Quick homemade taco seasoning loaded with chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. This perfectly balanced taco seasoning mix makes the BEST seasoning for tacos, burritos, chicken, and much more!
Taco Tuesdays just got a whole lot better! Homemade taco seasoning is a MUST in my pantry. I used to go through packs of taco seasoning every week but why use the packaged stuff when you can make your own? Don’t get me wrong, store-bought taco packets are very convenient and taste so good but are loaded with a whole bunch of fillers and ingredients we can’t even pronounce.
This quick DIY homemade version tastes even better and will save you a lot of time and money. You can mix a big batch and store it in a large mason jar or just mix a 2 tablespoon version to make the equivalent of one taco mix packet.
Homemade DIY Taco Seasoning: What you will Need
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried onion
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
Add all the spices to a mason jar. Cover tightly and shake! Enjoy on chicken, shrimp, or beef!
Tip: 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning is equivalent to 1 packet of store-bought taco seasoning.
The BEST Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon minced onion (dried), optional
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch, optional
Instructions
- Add all the spices to a mason jar or large zip-seal bag. Close and shake until fully combined.
Notes
What extra can I add if I want it hot instead of mild.
Cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes!
For a kick, use Spanish Blend Chili Powder!
What does the cornstarch do?
Acts as a thickening agent and absorbs the liquid in the meat
So simple and easy!! Love it and so did My Family
Where is the “button above” for the amounts needed for one serving of this recipe?
Hover your mouse over where it says servings 4. A bar should come up, move the bar to the left, and it will take it down to enough for one serving. Hope that helps.
It’s next to the servings you can toggle it left or right to adjust the servings the recipe makes!
I made Taco Soup for supper last night and realized that I had forgot to buy a taco seasoning packet. You came to the rescue!! I love this seasoning recipe. I made a small mason jar full and should be good for seasoning for a year! LOL Thank you for such a perfect recipe. I think it’s better than the store bought!
well i accidentally put in one TBS of garlic powder not one tsp is this gonna ruin it?
help! sincerely an idiot
You should be okay!!
Recipe says 1 Tablespoon salt. If all other ingredients were measured accurately you’re set.
Great taco seasoning very quick and easy to make. We had beef burritos with this seasoning. Very good!
How long will this keep?
One question: did you use cumin seed? or cumin powder? or roasted cumin powder??
Thank you.
I used seed ground in a spice grinder.
I making my own cumin powder at home by blending fresh cumin seeds.
Wow!! I had always tried to make my own seasoning from reason the ingredients of packets I used to use, never came out that great. I eyeballed all measurements using all the ingredients you listed and !!! Super on point!! Glad I found something where I am not missing taco seasoning packets! Who needs them all the extra fillers and added preservatives when you can make a better one at home! Thanks!
Great recipe! Made it tonight, loved it! My only substitution, instead of salt, I used 1 Tbsp of Adobe .. no more store bought for us!
Thank you!!! We used this recipe last night and it was so yummy 😋 way more flavour than store bought.
It’s unfortunate that you keep getting comments about the salt because people aren’t reading the recipe properly but we think it was perfectly balanced.
This was the first homemade recipe I tried so I’m so glad I’ve found it. I think now I’ve convinced my boyfriend to eat the home made version instead of the store bought one he loved so much.
That’s great to hear, Rebekah!!
hi, what about the salt? I haven’t seen comments and planning on making tonight
I used this recipe for taco seasoning last night when I realized I didn’t have any more Frontera beef seasoning packs in my pantry. I added a bit of cayenne for a little kick, added some beef broth to the ground beef and thickened with organic tomato sauce. My family said it was the best they’ve ever had and I should make tacos this way from now on! Thank you for this recipe…it kept me from running to the store when I was late with dinner prep to start.
This may be an old post but, I wanted to say, thank you for sharing your recipe. Your ratios were on point! I also added a teaspoon each of dried cilantro, and dried Mexican oregano. Used it to make Vegan taco salads using Impossible Burger Plant Based product.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
How much water do you add for every 2 table spoons of seasoning
You add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water plus 2 T of the taco mix.
