It’s so easy to make a delicious homemade taco seasoning mix! With a well stocked spice rack, you can create the perfect Mexican-inspired blend of spices to season all your favourite foods. Plus you can adjust the spices to suit your tastes!
This recipe is part of my foundational recipe series, helping you build out a repertoire of simple, everyday recipes that form the basis of more complex home cooked meals. This is a great one to keep in your back-pocket to make homemade meals not only easy and cost effective, but delicious as well!
I first started making my own taco seasoning blend at home when I was trying to eliminate added sugar from my diet. Most store bought blends will contain sugar, and some also contain gluten and lactose! These are unnecessary additives and are mainly added to increase the shelf-life of the seasoning blend.
I like to keep a well stocked spice rack because so much flavour can be added to meals just with a few additions of spices. The spices used to make this homemade taco seasoning are not uncommon and if you don’t have them on hand already, they are easy to find and very inexpensive.
While I haven’t done the math, I would comfortably say this is a much more budget friendly option as well as I’ve noticed the price of taco seasoning packets seem to be quite high at the moment!
Key Ingredients
This is the base blend of spices needed to make taco seasoning. The great thing about making it yourself however is that you can adjust the seasoning based on your tastes.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chilli powder – in Australia, this refers to pure ground dried chilli’s and has a HOT spice level. It’s a key ingredient in our taco seasoning but you want to adjust the amount based on how spicy you want your seasoning.
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika – I prefer the smoky taste and depth of flavour gained from using smoked paprika but you can also use sweet paprika for a milder flavour.
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Red chilli flakes – optional, again based on your spice preference.
- Dried oregano
- Black pepper
- Salt – you can always use less salt in the seasoning blend and then add salt to your finished dish to taste if you’re worried about the amount of salt used.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Making this DIY taco spice mix couldn’t be easier. Measure out all of your spices into a small mixing bowl and mix well to ensure they are all combined evenly.
From here, you can use the seasoning in your favourite recipe or transfer it to an airtight container or jar and store in the pantry, away from any potential moisture.
Spices lose their potency over time, so the storage time will depend on how fresh the spices were to begin with but it should be fine for around 6 months if you wanted to make a bigger batch.
The quantity listed in the recipe card below will make you the equivalent of 1 packet of store-bought taco seasoning so you can use it as a direct replacement in your favourite recipes.
How To Use Homemade Taco Seasoning
This is a super versatile spice blend and can be used in your favourite Mexican-inspired recipes instead of the usual store-bought packet. Here are some recipes that use taco seasoning;
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply omit the salt and add it separately when cooking. This allows you to control the salt level.
Yes! Unlike store-bought spice mixes, this homemade blend contains no fillers or additives, making it naturally gluten free.
For the best flavour, use within 6 months. However if your spices are fresh, it can last up to a year if stored correctly in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More homemade spice blends:
Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
Cajun Spice Blend
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder up to ½ tablespoon for a spicier blend – see notes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Measure out all of your spices into a small mixing bowl and mix well to ensure they are all combined evenly.
- Use the seasoning in your favourite recipe or transfer it to an airtight container or jar and store in the pantry, away from any potential moisture. For the best flavour, use within 6 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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