Make the Best Homemade Taco Seasoning With This Easy Recipe
Get more flavor for less money with this homemade taco seasoning recipe!
Use taco seasoning often?
It’s actually really simple and quick to make your own taco seasoning at home – plus it tastes better! Compiling your own homemade taco seasoning recipe is an easy way to save money and it’s a much healthier option when compared to the pre-packaged versions that you buy at the store.
If you find that you frequently use taco seasoning in your kitchen, then it’s totally worth it to whip up your own version from scratch. We often have taco night at our house, so this homemade taco seasoning has definitely become a staple in my kitchen!
Hip tips for making homemade taco seasoning:
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- Check out your dollar store for spices to save money! Dollar Tree has many of the spices you’ll need to make homemade taco seasoning, and they’re all just a dollar! If you have a Dollar Tree near you, check there first when buying your spices. This could save you a good bit of money!
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- Add or subtract amounts to customize for your family! This recipe is extremely customizable and very easy to cater to your family’s taste. For example, if you like things spicier, try adding more red pepper flakes.
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- Double the recipe to make a REALLY larger batch! This recipe already makes a pretty large batch of taco seasoning – enough to season 5-6 pounds of meat. But I always try to make a double batch so it lasts me even longer. Once you taste this homemade taco seasoning, it will be something you’ll always want to have on hand. You’ll never want to buy those little packets at the store again!
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- Looking for a genius way to store spices? Check out this damage-free Command shelf I have in my pantry. I love mine!
Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
prep time: 10 MINUTES
total time: 10 MINUTES
Make this tasty homemade taco seasoning to use in your taco recipes!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
Directions
1
Mix ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container. That's it! Use about two tablespoons per pound of ground beef when making tacos.
Additional Notes
Recipe makes 38 teaspoons.
Use this homemade taco seasoning recipe to make these EASY dishes:
I always make ours! Although i don’t premake it. I just shake what i need when i need it. I have a daughter with a wheat allergy so it’s also a must.
How much do you use for a pound of meat?
1/5 to 1/6 of the recipe. It says at the beginning that it seasons 5-6 pounds of meat. HTH. 🌮
So usually about 2 Tablespoons per one pound of meat – or to taste 🙂
Thanks Lina!
I have this recipe taped to the jar and usually triple it when I make it. It’s a keeper! Thanks Lina!
Oh good! Sure Bitty! 🙂
I add dried cilantro to mine.
I love that. Going to try this next time.
I love this recipe! My family has not went back to packaged taco seasoning since!
We do this! It works very well. I keep it in a canning jar. We tried to do a ranch dry mix also but that didn’t work out as well.
Best part is no MSG or yucky chemicals 😝
I used to buy taco seasoning from a small company that isn’t around anymore. In my attempt to mimic their recipe, I like to add in a dash of chipotle powder, a pinch of orange zest, and a small box of raisins. It is the most surprising addition and it tastes wonderful.
I only add those to my base mix when making tacos, not for taco soup or anything else that uses the taco mix.
We use this seasoning for ground turkey and then make nachos. It also works well with fajitas.
I use this minus the paprika.
I’ve used the same recipe for years & it’s awesome! Cheaper & no weird preservatives, additives or fillers. 🙂
Where can I get the container it is in I love that.
Target dollar spot 🙂
I think this is the same recipe I use. I started making my own when my son was diagnosed with a wheat allergy. I put mine in an empty spice container. I just triple the recipe when I make it. It is so easy and cheap I won’t go back.
You can find many of these spices on this list at Ollie’s in large containers at really low prices. I could make a triple batch and not have to make it again for a while.
Does anyone have a similar recipe for chili seasoning? Thanks!
Hope this helps. I omit the cayenne for my family.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (omit or increase to taste)
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a bowl.
Blend thoroughly.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Paprika is a pepper and should be refrigerated for maximum shelf life and potency.
Notes
Use 1-2 Tbsp of chili powder per pound of meat, or to taste.
Do you add water to this, or just straight into the meat?
Yes I would add 1/2 cup of water or as desired.
