Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe - Don't Waste the Crumbs (2024)

Hands down, this easy homemade DIY taco seasoning recipe is THE BEST. It’s not too spicy, not too mild, WAY better than the packet. We use it for ground beef taco meat and my kids always clean their plates. It’s a great replacement for all the other brands and will save money on your meal plan budget!

We are a taco family. Whether they’re in corn tortillas, flour tortillas or over a bed of Instant Pot brown riceor coconut rice or on a bed of cilantro lime coleslaw – we.love.tacos.

What we don’t love, is store-bought taco seasoning.

So I use this homemade taco seasoning recipe instead and it hits tacos out of the ballpark, every single time!

I confess that I haven’t always made my own homemade taco seasoning. I mean, I used to all the time…

but then we moved, and moved again, and then I created a grocery shopping course and in the midst of all this, homemade taco seasoning fell to the very bottom of the priority list.

And then we did the Whole30. For those who don’t know, the Whole30 is an elimination diet which doesn’t allow any sugar, soy, dairy, legumes, gluten or grains.

For those who do know, the Whole30 will put your label reading skills to the ultimate test! Even the best label readers should be on their toes, because there are hidden sugars (among other unhealthy things I’m sure) in the most unlikely of places…

• Liquid smoke
• Worcestershire sauce
• Fish sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Salt
• “Healthy” brands of lunchmeat

And there’s sugar in many dried spices too, including store-bought poultry seasoning and taco seasoning.

I overcame poultry seasoning easy enough with this delicious homemade poultry seasoning blend. It’s made up of spices I tend to have on hand anyway, and since we use it as a general all-purpose spice on potatoes, vegetables and nearly all meats (except beef), I can make as much as I need to.

Since tacos aren’t nearly as delicious without taco seasoning, it was high time I perfected my own homemade taco seasoning recipe!

How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

There are several pros to making your own spice blends:

You can adjust homemade spice blends to suit your tastes.

We like it flavorful and medium. You might like it straight up hot. Or maybe you have little ones who need it mild for their young taste buds, but you want it to still have enough pizzazz for you too.

When you make your own spice blends, smell and taste each spice as you add it to the blend. Becoming familiar with what each individual spice tastes like will help you create the perfect blend for you and your family.

Cumin and chili powder are both in this homemade taco seasoning recipe, but they each have different flavor profiles. You may want more cumin and less chili powder – taste them and experiment!

It’s a whole lot cheaper to make your own spice blends.

One packet of taco seasoning costs 98¢ for one ounce (that’s just 2 Tbsp) on Amazon. I know for a fact I can make the same amount of taco seasoning for mere pennies – especially when I buy my spices at either ALDI or Walmart. (If you’re curious which is cheaper, ALDI or Walmart, read this article.)

Plus buying single spices means I can re-use them as needed for other recipes. Cumin is one of the key spices in my best ever slow cooker refried beans, but I would never recommend substituting taco seasoning in its place. It’s just not the same!

Making your own spice blends is generally healthier.

I say generally here because you could probably go to your local health food store and buy taco seasoning that doesn’t have too much junk in it… but you’re also going to pay an arm and a leg.

Instead, make your own! You can control exactly what goes into your blend and make sure it meets whatever standard of healthy you’re looking for.

• If you don’t want salt, then skip it!
• If you don’t want sugar, this recipe doesn’t have it!

Psst! If you’re going to use salt, and you want to keep your food as clean and delicious as possible, try the salt from Ava Jane’s Kitchen! Why? Because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) AND it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a bag for just 1¢!! (Get your penny bag of salt on this page. link)

Obviously I use this seasoning in my ground beef taco meat recipe, but homemade taco seasoning isn’t just for the meat!

• I’ve added this to season cauliflower rice and it was SO GOOD.
• I’ve also added it to crispy potato wedges and to homemade breakfast sausage, to flavor almond crusted baked chicken and in a pinch to make homemade guacamole.
• This homemade taco seasoning recipe is also a staple in my easy tortilla soup and if I have a Mexican-food theme on my meal plan, then I’ll use it to flavor my Instant Pot whole chicken too!
• You could even add it to the easiest scrambled eggs and to spice up homemade chicken nuggets.

I’m thinking you really can’t go wrong with shaking a bit of homemade taco seasoning on everything, right?

See Also

Healthy Dairy-Free Banana Bread Recipe (No Sugar Added, Plant-Based)

Storing Homemade Taco Seasoning

Anytime I buy spices at ALDI (where they’re only 99¢), I keep the glass jars. They’re very similar to this kind, and they line up so nicely in my spice cabinet. Here’s how Iremove the labels, and then I use a sharpie to write what blend is inside (sharpie doesn’t wipe off easily, but you can wash it off with soap and water).

These small 4 oz mason jars are another good option too. The neat thing about those, is that they’re the perfect size for avocado chocolate mousseor DIY magnesium lotion!

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★5 from 6 reviews

Mix up this homemade taco seasoning recipe in only 2 minutes! It’s not too spicy, not too mild, and WAY better (and cheaper!) than the packet. We use it for ground beef taco meat and my kids always clean their plates!

• Author: Tiffany
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: ⅓ cup 1x
• Category: Sauces/Condiments
• Method: Bowl
• Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale

• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½tsp garlic powder
• ½tsp onion powder
• ½tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ½tsp oregano

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar.
2. Shake well and use as desired.

Notes

• Whatever you use for your spices, make sure to use an airtight container or jar to keep your seasoning mixes fresh for longer.

Nutrition

• Calories: 98

Keywords: taco seasoning recipe, taco seasoning, homemade taco seasoning, homemade taco seasoning recipe, taco seasoning mix