One day, while preparing to make our weekly batch of turkey taco meat, we realized that we were out of taco seasoning packets. Going to the store just for a seasoning mix didn't seem worth it, so we searched for a recipe online. The first recipe we found had too much salt and chili powder seasoning for our liking, so we tweaked it to make it more suitable. The result was a delicious seasoning mix that we found to be much better than the store-bought packages. We're confident that you'll love this taco seasoning too! If you're not fond of spicy food, you can reduce or eliminate the amount of cayenne pepper used.
Homemade Taco Seasoning makes the best Tacos and Tostadas
We love to make Turkey Tostadas for lunches. They are very low in calories and taste great with this seasoning mix.
Ways to use the Seasoning
Making your own Taco seasoning is a great alternative to buying pre-packaged seasoning.
This homemade taco seasoning is so much better than the packaged seasoning. It is easy to make, fresher and it tastes great. It's easy to make and can be stored in an air-tight container for several months. We love this seasoning in various dishes such as tacos, nachos, taco salad, tostadas, turkey taco pasta, stuffed peppers, cheesy chicken taco dip, and taquitos. Let us know how you enjoy this amazing taco seasoning. Additionally, Adobo seasoning is another one of our favorite homemade spices.
The FIRST recipe below is for a single batch of Taco seasoning. The second recipe below is to quadruple (4 times!) the taco seasoning. Use the second recipe if you want to store leftover seasoning.
Taco Seasoning for One Pound of Meat
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes Optional
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Optional
Instructions
- Measure spices
- Mix all spices together
- Add 1 cup of water to turkey or chicken with the seasonings to prevent the meat from drying out. If you are using ground beef add the seasoning mix and ½ cup of water. Use this to make Tacos, Taquitos, Taco Salad, Refried Beans, and more!
Nutrition
Combine all seasonings together and store them in an airtight container.
The spice mix can be stored in a plastic storage bag or an air-tight container (like an old spice jar) in your pantry.
Since we make Tostadas and Tacos at least once a week, we make enough spice mix for a month!
Below is the recipe quadrupled:
For every pound of ground turkey, chicken, or beef, I use approximately 2 tablespoons of seasoning. If you are using turkey or chicken, adding a cup of water with the seasonings will help keep the meat moist. However, if you are using ground beef, make sure to drain the grease before adding ½ cup of water with the seasoning mix.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Paprika or Smoked Paprika
- 3 ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt
- 2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes Optional
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Optional
Instructions
- Combine all seasonings together.
- Store taco seasoning in an air-tight container.
- Use 2 Tablespoons per pound of ground meat. Add 1 cup of water to turkey or chicken with the seasonings to prevent the meat from drying out. If you are using ground beef add the seasoning mix and ½ cup of water
Cristal Melton says
I wasn't thrilled with this recipe.
Too chili powder tasting.