This is how I make mine too! So much better! I make my own salsa as well. It’s so much better than premade and cheaper to make!
Awesome Tracy!! Yes I love making salsa too! Yum❤️
I have this ready in a ziploc for chili, shredded meat tacos etc. It is a smart way to use up spices that always seem to linger.
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Love the Command shelf idea for my son’s college apartment where cupboard space is limited. I get so many great tips, ideas, recipes, in addition to the deals from Hip2Save!
Without my needing to research, does anyone know what products need to be gluten free to make this gluten free? I know chili powder and cumin powder but not sure about other ingredients. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I just recently purchased a large container of McCormick taco seasoning from Costco. To my surprise and disappointment, the main ingredient is corn meal. Has it always been that way? I never noticed before, and I have been using the McCormick seasoning from Costco for years!
Ok dumb question here. With regard to the chili powder, all I can ever find is the powder that is used to make chili. It has spices already mixed in it. Is this the chili powder to use in this recipe or is there a single ingredient chili powder? Thanks in advance for your patience…
Oh sure – and yes on the spice isle there is single ingredient chili powder 👍
if you have Target, they show a bottle of chili powder in the ad this wk, on sale for $0.79. It’s just a redish/brown powder found with the other spices.
Thank you Lina and Mel. I appreciate your help.
Where did u get that cute spice jar? This taco seasoning is amazing!
Oh good! I found that at Target one year – You could maybe get the same effect with a chalk label like this –> https://amzn.to/34EHvaY
Sounds good and will try but I would like to know if anyone has a recipe for sloppy joes? I’ve tried a few and really didn’t like them so I still go back to the package, but want to get away from it. Help if you can. I’ll try anything at least once. My problem was the leftovers were not very tasty.
Yes! I just made these two days ago, as my kids ask for S/Js all the time, and we love this recipe https://hip2save-com-develop.go-vip.co/recipes/10-minute-kid-approved-sloppy-joes/
Thank you so much!!! I have been thinking about researching this lately as I am tired of buying the packets. Leave it to the Hip2Save crew to help me out. Been following you since the beginning! Thank you!!
Aw thanks Kim! You’ll love this! ❤️👍
Lina, I recently tried a knock off taco bell crunch wrap recipe that tasted just like taco bell. The ingredient that was in the meat mix was ground coriander – a spice I have but rarely use. If you like that Taco Bell flavor, I’d suggest trying some of that to your mixture next time. Maybe we are just missing that Taco Bell taste due to quarantine… lol
I really like your contributions to H2S – oh and say Happy Birthday to Collin for me!
ahhhh that’s a great idea! Thanks for that tip, and sweet comment! I sure will <3
I’m another one who always adds coriander to my own taco seasoning — I always use half the amount of the cumin (so a tablepsoon of cumin needs a half-tablespoon of coriander). I also always add sage in half the amount of the oregano because they play so well together.
My advice is NOT to buy dollar store spices and instead get GOOD, FRESH spices — Penzeys is phenomenal (but expensive), but Frontier Coop is quite good (and very reasonable). I also like Denver Spice Co. on Amazon. Sprouts and Whole Foods also sell bulk spices — just buy what you need without the packaging (their bulk bins are stocked with Frontier Coop’s spices). A lot of the cost of spices is tied up in the glass jars you probably don’t need anyway — buying them in pouches or bulk bags gets you more value. I’ve found that really good-quality, fresh spices are one of the best investments you can make in your kitchen!
I think they use corn meal or corn starch in the store packs for a thickener? I just add water and boil it down to the thickness we like. I wanted to add that coriander is the seed from cilantro. It really doesn’t taste the same but it’s in the same family. (coriander has a more floral aroma kind of like parsnips to me anyway?) Hubby hates cilantro but doesn’t mind coriander.
I also make my own knock off for the Taco Bell fire taco sauce. I clipped the recipe ages ago from the newspaper and have not bought taco sauce since! I plan on making a batch of this taco seasoning and seeing how we like it. I am sick of buying it. Last time I got a box of 4 at Kroger and it’s decent for a good price but I’m sure your recipe is better!