Homemade Taco Seasoning is so easy to make, you’ll want it to be Taco Tuesday all week long. It’s healthier than store-bought, you’ll save money making your own, and it tastes so much better without cheap fillers. All you need are some Crispy Taco Shells to go with it.

We love making our own kitchen staples from Homemade BBQ Sauce to Pesto Sauce. If you are a fan of homemade seasonings, this Taco Seasoning will become your new favorite.

Overhead view of homemade taco seasoning in jar

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Taco Seasoning Recipe

I’m all about convenience when it comes to cooking, but I also want to balance that with affordability and quality. Seasonings packets are definitely easy, but you’re paying more for something that’s not as good as homemade. After inspecting the labels on store-bought packets, I realized that corn meal was the main ingredient in the brand I used to buy. Say what?!

Corn meal is a cheap filler and it’s often a GMO ingredient. Why pay for that when you can skip the fillers and make your own taco seasoning with ingredients you probably already have on hand?

Best of all, when you don’t use those filler ingredients, the taco seasoning tastes better. We did a blind comparison between store-bought and homemade taco seasoning recipe and the homemade version won the taste test every single time. 

Jar of homemade taco seasoning with spoonful of seasoning next to it

Why DIY Taco Seasoning is Best?

This seasoning is perfect for Taco Recipes such as Fish Tacos, Ground Beef Tacos, you name it! You can use this for any recipe that calls for taco seasoning. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:

  • No MSG, no fillers, and no sugar – Yes, in addition to corn meal, store-bought often has MSG and sugar added.
  • Keeps well – Store in a jar with a lid and it will last in the pantry for a few months, without the preservatives in taco seasoning packets.
  • High-quality – You control the ingredients so you can buy quality spices.
  • Easy – Combine the ingredients and you’re done.

Ingredients

What is taco seasoning? It’s essentially a blend of seasonings that work well together for seasoning Mexican or Tex-Mex foods.

  • Chili powder – a blend of a few different varieties of dried chiles so the flavor can vary between brands.
  • Ground cumin – Next to chili powder, cumin is the most important ingredient in taco seasoning. It adds an earthy flavor and aroma.
  • Paprika – Use smoked paprika if you have it.
  • Salt and Pepper – we use fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
  • Garlic powder – Another key ingredient that adds garlic flavor.
  • Onion powder – adds mild onion flavor to the seasoning.
  • Dried oregano – any kind will work, but for more authentic flavor, if you have it, use Mexican oregano.
  • Red pepper flakes – or substitute a dash of cayenne pepper.
Overhead view of spices for making DIY Taco Seasoning

Pro Tip: Smell your spices before making this recipe. It may sound strange, but this is the best way to know if herbs and spices are past their prime. If they don’t have much of an aroma, it’s time to replace them.

Substitutions

  • Spicy Taco Seasoning – This is a pretty mild taco seasoning. To make it spicier, substitute chili powder with Mexican Hot Chili Powder or add more dried chili flakes
  • Low sodium – you can use less salt in your taco seasoning if you are trying to reduce your salt intake.
  • Gluten-free – the ingredients in this taco seasoning should be naturally gluten-free, but check the labels of your individual spices to ensure they are all gluten-free.

How to Make Taco Seasoning

Once you see how easy it is to make your own taco seasoning, you’ll always want the homemade version. The process is quick and so easy and you can easily double or triple the recipe.

  1. Gather the ingredients – Grab all the spices you need from your pantry.
  2. Combine – Measure each ingredient and place them all into a small bowl. Stir to combine.
  3. Store – Transfer the seasoning to an airtight container and keep it on hand for all your future taco needs.
Side by side photos showing process of making taco seasoning

Pro Tip: Use a small kitchen funnel to help you transfer the taco seasoning to the storage jar without spilling.

How Much Taco Seasoning is in 1 packet?

We substitute DIY taco seasoning in the same amount as what is in a packet. Typically 2 Tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning is equal to 1 packet of storebought seasoning.

How to Use Taco Seasoning

In addition to using taco seasoning for Taco Recipes, you can use it for:

Wooden spoon in jar of taco seasoning

Make-Ahead

  • Shelf-life: Homemade seasoning keeps really well. Depending on the freshness of the spices you use, you can count on it lasting at least 6 months.
  • How to Store: I like to keep the seasoning in a jar with an airtight lid. Like other spices, it should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place, like your pantry. You can use spice jars or any small lidded container. See our Kitchen Organization post for how we set up our spice drawer.
Storing spices in spice jars in a drawer.

This DIY taco seasoning recipe is easy to make, cheaper than store-bought packets, and it tastes better, too. Plus, when you make it yourself, you’re in control of the ingredients, which means no sugar, fillers, or preservatives.

More Tex-Mex Recipes to Try

If you love this taco seasoning, then you won’t want to miss these Tex-Mex recipes.

