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This DIY taco seasoning recipe is quick and easy to whip up, and works great as a seasoning on everything from tacos to veggies, meat, seafood, rice, beans, soups, salads and more.
Getting ready to make a recipe that calls for taco seasoning, but don’t have a jar on hand?
No worries — just mix up a quick batch of this homemade taco seasoning! ♡
All you need is a handful of spices that you likely already have in your pantry. Simply whisk them all together, store in a sealed spice jar, and use whenever you are ready!
This homemade taco seasoning is — of course — fantastic when used to season the meat, seafood, veggies or beans in your favorite taco recipe. But don’t forget that it can also be used a million other ways as well! I’m especially partial to using taco seasoning to flavor Mexican rice or a side of black beans. It works great as a rub for steak, chicken, fish or shrimp, especially during summertime grilling season. I also often sprinkle it in soups or add it to a vinaigrette when I’m craving a zesty salad. And if you’re feeling adventurous — trust me on this one — it’s actually surprisingly delicious when sprinkled on popcorn too!
However you use it, this homemade taco seasoning recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket. So go raid your spice drawer, and let’s make a quick batch together!
Homemade Taco Seasoning Ingredients:
To make this homemade taco seasoning recipe, you will need the following spices:
Chili powder: Please note that this is American-style chili powder, which includes a mix of spices. (International readers, it is fairly mild and not cayenne. ♡)
Paprika: I prefer to use smoked paprika, but you could also use standard or sweet paprika if you prefer.
Salt and black pepper: I used fine sea salt and finely-ground black pepper for this recipe.
Crushed red pepper flakes: To add a bit of heat. If you prefer a milder taco seasoning, you can leave these out. Or if you don’t have crushed red pepper flakes on hand, you could also sub in a pinch of cayenne.
How To Make Taco Seasoning:
To make homemade taco seasoning, simply…
Combine the ingredients. Combine everything together in a small jar, cover and shake until evenly combined.
Store. A batch of homemade taco seasoning should last you about a year!
This homemade taco seasoning recipe can be made in minutes. And it’s also preservative-free, gluten-free and easily customizable. So much better than storebought taco seasoning mix!
Chili powder: Please note that this recipe uses American-style chili powder, which is actually a blend of spices and very different than cayenne (as well as many other types of chili powders sold internationally).
My only suggestion: double the recipe. It’s so easy and tasty. I would not but a prepackaged mix again. I use it with ground turkey meat for taco salads. I also put it in a quick dressing (plain yogurt, milk, salsa) recipe that I found on The Yummy Life.
I’ve probably made this recipe 30+ times in the last two years. It is AMAZING and my family loves it. Sometimes I play around with using smoked paprika or chipotle chile pepper to mix it up, but it’s always wonderful!
Loved it! It was easy to tweak. I added it to one pound of meat and some blended tomatoes. Thank you – I knew to turn to you for great mexican inspired ideas.
Love this taco mix. I have used it for a couple of years and refuse to buy the packets. I normally quadruple
the recipe so I don’t have to make it so often, it doesn’t seem to last long in our house.
I made this for a homemade taco pizza. It turned out very well.
I multiplied the ingredients by 5 so that I will have a stash for future dinners. I also added 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to my batch that was quintupled. I added a bit of boiling water to make a paste, which is always preferable to just dumping the dry ingredients in.
Thank you for the recipe. Trying to stay away from pre- packaged foods and eat healthier. Making my own seasoning helps me control the salt. This is a good recipe. We’ve made it before.
I tried other recipes, but this is the only one I liked. I quadrupled the recipe so it would last awhile as we make tacos almost every Tuesday! And I am going to make extra to give to friends.
At the last minute, I realized that I did not have any packets of store bought taco seasoning. But I had all the ingredients to make this recipe.I WILL NEVER BUY PACKETS AGAIN.. This made the best Taco Soup and I am looking forward to the Taco salad.
I tried your seasonings and it was good. I added a chili, smoked paprika mix that I found at Tuesday Morning and a little bit of sugar to balance the taste. I doubled everything. The boyfriend liked it!
How much seasoning would I use for 1 pound of meat to make tacos. Thank you
Anela —
I was wondering the same thing
Kim —
Same.
GMJ —
1 recipe, appx 3T pound of ground meat, I believe. To “bloom” the flavor even more, push meat off to the outer edges of the fry pan. Sprinkle some of the seasoning directly onto the bottom of the pan for a few seconds. Mix meat back in and sprinkle the rest in. Try more Cumin also. GRANULATED (dry) Garlic works well in this.
