you have sensitive palates. You can always season the meat with more salt at the end, if you’d like, as well.

Here’s how I use the taco seasoning recipe to make ground beef for tacos.

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute 1 cup diced onion, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in 3-4 cloves of garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add 2 pounds lean ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until no longer pink, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as it browns. Drain off excess grease.
3. Sprinkle 4-6 tablespoons of taco spice mixture over the meat and stir until coated. Add in 1 cup of chicken/beef/vegetable broth OR water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture has reduced some, about 5 minutes.

If you’ve been used to using one packet of taco seasoning per 1 pound of meat, then you might have this question. There’s typically 3 tablespoons (sometimes 4 tablespoons depending in the brand) in a store-bought packet of taco seasoning.

So that means, you’ll want to use about 3 tablespoons of our homemade taco seasoning in place of a packet.

According to Food Network, “Ground spices…typically don’t last past 6 months. The best freshness test for ground spices is to give them a whiff — if they smell like nothing, then it’s time to say goodbye.”

I will say this though…my homemade taco seasoning seems to pass the “whiff” test and stay flavorful for longer than 6 months. Use your own discretion after the 6 month mark.

We have SO many delicious Mexican recipes. In fact we have an entire post featuring our favorites!

Or try some of these popular recipes…

• Totally Tasty Taco Bar
• Cheesy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
• Mexican Soup
• 7 Layer Taco Dip
• Easy Taco Salad with Southwest Ranch Dressing
• Anything Goes Tortilla Soup
• Shredded Beef Tacos