Did you know taco seasoning is nothing more than a blend of six common spices that you can make yourself? You probably have everything you need in your cupboard right now! We’ll show you how easy it is to mix up for one meal or a whole cup to store for later use.
This post contains affiliate links to the products I used in the example images.
Make Your Own Taco Seasoning
Taco Seasoning is 6 Ingredients
That spicy red-brown powder looks mysterious but it’s a combination of six very common spices: chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and cumin. Chances are you have those spices in your cabinet already.
Make Your Own Delicious Taco Seasoning
I’m a picky eater – I can’t help it – and I like a certain taco meat flavor. I tried different taco seasoning mix recipes online and hated them. Some had ground black pepper, which I felt threw off the flavor, and some had oregano which I didn’t like. One day I set about creating my own perfect blend. I wrote down how much of each spice I added, ¼ of a teaspoon at a time, tweaking the blend until it tasted just like my favorite name brand seasoning. When I mixed it with ground beef I realized the homemade version was more flavorful. It is noticeable enough that a few dinner guests have asked what brand of seasoning I’m using and leave with a printed recipe card!
The Real Secret: Use Smoked Paprika
The secret ingredient in this recipe is the smoked paprika. I use McCormick brand smoked paprika because it is what my local grocery store carries but I imagine that any brand will do. The smoked paprika imparts a rich flavor to your finished taco seasoning that regular paprika lacks. It’s not spicy at all – paprika is made from dried red bell peppers processed into a fine powder – but the smoky flavor is tantalizing.
Look Ma, No Chemicals!
Your homemade taco seasoning mix will have nothing but spices. There will be no added sugar, MSG or anti-caking agents. They’re not needed. Salt and spices are natural preservatives themselves so why add another preservative?
Anti-Caking Agents Not Needed
I live outside of horribly humid Houston and this taco seasoning blend never cakes up on me when stored in an airtight jar. It is always ready to go and I’ve found that the flavor actually gets better the longer the spices sit mixed together!
Let’s Mix It Up!
To Make 1 Cup of Taco Seasoning:
6 Tbsp + 2 tsp chili powder
4 Tbsp cumin
8 tsp onion powder
4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
4 tsp garlic powder
Combine all the spices and store in an airtight container.
(A recipe for making a smaller amount is also printed on the recipe card.)
Download the Printable Recipe Card Here!
A Spoonful of Savings
If you’ve been buying taco seasoning packets from the store, you’ve been paying a premium price for the 2 tablespoons of spices it contains. I calculated the cost of the spices I used to make 1 cup of seasoning to be about $2.57 using full-priced ingredients. (The cost drops if you’re able to buy any of them on sale.) $2.57 per cup divided by 16 Tablespoons in each cup gives our homemade blend a cost of 16¢ per Tablespoon.
Let’s see how much each tablespoon costs from a taco seasoning packet:
My favorite brand of packaged seasoning is currently selling for 78¢, which is 39¢ per Tablespoon. That’s two and a half times more expensive per tablespoon than my homemade version and the taco seasoning packet contains added sugar and potato starch. The cheapest store brand of taco seasoning is 37¢ or 18.5¢ per Tablespoon. This is close to our homemade cost but this packet contains dextrose, maltodextrin, yellow corn meal powder (a cheap filler) and gum arabic mixed in with the spices. Yeah, no thanks.
Run Out of chili powder? You Can Make it from scratch, too!
It should come as no surprise that chili powder is a simple blend of five spices: cayenne, paprika, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder. Here’s how to make chili powder in case you don’t have it on-hand for the taco seasoning.
Homemade Chili Powder Blend (Mild Heat)
To Make 1 Cup of Chili Powder:
10 Tbsp smoked paprika (2/3 cup)
7½ tsp cumin
3¾ tsp onion powder
7½ tsp garlic powder
2½ tsp cayenne pepper
The chili powder recipe card is included in the download above along with the taco seasoning card!
Pantry Staples
It seems that if I stored six common spices in bulk, I could blend those spices to make what I needed while still using each singly. This is handy and not only saves room in my spice cabinet, it saves money in the long run. My local store sells bulk spices by the ounce, which lets me refill my glass spice jars. Since I make a total mess when I’m refilling just about anything, my hubby got me this specialty funnel perfectly sized for spice jars. I absolutely love it! It will last a lifetime, will never melt in the dishwasher and I find I use it frequently for transferring all kinds of things. (Affiliate link.)
Storage Solutions
A couple years ago I invested in humidity-proof Klean Kanteen brand storage jars for my taco mix and baking powders. (Affiliate link.) Our family enjoys camping so breakable glass storage jars were not the best option for rough-and-tumble outdoor cooking. The metal jars allowed me to grab ingredients right from my kitchen cabinet to toss in the chuck box for our adventures.
How I Made My Label:
My labels were made using Oracal 631 vinyl in color 055 Mint. (Although I would call the vinyl color aqua since it is a decidedly blue shade.) The font is Call Me Maybe from MyFonts.com. The label is 2 inches wide, which nicely fits the 8 ounce Klean Kanteen jars as well as little glass pint jars.
Give the Seasoning a Try!
Try out this recipe to make your own taco seasoning spice mix and let me know how you like the flavor in the comments below!
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