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Taco Seasoning is one of the easiest things to make and the flavor is far-superior to any store-bought packet! Ready in minutes using staples you likely have on hand, this all-purpose taco seasoning is the best way to add flavor to tacos and more!
Why Homemade Taco Seasoning?
Whether you have run out of taco seasoning or you simply want to have a little quality control over your seasoning blends--you will LOVE this recipe for homemade taco seasoning!
Homemade taco seasoning gives you full control-no weird additives, allergens, or extra sodium. Plus, it's super easy to whip up with pantry spices, and you can tweak it just how you like.
Even better? The flavor is so much better! Perfect for taco meat, taco pizza, taco dip and so much more!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Recipe Highlights
Ingredients in Taco Seasoning
Taco seasoning is made with salt, pepper, and simple dried spices. You likely have everything on hand to make this blend, but I do have a few notes on a couple of ingredients.
- Chili Powder: Use basic chili powder, not ancho chili powder or chipotle chili powder for the best balance of flavor.
- Paprika: Regular, not smoked paprika, as the smoky undertones overwhelm the spice blend.
- Dried Oregano: Italian or Mexican dried oregano both work equally well.
- Red Pepper Flakes: I prefer red pepper flakes over cayenne pepper, as it adds heat without being overly intense.
- Salt: Use kosher salt not iodized salt (table salt), as kosher salt enhances the flavor and contains less sodium per teaspoon.
Kristen's Tip
For optimum flavor in your taco seasoning, be sure you use dried spices that are no more than 6 months old. As spices sit in the pantry, they begin to lose their flavor.
How to Make Taco Seasoning
- Place the salt, pepper, and dried spices into a small jar, like a ball jar, or small spice jar.
- Seal the jar and give it a good shake until everything is well distributed and store in cool, darky pantry for up to 6 months.
How to Use Taco Seasoning
For every 1 packet of taco seasoning, use 2 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning. Or think outside the box and use this Tex Mex blend to add flavor to endless dishes.
- For Tacos: Perfect way to flavor ground beef tacos, shredded chicken tacos, black bean tacos, sweet potato tacos, lentil tacos, and more!
- Season Tex-Mex Dishes: Beyond tacos, taco seasoning adds just the right flavor to bean burritos, turkey taco skillet, Instant Pot refried beans, Instant Pot Spanish rice, and more!
- Jazz up Cozy Soups and Chilis: Taco seasoning is perfect for crockpot chicken chili, Instant Pot taco chili, or Instant Pot tortilla soup.
- Make a Creamy Taco Dressing: Mix 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning with 1 cup of sour cream and the juice of a fresh lime for a quick dressing for taco Salad or southwest chicken salad.
- Make a Taco Burger: Season 1 pound of ground beef with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning to form burgers.
- Flavor Potatoes: In place of salt, use 1-2 teaspoons of taco seasoning to season homemade fries, air fryer fries, or roasted red potatoes.
Recipe Modifications
- Don't like garlic? Omit the garlic powder.
- Can't handle the heat? Omit the red pepper flakes.
- Like it spicier? Double the amount of crushed red pepper flakes used OR replace it with cayenne pepper.
- Sodium-Free/Lower Sodium Taco Seasoning: Omit the salt completely or cut it in half. I promise this spice blend will still add great flavor to your Tex Mex recipes.
More Homemade Spice Blends
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup chili powder
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup cumin
- ⅓ cup paprika
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¼ cup black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add 1 ¼ cup chili powder, ⅓ cup kosher salt, ½ cup cumin, ⅓ cup paprika, ¼ cup garlic powder, ¼ cup onion powder, ¼ cup black pepper, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, and ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes to a small mixing bowl or jar and mix to evenly combine.
- Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and store in the pantry for up to 6 months.
- For every 1 packet of taco seasoning, use 2 tablespoons of this homemade taco seasoning.
Notes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2025.
Good
Flavors look good. Thank you for the recipe.
Regarding using the tool for making fewer servings: The software changes the quantities, but not the units. For example, if I say I want to make 5 packets, it reduces the garlic powder to 0.06 cups, which is in fact 1 tablespoon (well, actually that would be 0.0625 cups, but the software does rounding). The software would be far more useable if it did unit conversions: just call it 1 tablespoon. This is a trivial programming problem for first year students.
Since the software does have this problem, the base recipe would be better published for fewer packets. It is easier for people to scale up in their heads than it is to deal with the (rounded) decimals.
Again, thank you for what looks like a good recipe. I prefer to try it out with smaller quantities.
Hi Tina! I am aware of this issues and have included the amounts for 1 packet in the recipe card, but thank you for the feedback 🙂
I have been doing research on the amounts of sodium in food. According to the American Heart Association, your Nutritional values need to change on this great Taco Seasoning and many other recipes. Apparently the software you use is giving off false values. But those of us who search making our own seasonings need to have the proper amounts since the salt flavoring is so good and critical to both our cooking and health. This information can be found on the AHA web site. Thank you for the delicious recipes especially for the Instapot we have come to love.
sodium in a given amount of salt:
1/4 teaspoon salt = 575 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,150 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,725 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium
Hi Jeanne! I absolutely agree that having accurate information is crucial for dietary purposes. The nutritional info is based on 1 taco packet seasoning. This recipe makes 20 packets using a total of 16 teaspoons of KOSHER salt or 1/3 cup). Kosher salt actually only 1800 mg vs table salt which has 2300 mg. That can really add up to make a huge difference in a recipe or in your daily diet. 1/3 cup of Kosher Salt is the equivalent to 28,800 mg which when divided by 20 (for 20 packets of seasonings) equals 1440 mg per serving (which is what the nutritional information states). I hope that helps clear up any confusion 🙂
Great bulk taco seasoning recipe and terrific reasons why taco lovers should make it!!!!!
This is delicious. Thank you for the small amount directions. I ended up making more and tossed it with some popcorn. Maybe I should have just made a bigger amount to start with after all. Lol
Next time 🙂 I am happy you enjoyed it so much Teri!
Hi Kristen!!
This is my go to now for taco seasoning it's so amazing and tastes just like store bought. The only issue I ever had was it not sticking to the meat loo ike the packets do. I now add just a little corn starch to the meat the very end to make it thicker. It's not a precise measurement each time but it works perfectly!
Thanks for sharing your cornstarch trick and the fact you enjoy the taco seasoning! 🙂
Great recipe, love having a big batch on hand! I keep making more. Thank you for sharing.
I love this taco seasoning mix. However, if I try to adjust the recipe to fewer than 20 packets, it converts it to metric measurements. I have used your DIY chili seasoning and Homemade Ranch Seasoning recipes too and when I converted them to less than 20 packets, it converted them correctly. Is there a way to fix this for the Taco Seasoning Mix?
Hi Terry! I have tested this recipe on several devices and am not having the issue of the ingredients changing to metric measurements. I submitted a help ticket though to see if it can be fixed for you! So sorry!