Homemade Taco Seasoning tastes amazing – without the ingredients you might find in the one you can find at the store!
You can make this mild with just ground paprika or hot with chili powder, depending on your family’s preferences. Use it to give all your favorite Mexican recipes the best flavor!
I’ve been making my own homemade taco seasoning for a really long time. It’s so easy to whip up a jar of this stuff, takes 5 minutes, tops. I always keep it on hand in the kitchen, because we love a good tex-mex dinner.
I much prefer this over store-bought seasoning packets, because I can make it really mild for my family with two young kids and a toddler. Feel free to spice it up as much as you like!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chili powder/ground paprika: I will usually do this with all ground paprika, because one of my children has a zero tolerance for spiciness. You can also use all chili powder for a very spicy seasoning, or use a combination of chili powder, ground paprika and smoked paprika for some extra flavor.
- Onion/garlic powder: Depending on the brand you buy, onion and garlic powder can become a little lumpy over time. If your powder has stuck together into one giant block, I highly recommend breaking it up as much as possible before stirring up the seasoning.
- Salt: I use a fine sea salt, if you use table salt or kosher salt, the saltiness of your seasoning will vary.
How to make your own taco seasoning
Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and combine very well (I use a fork for this and “mash”/stir the seasoning to fully blend all of the spices). Then store in a dry place in a clean, airtight jar.
combine ingredients well so easy!
As you can see, this taco seasoning mix is not only simple, but also gluten free, OK if you’re a crazy person doing a Whole30 or eating paleo (sorry, love you 😉) and completely free from artificial flavors, colors, flavor enhancers, stabilizers…
Recipe tips
- Make it your own: I encourage you to try it as written once, then adjust it to whatever suits your taste better. Want more heat? Add more chili. Not a fan of cumin? Try reducing it. Play with it until it’s perfect for you!
- Store it right: Keep your taco seasoning in a dry (very important!), well-closed jar. It’s best to use it within 6 months or so, because ground spices start losing their flavor after a while.
Recipe ideas
This seasoning mix is so versatile! You can use it on ground beef to make taco meat. Or on chicken. Or on fish. On steak. On shrimp, even! Here are my favorite recipes to use it in:
- One Pot Taco Pasta
- Guacamole
- Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- One Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Mexican Beef and Rice
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Homemade Taco Seasoning
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chili powder OR more ground paprika for extra mild
- 2 tablespoons ground paprika OR smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon dried onion powder
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together and keep in a small, clean, dry tightly sealed jar in your pantry for up to six months.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Chili powder/ground paprika: I will usually do this with all ground paprika, because one of my children has a zero tolerance for spiciness. You can also use all chili powder for a very spicy seasoning, or use a combination of chili powder, ground paprika and smoked paprika for some extra flavor.
- Onion/garlic powder: Depending on the brand you buy, onion and garlic powder can become a little lumpy over time. If your powder has stuck together into one giant block, I highly recommend breaking it up as much as possible before stirring up the seasoning.
- Salt: I use a fine sea salt, if you use table salt or kosher salt, the saltiness of your seasoning will vary.
Recipe tips
- Make it your own: I encourage you to try it as written once, then adjust it to whatever suits your taste better. Want more heat? Add more chili. Not a fan of cumin? Try reducing it. Play with it until it’s perfect for you!
- Store it right: Keep your taco seasoning in a dry (very important!), well-closed jar. It’s best to use it within 6 months or so, because ground spices start losing their flavor after a while.
Nutrition
More recipe information
Recipe first published on 04/25/2018. Updated with slight improvements to recipe and new photos/text on 04/12/2021.
Denise says
No more supermarket spice packs. This recipe is delicious as is!