Only thing I’d like to know is how much water do you add to it I know like in a taco seasoning packet from the store it’s like 2/3 of a cup from this recipe I don’t know.
Teri A Thomas —
Store bought seasoning adds a thickener. I added a quart cup of cornmeal and a cup of water to thicken and stretch the meat.
Anonymous —
Just slowly keep adding and trust yourself. ?
GMJ —
Same amout of water as directed on 1 packet. Let it cook down a bit, It will enhance & blend the flavors as it cooks down.
I like this. Easy to put together with stuff I already have. Also, you can customize if you want, ie cut down or ramp up red pepper flakes. How I used for taco filling was to brown 1 lb ground beef. Then I drained excess grease. I added two and a half tablespoons of seasoning and one half cup of water. I simmered for about 5 minutes. Delicious and easy.
I like this recipe very easy to make. First thing I noticed was I was out of chili powder so I got out all the ingredients for that and made it. When I started making the taco seasoning almost all the ingredients were already there. Not as much deference in chili powder and taco seasoning as I thought.
Hey I saw a lot of comments about water… if you are making taco meat the only reason the taco seasoning directions on the packet say to add water (and way more than needed by the way) is to make sure the seasoning blends throughout all the meat and then you simmer to get the flavor to set in. You cook (or should cook all the water off in the process anyway so you can use no water to very little water and make sure everything cooks together long enough for it to blend. Just like most dishes with a sauce. Cook it well ahead of time… even if you have to refrigerate and reheat…. The more time the seasonings can part the better the flavor when you eat it…
Was out of store bought taco seasoning and came across this recipe. Super good and a perfect combination of spices. Used it in a tortilla casserole and made it very flavorful. The only change I made was to cut down the chili powder slightly. Will never buy another pre-made package again. Thanks! Susan
I was just thinking about making veggie tacos for dinner tonight, but realized I had no taco seasoning. Then I started reading my emails and this recipe appeared. What perfect timing! And I have all the ingredients. Thank you. Stay safe during this pandemic. I’m glad you are now able to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather in Barcelona.
The taco seasoning was very easy to make and much healthier than what I usually get at the store. One comment: I used it to make shrimp tacos and there wasn’t much left over as the taco recipe specified 2-3 Tablespoons of seasoning for 1 pound of shrimp! Was that a typo? Seemed like 2-3 tsps.might have been better. I ended up using 1-1/2 tablespoons and my shrimp were covered with gobs of seasoning. Something seems wrong…? Generally I’ve been loving your recipes. They are easy and very clear. This one mystified me!
Hi Ali – what could us international folk use instead of chili powder? Or should we just leave it out?
Chad Collins. —
Chili powder has most same ingredients as taco seasoning. At home we dry poblanos and cubanelles peppers sometimes throw one habanero or hot pepper in the process. Grind to powder. Then add in onion powder garlic powder cumin powder and some coriander seed powder…..and a little dried oregano and grind all together to a powder. Then use this as chili powder. You can smoke and then dry Chili’s to make a pure base chili powder…then add in those other ingredients to make an American chili powder to use in the listed taco recipe. Look up home made chili powder u.s. you will find the same ingredients as a taco mix which sometimes add a touch of sugar and a touch of flour and cornstarch to create a store bought taco packet.
This is such a good blend! I had all the ingredients on hand so it was very easy to mix together. I used it on some yellowtail for fish tacos for our Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Even a non-fish eater thought it was quite tasty on the fish. Next I will try it on some chicken for the meat eaters in the house.
This was great! I did’t have onion powder so I substituted the same amount of onion salt.
I added about 1 TBSP (plus alittle more to taste) to a pound of browned hamberger along with
3 oz of tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water. Worked great for Taco meat!
An excellent take on this, thank you for getting this out. Have now tried it on shrimp, salmon, ground meat, and eggs. It’s wonderful in all cases. Heartily endorse :)
This seasoning was fantastic. I used 1LB of ground beef. I added about a 1/4 tsp more salt ( for those of you who are like me and like things a bit more salty. Once the meat was cooked i drained the fat, chopped some bell peppers and onions and cooked them in the left over grease and they came out amazing! Served this taco style with tortillas, beans, cotija cheese, and sour cream. My whole family loved it, even the picky eaters! Thank you!!!