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

5 from 283 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
Wood spoon in jar of taco seasoning
Once you try this homemade taco seasoning blend, you'll never want to use store-bought again. This DIY Taco seasoning is so versatile for tacos, taco soup, and taco salad, as a seasoning for veggies, you name it! This recipe makes 3 Tbsp of seasoning.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 9 Servings (1 tsp per serving)

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add all of the taco seasoning ingredients. Stir to combine and store homemade taco seasoning in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Notes

*Nutrition label is calculated per 1 teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning. 

Nutrition Per Serving

7kcal Calories1g Carbs0.3g Protein0.3g Fat0.04g Saturated Fat0.1g Polyunsaturated Fat0.1g Monounsaturated Fat274mg Sodium38mg Potassium1g Fiber0.1g Sugar382IU Vitamin A0.1mg Vitamin C11mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
7
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
0.3
g
0
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.04
g
0
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0.1
g
Sodium
 
274
mg
12
%
Potassium
 
38
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
1
g
0
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
0.1
g
0
%
Protein
 
0.3
g
1
%
Vitamin A
 
382
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
 
0.1
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
11
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex Mex
Keyword: homemade taco seasoning, taco seasoning, taco seasoning recipe
Skill Level: Easy
Calories: 7

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • MARIA FARRUGIA
    March 15, 2024

    Is your Taco Seasoning Recipe for 1 lb of ground beef or is this recipe for more than one use and how much for each pound.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 15, 2024

      Hi Maria. See the section in the blog post above titled, “How to Use Taco Seasoning.” At the top of the recipe card, you’ll also see the servings, this recipe makes 9tsp (3tsp= 1 tbsp). I hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Seriously bruh
    March 10, 2024

    MSG is the source of umani (savory) flavor. 🤦
    It’s what makes meat, tomatoes, etc taste so good. It’s natural and perfectly healthy, the only reason anyone has any issue with it is because of racist anti-Chinese stuff like 20 years ago.

    Reply

    • Vickii
      March 18, 2024

      I agree that MSG makes certain foods taste better, but some people have sensitivities or allergies to MSG. It’s a major migraine trigger for me & many others. Not worth the pain & losing a day of my life in bed just so my food tastes better. This recipe is very flavorful & I don’t miss the MSG one bit!

      Reply

  • SteffieJoy💜
    March 8, 2024

    This is the best DIY seasoning. Thank you so much for taking the time to post your recipes. I’ll be looking at other recipes you posted, but need to see if you have any DIY seasoning for enchiladas. My tongue is so sensitive to spices so can’t handle certain store bought packets/sauce! I omitted a couple spices but this was still so tasty!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 8, 2024

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • Maria Apgar
    March 6, 2024

    Simple! Delicious! Love making my own spice “packets”!

    Reply

  • Connie W-N
    March 2, 2024

    Very good recipe. I didn’t have any onion or garlic powder so chopped onion and minced garlic into the meat when cooking it. Worked well. Thanks for the recipe it saved a trip to the store and now will continue making rather than buying this.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 2, 2024

      Hi Connie! I’m so glad you loved the recipe.

      Reply

      • A E
        March 17, 2024

        I forgot to buy taco seasoning when I bought our hamburger meat and other ingredients for taco night so I decided to look at the seasoning I had in the cabinet and Google a recipe for homemade seasoning. I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it a try. I won’t buy store bought seasoning again after trying this! My 4 year old enjoyed the tacos with this seasoning blend as well.

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          March 17, 2024

          Great to hear that it was a success!

          Reply

  • Scotti_d
    February 25, 2024

    Glad you had this recipe. I tried other recipes from online, but this one is by far the best. I did add some chopped jalapeños to kick it up a little. No more store bought for me

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 26, 2024

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Scotti!

      Reply

  • Sandi White
    February 19, 2024

    Delicious! my husband liked it way better than our old spice blend. he said it had more depth of flavor. thank youb for sharing! its a keeper!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 19, 2024

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Sandi!

      Reply

  • Bonnie
    February 4, 2024

    Need to take out some ads!
    I can’t write down the recipe with all these flashing ads.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 5, 2024

      Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback.

      The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. You can also close the ads after a while and use the cook mode so it doesn’t go back and forth. Hope that helps.

      Reply

    • Sandi
      February 19, 2024

      just hit the print button and you can save it to your phone or hard drive.

      Reply

  • Daniel
    February 1, 2024

    Please delete my last response. It was meant for a different site. I was explaining why a different recipe was bland to some people. I ended up using your and it was delicious with the correct amount of salt lol. Cheers!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 1, 2024

      No worries at all, I have deleted it! Thank you for this review, I’m glad you liked this!

      Reply

  • Brooke Meoli
    December 18, 2023

    Hi. I know everyone’s tastes are different, but your recipe doesn’t indicate the seasoning ratio to meat. I think it would benefit readers if you indicated how many tablespoons per pound of ground meat was recommended. I am making it shortly and will share what I did.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 18, 2023

      Hi Brooke! See the section above, “how to use taco seasoning.”

      Reply

    • AE
      March 17, 2024

      I personally used two tablespoons per 1lb of meat and it was perfect

      Reply

As Featured On

Never Go "Hangry" Again!

Get weekly updates on new recipes, exclusive giveaways plus behind the scenes photos.