The recipe is awesome if u do a tablespoon of salt you’ll definitely want sour cream, i cooked the meat in the seasoning then drained added water and a little more seasoning mostly for color I did less meat on the taco more veggies. My family loved them…will be making my own seasoning from now on
I love this recipe! I use it to make my own vegan ground beef substitute by combining with drained tofu, crumbled, and drying it in my air fryer. I’m saving a ton of money vs buying meat substitute and even my carnivore friends have loved chili and burritos and thought it was meat!
This is the best! Just what I want for my tacos!!
Confused. 2 Tbls equivalent to 1 taco packet but says one serving. Taco package says 6 servings or 12 tacos
You only need 2 T of the mixture plus 1/4 – 1/2 c of water.
Excellent taco seasoning recipe! I didn’t have paprika on hand but had cayenne so substituted that and used less salt! Nice to have a batch ready for next time! (I made chicken tacos and added roasted corn and salsa to the gr chicken!) I’m glad I didn’t have the seasoning packet! (I thought I bought the kit!?)
I didn’t have cumin so I substituted it wit h curry
How much water do you add for 2 table spoons of seasoning
1/4 cup should be enough but it would ultimately depend on the recipe you’re making.
Way too much salt.
There may be a unit of measure problem and tablespoon should read teaspoon. That would be more consistent with other taco seasoning recipes.
Wish I had seen your post before I just made mine! Yikes – gonna need a lot of sour cream!
Yes, ONE Teaspoon of salt for this recipe!
Someone needs to update this recipe so people don’t get sick.
The salt is for the entire batch of taco seasoning which makes the equivalent of about 4 packs of taco seasoning.
Loved this recipe & salt was good for us. I doubled all the ingredients & ended up doubling the amount I used in my ground beef, I also added 1/2 tsp of cayenne for a little more spice. I’m making my own taco seasoning from now on!
Thanks for the feedback!
Wish I had read the comments beforehand, already put in too much salt 🙄
I didn’t notice the part where it said 2 tablespoons of the mixture is one taco packets worth of seasoning so I used the entire amount in my tacos tonight. Needless to say, my partner and I are now suffering. I’m sure if we used the proper amount it would have been amazing though 😂
I need to update the recipe to make just 1 serving because this has happened to a few people as well!
This is my go too recipe!
The mixture makes for several batches. You only need 2 T of the mixture for 1 lb of hamburger.
How long will this keep for? Thanks
Delicious! I used lite salt and felt it was still a little salty, so I’m going to use less next time. We don’t use that much salt in our cooking. Browned and drained the meat, added spices and 1/4 cup of water. Cooked on low for about eight minutes and it was perfect.
Tastes a lot better than pre-packaged seasoning. Loved it!
Is this really spicy? Mild?
It’s mild but a little on the spicy side.
Great recipe. Made a few changes. Less salt and added some turmeric. Family loved the tacos on Taco Tuesday.
This is very good and it taste better than the store bought mix. Thank you for posting this recipe.
How long does this last?
i was so amazed with this seasoning
a coworker gave me a taco 1 day at work i was amazed at how great it was
when asking him what seasoning packet he used, he said him and his wife made it homemade
gave me the recipe
i will never buy packets again
so much flavor
i myself did not use the cornstarch as it said its optional
I have many kinds of chili seasoning-what’s your favorite to use for taco meat? Dark, ancho, chipotle? Others?
I personally always go for ancho, or with a blend of ancho, serrano and poblano, as I feel chipotle has so much of its own flavor. If that’s what your into for the dish your making, then absolutely go for it! But ancho or ancho/poblano mix makes a great taco seasoning.
Just my 2 cents!
I added freshly ground coriander seeds x 2 table spoons and instead of chilli powder I added 6 freshly ground dried peppers as well as a pinch of brown sugar. It makes for a sweeter and spicier seasoning
Are used a mixture of ancho and Chipotle chili powder’s and this was a great seasoning mix
Do you use water
Absolutely amazing
two TBSP equals 1 packet. Do you also add water? if so how much? love your site bye the way! Thank you
Thanks so much, Floria! Yes, 1 packet of taco seasoning is about 2 tablespoons. Do you mean add water to the dish? I guess that would depend on the dish you’re making. For ground beef, I add 1/4 cup for every pound of beef.