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This Homemade Taco Seasoning is so flavorful and takes less than 5 minutes to make. You will never buy taco seasoning from the store again!
Want to know what to make with this seasoning? Try these Taco Stuffed Peppers, this classic Taco Soup or this Rotel Dip with this homemade taco seasoning.
Taco Seasoning Recipe
Isn’t it the worst when you go to cook and don’t have the seasoning that you need for the recipe. That’s where homemade seasonings come in! If you don’t have store bought taco seasoning on hand, this recipe can be made in less that 5 minutes from classic seasonings that we all have in our pantry!
Once you try out this homemade recipe, you will never buy store bought again. These flavors make any taco have more flavor and make them taste SO much better! Try it out with this easy Taco Ring. It takes even the most simple recipe to the next level.
What is Taco Seasoning Mix Made of?
Taco Seasoning is made up of simple spices that, when they are mixed together, make the best flavor. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Chili Powder: This gives it some kick. Add more if you like your seasoning extra spicy!
- Garlic Powder: The garlic powder complements all of the other flavors without being too overpowering.
- Onion Powder: This is a subtle onion flavor that really stands out.
- Dried Oregano: The oregano brings in a spicy but sweet flavoring.
- Paprika: Paprika has a smokey flavor and helps add color to the taco seasoning.
- Ground Cumin: This unique flavored seasoning adds lots of flavor with a little spice.
- Salt and Black Pepper: These enhance all of the flavors in the recipe.
How to Make Your Own Taco Seasoning
You can also change the flavor up to have more or less heat depending on your preference. That’s the beauty of homemade seasonings, you can customize them to be however you want!
- Mix spices together: Combine all the seasonings together in a bowl.
- Store: Place the mixture in an airtight container.
How much homemade taco seasoning equals one packet?
A standard store-bought packets of taco seasoning holds about 2 tablespoons of seasoning.
How much taco seasoning for 1 pound of meat?
I use about 2 tablespoons in one pound of ground turkey or ground beef. This is such a simple recipe and it all comes together quick and easy for you to make several taco dishes! The recipe can easily be doubled and use more or less to taste.
Tip: I also like to add 1/2 cup of water to the meat and seasonings to make the meat more moist.
How long does taco seasoning last?
This is the best part! When you store your seasoning, make sure to keep it in a cool, dry place in an airtight container and it will last up to 6 months.
Want more taco recipes?! Try these ones!
Who doesn’t love a good taco? I’ve gathered up a few of my favorites for you to try with this seasoning!
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The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the seasonings in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- This recipe can easily be doubled! To use the seasoning, cook 1 pound of ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Add 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning to the ground beef along with 1/2 cup of water.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was THE BEST taco seasoning I have ever had. I’ll never buy a taco seasoning mix again!
Easy to mix with spices that are generally on hand. Perfect for my taco salad.
That is SO great!!I am so glad it was the BEST!! Thanks so much for your comment! XOXO
Just tried this and it tastes great. It’s also the perfect amount to replace one store-bought packet, so it’s super handy!
That is great to hear! Just what I was hoping for! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
For 250g of ground beef how much of this recipe would I need to use
Best taco seasoning ever. My new go to taco seasoning!!
That is great to hear! I am so glad you love it as much as I do! XOXO
Thank you! This was perfect! My husband loved his tacos. 🙂
That is great to hear! I am so glad he enjoyed it! XOXO
It turned out great I used a little tapioca flour to
Thicken the sauce once the water was added
Great idea! I am glad it turned out great for you! Way to go! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
The flavors are spot on but a little too salty for your taste. I will just add a little less salt the next time I make it and I did add some crushed red pepper because we like the heat. I only added about half the recipe to 12 oz. of ground turkey and it was perfect. Thank you for the great recipe.
That is great to hear!! Yes, sometimes it does turn out a little to salty for some likings. I love that you made it your own!! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is the best homemade taco seasoning, no more store bought packets! Thank you for sharing!
I dissolved beef cube in one cup of water to pour into the beef to moisten the taco meat. Your recipe is almost the same as mine. You have one more spice then mine and I used mortons chili blend instead of chili powder.
I made a big batch of this before realizing I didn’t know how much to use each time! How much would you use for one pound of burger?
I had the same question. Adding the ingredients makes almost 3 tablespoons so I suppose 3 tablespoons or a little less that 1/4 cup.
I make this all the time. I use around 2TBLS per pound of meat. On a side note…I add a pinch a red pepper flakes to it sometimes. Some of my family likes a little spice so when I make it for them I add it. YUMMY!!
how much taco seasoning do you use when making tacos
Bye-bye packages! We liked it! Thanks for sharing this. Happy day!
Do you recommend using 1 tablespoon per pound of meat or this ENTIRE recipe?
I was wondering the same thing because I wanted to make this in bulk.
Making this in a batch would be okay, except that some of the spices lose their flavour quite quickly — mostly the paprika, but the chili powder probably would, too. So you probably wouldn’t want to make, like, a year’s worth at once. Paprika only has flavour for approx 2 months once it’s opened, after that it’s just gritty.
She says that she used the entire recipe for 1 lb of ground turkey. The entire recipe here totals about 2.5 TBSP of the seasoning. I personally would use about half of it, but I’m a real wimp when it comes to spices nowadays.
I was looking for this recipe. Exactly the one I used a while ago and lost. Thank you for finding it and posting; a very good and healthy alternative to buying the frankenfood variety in the store.
Since you already like to add water to your meat and seasoning try adding a little cornstarch to your taco seasoning, it makes it turns the extra water into more of a taco sauce with the meat. (They usually add it to those little packets, too). Thanks for the recipe! I always make my taco seasonings but love to try new recipes for them.
I have heard of doing that! I will try it next time! Thanks!
I thought this was salty!
d – Salt is one of those things that everyone differs with. Just reduce or omit the salt when you make it. 🙂
Me too!
We like a mild taco flavor so I added half of the seasoning. Perfect for us. Love the flavor of this mix.
hiw spicy would you say this is? That seems like a lot of chili powder!
Not spicy at all. It used to have red pepper flakes added and I took them out. It made it too spicy for our family.
Chili powder is NOT spicy unless you get one that says HOT on it. I usually add 3-4 TBSP to my chili and its not spicy at all. Cayenne Pepper is probably what you’re thinking of and yes that would be a lot of cayenne.
This works great for taco night!! Thank you
My picky eaters love this recipe. It’s not really spicy at all.
Chili powder is usually a blend of ground chile pods and other spices like cumin, peppercorn, and salt. Chile powder most often refers to pure ground chile pods with few or no additives; the only way to tell is to read the ingredient label.
do you use “smoked” paprika or regular? Would it make a big difference?
I think either would work. 🙂