Taco Seasoning Recipe

This homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe is totally customizable and so easy to throw together! Whip some up today and skip the store-bought junk!

Why do they always put sugar in everything?

Does it make you crazy?

It does me.

In case you’ve never looked at the ingredients on a store-bought packet of taco seasoning mix, here’s the list on the back of a packet I checked out recently:

• Maltodextrin
• Chili Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Salt
• Yellow Corn Flour
• Spice
• Corn Starch
• Sea Salt
• Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
• Silicon Dioxide
• Sunflower and/or Cottonseed Oil
• Sugar
• Citric Acid
• Natural Flavor
• Ethoxyquin

We all know that maltodextrin is sugar, right? And then sugar is listed again. Why is sugar in taco seasoning?

And ethoxyquin is a preservative that is typically used in animal feed and is very controversial.

Can you believe that?

Since I’m something of a Mexican food junkie, I knew I had to do something about that.

And by that I mean if my blood-salsa level gets low, I get really cranky!

So I decided to make my own.

I love making my own mixes and seasoning blends because not only can I avoid all the sugar and weird things I can’t pronounce, but I get to tailor it specifically for my tastes.

Which is exactly what I’m going to show you how to do for yourself

I don’t really like 3-alarm-fire hot, but I do like spices.

And no matter If you like mild, medium, or set-your-hair-on-fire levels of heat, you can have exactly what you want

So, here’s the list of basic ingredients:

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

• 2 parts cayenne pepper (or regular chili powder)
• 1 part paprika (or smoked paprika)
• 1 part ground cumin
• 1/2 part onion powder
• 1/2 part garlic powder
• 1/4 part chipotle powder (optional)

I put it as ratios so you can make as much or as little as you want.

Your “part” could be a cup or a tablespoon. Totally up to you.

I typically use cups because I use this mix when I’m canning taco meat and also when I’m canning taco soup.

Love to have those always on hand!

These ratios I’ve listed make a mild mix. So if you want to kick it up a notch, add more cayenne or chipotle.

A little too hot for you? Add regular chili powder or even just black pepper instead of the cayenne and chipotle.

And that’s another thing I love about making my own taco seasoning blend! It’s always perfect for me. And this DIY taco seasoning is SOOOO much better than store-bought taco seasoning!!

I usually make a pretty big batch and store it in a quart mason jar that I seal with my Foodsaver vacuum sealer. But store it in any airtight container that you have handy.

I have some in a little spice jar in the kitchen. The rest gets stored in the pantry.

When my little spice jar runs out, I just refill it from the quart jar. And then reseal the jar. Easy as pie.

Takes a whole 5 minutes to whip up a batch. And I make it twice a year.

3 times if I’m giving spices away as Christmas gifts.

You just measure it all out into a small bowl and mix it up.

Then put it in your jars and store.

How to use Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Ok. You’ve got it all mixed up and in a pretty jar. Now what? How much taco seasoning are you supposed to use?

If a recipe calls for 1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix you use 3 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning.

So if you are making beef tacos or chicken tacos, you would brown the meat and add 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix and 1 cup of water per pound of ground beef or chicken.

You can also use taco seasoning for taco dip. Just add 1 1/2 tablespoons to an 8oz carton of sour cream. And that’s all there is to it!

Now that you know how easy it is, whip some up today!

More things to make for your pantry: