Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe - Isabel Eats (2024)

This Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe is made without any added sugar or weird ingredients – just a delicious blend of Mexican spices and herbs to get your taco party started! (gluten free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan)

This Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe has been a long time coming! After using it to make these ground beef tacos and again in this creamy taco pasta, I knew I had to dedicate a separate post all about taco seasoning.

The first time I made my own seasoning blend was kind of an accident. I was making some normal ground beef tacos for taco night and I had everything ready to go except for the seasoning. I thought I had a packet of the store-bought stuff in my spice cabinet but I didn’t, so I decided to season the meat with what I thought would taste good and the results were surprisingly great!

I know I probably shouldn’t admit this because I’m Mexican, but I’ve always actually liked the flavor of store-bought taco seasoning. Other than it being a little too salty, I never minded the flavor at all. So my goal with this taco seasoning recipe was to make it taste like the store-bought stuff. But better. And I did!

The best part is that this recipe has no fillers, preservatives, added sugar or funky ingredients – just my favorite blend of Mexican spices and herbs to get your taco party started.

How to make taco seasoning

This taco seasoning is a simple blend of herbs and spices that I regularly have in my kitchen. The ingredients themselves aren’t super fancy, but the proportions are just right, making this seasoning a powerhouse of flavor. Here’s what you’ll need.

• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

This homemade taco seasoning will last about 6 months when stored in an airtight container, so make a big batch of it and keep it in your spice cabinet to use whenever you’d like!

How to customize this taco seasoning recipe

• Watching your salt intake? Simply leave out the salt in this recipe and just add it as needed during the cooking process.
• Like your taco seasoning on the spicy side? Add 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the mix.
• Want more of a smoky flavor? Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. You could also add some ground chipotle powder.

Once you’ve got your little jar of homemade taco seasoning, all that’s left to do is get cooking! Here are some of my favorite ways to use it.

Recipes made with taco seasoning

• the best taco salad
• healthy chicken nachos
• ground beef tacos
• creamy taco pasta
• easy taco casserole
• sprinkled on any ground or shredded meat mixture for tacos
• sprinkled on popcorn or your favorite snacks

For ground beef, chicken or turkey tacos, I recommend using 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning per 1 pound of meat.

Leave a Reply

1. Tarn

   September 5, 2023

   
   This is my #1 favorite taco recipe… hands down!
   I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when I started trying different taco recipes, until I found this one. I still try other recipes form time to time but keep coming back to this every time.
   An unpublished beauty of this recipe is that by changing the type of paprika you use, you can change the kick (heat) to it. As you know, paprika is nothing more than dried pepper powder. Cayenne pepper powder is paprika. So use any mixture of paprika to add more heat.

   Reply

2. Dohanna Self

   April 28, 2023

   Love this taco seasoning! Just the perfect balance of spices! So happy I found this recipe.

   Reply

3. Jimmy

   August 2, 2021

   I haven’t seen any new posts for some time now are you still available
   or am I still subscribed??
   Thanks Jimmy

   Reply

   1. Morgan @ Isabel Eats

      August 5, 2021

      Hi Jimmy! Isabel is currently on maternity leave but will return soon.

      Reply

4. Shellie

   July 29, 2021

   when you add the taco seasoning to the meat, do you add water, like with the store packet?

   Reply

   1. Ana @ Isabel Eats

      January 14, 2022

      Hi Shellie! We would recommend using this recipe without water, almost like a dry rub for the meat. Hope this helps!

      Reply

5. Noelle

   April 26, 2021

   See Also

   Loaded Air Fryer (or Oven) Nachos with Ground Beef recipe - Tiffin And Tea

   
   I use your taco seasoning for all my tacos, but it’s the PERFECT companion to tacos dorados! Thank you!

   Reply

6. Buffy

   August 29, 2019

   
   Love your recipes

   Reply

   1. Isabel

      August 30, 2019

      Thank you so much!

      Reply

7. Kayla

   April 24, 2019

   
   I’m sold on this taco seasoning for life, it really is perfect.

   Reply

8. Heather

   April 15, 2019

   Yummy! Just made this up! This is just right amount of spice for my Taco Salad!
   Grandsons should like the spike up of spice!
   Thank you

   Reply

9. Joe

   April 3, 2019

   
   Great recipe, thanks! I use it with veggie broth to marinate soy curls,

   Reply

10. Judy

    March 12, 2019

    Love this recipe ❤

    Reply

    1. Isabel

       March 15, 2019

       Thank you so much!

       Reply

11. Cheryl

    August 31, 2018

    What kind of chili powder do you use? They are all so different, so it would make a difference in the final flavor of the mix. Thanks, love your recipes and look forward to trying them.

    Reply

    1. Isabel

       September 19, 2018

       Hi Cheryl! I love and use almost exclusively the Simply Organic brand of spices. Here’s the specific one that I use – https://amzn.to/2poMYPS.

       Reply

       1. Becky K

          March 10, 2023

          
          Hi Isabel! I’m a fan of your recipes and have made many of them. Seriously, you should write a cookbook! That would be SO great! In regards to the taco seasoning, I wondered about the chili powder. I have several pure chili powders I got from Native seeds in Tucson. Would you recommend still using the blend you suggested or could I use what I have. Ancho, guihillo(sic), hatch, poblabo is what’s in the cupboard.

          Reply

          1. Ana @ Isabel Eats

             March 13, 2023

             Hi Becky! Yes you can definitely use your chili powders, I bet it’ll turn out delicious with them! We are actually in the process of publishing a cookbook! So be on the lookout for that later this year 🙂

             Reply

             1. Becky Knutson

                March 29, 2023

                Thanks for your reply! I just saw it today. Of the chili powders I listed, would you use one over the other? I haven’t made the taco seasoning yet because I still have some commercial stuff to use up. So happy to know you have a cookbook in the works! Hope umpire having a nice maternity leave! Thanks!
                Becky

             2. Ana @ Isabel Eats

                April 4, 2023

                I would say ancho and guajillo!

          2. Tarn

             September 5, 2023

             
             Seriously recommend that you publish this cookbook (and all previously published cookbooks) in “epub” format, as well as hard copy.
             I have close to fifty hard copy cookbooks (never getting rid of them) and over 100 electronic cookbooks.
             I have an inexpensive tablet that I use in the kitchen for most of my recipes. It takes up less space, and is replaceable, where Grandma’s original Betty Crocker’s Cookbook is not.
             And I can carry all 100 cookbooks with me, on my phone, anywhere I go.