Love this recipe! Thank you for sharing, it’s perfect. It also tastes TONS better than store bought taco seasoning. Although I did add more of the crushed chili flakes, but that’s only because I like a lot of heat. ?
I just made this recipe tonight with one pound of hamburger, I added water to allow to simmer. Was delicious without all the salt of store bought packages. Thanks!
Homemade Taco Seasoning Ingredients:
My only suggestion: double the recipe. It’s so easy and tasty. I would not but a prepackaged mix again. I use it with ground turkey meat for taco salads. I also put it in a quick dressing (plain yogurt, milk, salsa) recipe that I found on The Yummy Life.
I’ve probably made this recipe 30+ times in the last two years. It is AMAZING and my family loves it. Sometimes I play around with using smoked paprika or chipotle chile pepper to mix it up, but it’s always wonderful!
This was delicious! Thanks for the customizable suggestion. I’ll never buy a packet again :)
Loved it! It was easy to tweak. I added it to one pound of meat and some blended tomatoes. Thank you – I knew to turn to you for great mexican inspired ideas.
Every recipe I make from your site is amazing! I love this easy and yummy taco seasoning! Thank you for such great recipes!!
Makes good hamburger seasoning as well for some good burgers
I know this is super old, but I use this as my base for my taco seasoning. I have a jar full, thank you so much!!
Love this taco mix. I have used it for a couple of years and refuse to buy the packets. I normally quadruple
the recipe so I don’t have to make it so often, it doesn’t seem to last long in our house.
I made this for a homemade taco pizza. It turned out very well.
I multiplied the ingredients by 5 so that I will have a stash for future dinners. I also added 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to my batch that was quintupled. I added a bit of boiling water to make a paste, which is always preferable to just dumping the dry ingredients in.
This was a great and flavorful recipe!
I made the taco seasoning and used it in taco soup. It was very good.
Thank you for the recipe. Trying to stay away from pre- packaged foods and eat healthier. Making my own seasoning helps me control the salt. This is a good recipe. We’ve made it before.
I LOVE this recipe! I will NEVER use store bought again! Thank you!
Thank you! Your taco seasoning mix is great ❤️
I tried other recipes, but this is the only one I liked. I quadrupled the recipe so it would last awhile as we make tacos almost every Tuesday! And I am going to make extra to give to friends.
Wow so good!
I added a 1/2 tsp of arrowroot powder to thicken while cooking. Turned out perfect.
At the last minute, I realized that I did not have any packets of store bought taco seasoning. But I had all the ingredients to make this recipe.I WILL NEVER BUY PACKETS AGAIN.. This made the best Taco Soup and I am looking forward to the Taco salad.
I tried your seasonings and it was good. I added a chili, smoked paprika mix that I found at Tuesday Morning and a little bit of sugar to balance the taste. I doubled everything. The boyfriend liked it!
Made it, better than store packets! Try it, it’s quick n easy!
I tried this and loved it. I love that it is homemade with no added preservatives.
Works great helps save a $1 as i can make a jelly jar full to keep for make ahead
I love tacos so much
How much seasoning would I use for 1 pound of meat to make tacos. Thank you
I was wondering the same thing
Same.
1 recipe, appx 3T pound of ground meat, I believe. To “bloom” the flavor even more, push meat off to the outer edges of the fry pan. Sprinkle some of the seasoning directly onto the bottom of the pan for a few seconds. Mix meat back in and sprinkle the rest in. Try more Cumin also. GRANULATED (dry) Garlic works well in this.
Instead of 1 tsp paprika I put 1 tbsp and I love it. The recipe is awesome. Keeping this and it’s so simple.
Only thing I’d like to know is how much water do you add to it I know like in a taco seasoning packet from the store it’s like 2/3 of a cup from this recipe I don’t know.
Store bought seasoning adds a thickener. I added a quart cup of cornmeal and a cup of water to thicken and stretch the meat.
Just slowly keep adding and trust yourself. ?
Same amout of water as directed on 1 packet. Let it cook down a bit, It will enhance & blend the flavors as it cooks down.
I’ve made it twice now and love it. Thank you! :)
I like this. Easy to put together with stuff I already have. Also, you can customize if you want, ie cut down or ramp up red pepper flakes. How I used for taco filling was to brown 1 lb ground beef. Then I drained excess grease. I added two and a half tablespoons of seasoning and one half cup of water. I simmered for about 5 minutes. Delicious and easy.
