This Homemade Taco Seasoning is smokey and sweet with just enough heat. You can use it to flavor ground beef for tacos, sprinkle it over quesadillas, add it to a pot of chili and so much more.
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Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
Considering how simple it is to throw together a batch of Homemade Taco Seasoning, you’ll never want to go back to the store-bought packets again. Not only do brands like Old El Paso contain ingredients like silicone dioxide, maltodextrin and far too much salt, the flavor also tends to fall pretty flat.
One of the best things about making your own seasoning mixes, besides how little time it takes, is that you can adjust them to taste exactly how you like. Want your Homemade Taco Seasoning mild? No problem - just skip the red pepper flakes and reduce the chili powder. Love smoked paprika? Bump the quantity up a notch.
No matter what, be sure and make plenty, and let us know what you used it for in the comments.
How To Use Taco Seasoning
While you can obviously use this Homemade Taco Seasoning for ground beef, don’t limit your use to just tacos. This tastes lovely sprinkled over quesadillas, added to a pot of chili, tossed with potatoes before roasting and so much more. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to use it on:
- Pork Carnitas Nachos
- Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
- Homemade Taco Pizza
- Shredded Beef Tacos
- Oven-Roasted Red Skin Potatoes
Taco Seasoning Ingredients
Ever wonder what spices are in taco seasoning? Here you go:
- Chili Powder - this adds some heat, so feel free to adjust this more or less depending on whether you like your Homemade Taco Seasoning mild or spicy. You could also add a touch of cayenne pepper if you like your tacos extra spicy.
- Oregano - use dried oregano to give a sweet, earthy flavor.
- Cumin - ground cumin adds a distinctive flavor to the taco seasoning mix.
- Paprika - this has a nice smokey flavor and a beautiful bright red color. You can use smoked paprika, sweet paprika or hot paprika.
- Salt - sea salt works, or else use your favorite kind.
- Garlic Powder - this adds a sweet garlic flavor.
- Onion Powder - it adds a great balance to all of the flavors and is very mild.
- Cocoa Powder - you’ll love the little bit of bitterness that cocoa powder adds to this spice mix.
- Black Pepper - any kind of ground black pepper will work.
- Red Pepper Flakes - you can add more or less depending on the level of heat you are going for.
How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Mix spices. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cocoa powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Use or store. Mix well then use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
When a recipe refers to packets of taco seasoning, they are generally referring to the 1 ounce packets. Simply substitute 2 tablespoons of your homemade spice mix for 1 of the store bought packets.
Of course! You can just remove some of the chili powder and red pepper flakes from the mixture. Easy peasy.
As long as they are stored in a cool dry place your spice mix will last for up to 1 year so go ahead and make plenty.
Your local grocery store will carry all of the spices in this recipe, so that is always an option. The main drawback is that they may have been sitting around for months already.
Another easy option is to buy your spices online. An added bonus is that they will often be cheaper, too. Some of our favorite places to shop for spices online are The Spice House and Penzy’s.
Storing Spices
Store your Homemade Taco Seasoning in spice jars, mason jars or any other airtight container that you have. You’ll want to store them in a cool dry place where they will stay fresh for up to 1 year.
Recipe For How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Oregano dried
- 2 Tablespoons Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cocoa Powder
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper ground
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cocoa powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Mix well then transfer to a spice jar or another airtight container.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Looking for more taco recipes?
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Homemade Taco Pizza
- Easy Taco Soup
- Shredded Beef Tacos
- Creamy Taco Soup Recipe
- Beef Tacos
- Chicken Tacos
- More Mexican Recipes
- More Condiments and Sauces
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you. It helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
You'll love this smokey, spicy and super simple Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe. Use it to flavor tacos, quesadillas, soups, chili and so much more.
Katie
I love how easy this is to throw together and I love having it on hand too!
Jill Baird
Yes, Katie, It's so yummy on fajitas, in dip or just about any kind of meat! Thanks for the revidew!
Dini
This was delicious. I loved the proportions, since it had the perfect amount of heat and flavor. We've already used it for pork carnitas and beef tacos, looking forward to using it again for some super bowl snacks! 🙂
Jill Baird
Thanks for letting me know, Dini. You made my day!