I like this recipe very easy to make. First thing I noticed was I was out of chili powder so I got out all the ingredients for that and made it. When I started making the taco seasoning almost all the ingredients were already there. Not as much deference in chili powder and taco seasoning as I thought.
Hey I saw a lot of comments about water… if you are making taco meat the only reason the taco seasoning directions on the packet say to add water (and way more than needed by the way) is to make sure the seasoning blends throughout all the meat and then you simmer to get the flavor to set in. You cook (or should cook all the water off in the process anyway so you can use no water to very little water and make sure everything cooks together long enough for it to blend. Just like most dishes with a sauce. Cook it well ahead of time… even if you have to refrigerate and reheat…. The more time the seasonings can part the better the flavor when you eat it…
Was out of store bought taco seasoning and came across this recipe. Super good and a perfect combination of spices. Used it in a tortilla casserole and made it very flavorful. The only change I made was to cut down the chili powder slightly. Will never buy another pre-made package again. Thanks! Susan
How much of the seasoning did you use for 1 lb of hamburger?
I was just thinking about making veggie tacos for dinner tonight, but realized I had no taco seasoning. Then I started reading my emails and this recipe appeared. What perfect timing! And I have all the ingredients. Thank you. Stay safe during this pandemic. I’m glad you are now able to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather in Barcelona.
The taco seasoning was very easy to make and much healthier than what I usually get at the store. One comment: I used it to make shrimp tacos and there wasn’t much left over as the taco recipe specified 2-3 Tablespoons of seasoning for 1 pound of shrimp! Was that a typo? Seemed like 2-3 tsps.might have been better. I ended up using 1-1/2 tablespoons and my shrimp were covered with gobs of seasoning. Something seems wrong…? Generally I’ve been loving your recipes. They are easy and very clear. This one mystified me!
Hi Ali – what could us international folk use instead of chili powder? Or should we just leave it out?
Chili powder has most same ingredients as taco seasoning. At home we dry poblanos and cubanelles peppers sometimes throw one habanero or hot pepper in the process. Grind to powder. Then add in onion powder garlic powder cumin powder and some coriander seed powder…..and a little dried oregano and grind all together to a powder. Then use this as chili powder. You can smoke and then dry Chili’s to make a pure base chili powder…then add in those other ingredients to make an American chili powder to use in the listed taco recipe. Look up home made chili powder u.s. you will find the same ingredients as a taco mix which sometimes add a touch of sugar and a touch of flour and cornstarch to create a store bought taco packet.
Made tonight for quarantine Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday!
It’s delicious! Thanks for a great recipe
This is such a good blend! I had all the ingredients on hand so it was very easy to mix together. I used it on some yellowtail for fish tacos for our Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Even a non-fish eater thought it was quite tasty on the fish. Next I will try it on some chicken for the meat eaters in the house.
I never thought I’d make this and SO glad I did – I LOVE it. I use it in a lot of things, especially over easy eggs. It’s fabulous
This was great! I did’t have onion powder so I substituted the same amount of onion salt.
I added about 1 TBSP (plus alittle more to taste) to a pound of browned hamberger along with
3 oz of tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water. Worked great for Taco meat!
Love it!
How much of this mixture do you use per 1 pound of meat?
Absolutely delicious!!
An excellent take on this, thank you for getting this out. Have now tried it on shrimp, salmon, ground meat, and eggs. It’s wonderful in all cases. Heartily endorse :)
My family liked this recipe over store brought.
This seasoning was fantastic. I used 1LB of ground beef. I added about a 1/4 tsp more salt ( for those of you who are like me and like things a bit more salty. Once the meat was cooked i drained the fat, chopped some bell peppers and onions and cooked them in the left over grease and they came out amazing! Served this taco style with tortillas, beans, cotija cheese, and sour cream. My whole family loved it, even the picky eaters! Thank you!!!
How much of this do you use to a pound of meat? Do you use the entire recipe?
Since I couldn’t find my own from back in the day, I was pleased to find this one. Used it for tonight’s tacos!
Sure taste better than package taco mix even my son said so he is 15 and a taco freak
Excellent! My entire family loved it!
Love this recipe! Thank you for sharing, it’s perfect. It also tastes TONS better than store bought taco seasoning. Although I did add more of the crushed chili flakes, but that’s only because I like a lot of heat. ?
I just made this recipe tonight with one pound of hamburger, I added water to allow to simmer. Was delicious without all the salt of store bought packages. Thanks!