This homemade taco seasoning mix is simple to make. The best part? You get to add less salt and still keep it flavorful! This seasoning mix works great not only on tacos, but also veggies, seafood, beans, salads, and more!
Last week I gave you a recipe for Chunky Guacamole and it’s perfect for this weeks’ recipe – homemade taco seasoning! Tacos and guacamole go together like peas and carrots! & National Taco Day is coming up on October 4th and even though I could I could eat tacos almost every day of the week, I’ve only recently perfected my homemade taco seasoning mix.
The taco packets you buy from the grocery store while convenient are often loaded with sodium. They do offer lower sodium versions these days, so as a dietitian I’m glad there are options now. But how many times have you gone to make tacos and not had a taco seasoning packet in the house? Enter this homemade taco seasoning mix. Most times you probably have all the spices you need there in the house, now you’ll have the ratios of how to mix it up and be ready to go! And the best part is you get to control how much salt (sodium) goes into the mix!
Homemade Taco Seasoning Ingredients
- Chili Powder – I used just a tablespoon. You could add more for a tad more heat, but I recommend starting off with the base amount and then you can adjust from here. This is not cayenne pepper.
- Ground Cumin, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder – These are straight forward. Again, these amounts can be adjusted for your taste preferences, but start with the amounts I have listed. Add too much cumin and it’s all over. One other note – make sure your spices are fresh and not too old!
- Paprika– I used regular paprika, but if you want it smokier in flavor, you could use the smoked paprika.
- Salt and Pepper– I used iodized salt and I used just 1/4 teaspoon. In taco packets from the store, they typically use about 1 teaspoon. So if you find that 1/4 teaspoon isn’t enough you could add a little more. I always like for people to begin to cut back on salt when they can. And while tacos can be healthy, when you add in the cheese, the tortilla shell and a salty seasoning mix, all of a sudden you have a high sodium dish. You can always add a dash later if needed.
- Red Pepper Flakes – I left these out as I don’t like too much heat. Add a 1/8 of a teaspoon to start with and then add more to your liking if you do like it spicy!
How To Make Homemade Taco Seasoning
This recipe makes enough for a pound of ground meat, ~2 tablespoons. I used the plant-based protein to experiment with this recipe (for you all). It comes in a 12-ounce package so I had a little seasoning mix left over.
- Combine the ingredients: Combine everything together in a small jar, cover, and shake until evenly combined. I do make extra and store in the jar for future use. Just remember when you’re making tacos, it’s 2 tablespoons of this mix with 1 pound of ground meat.
- Store: You can store your seasoning mix for ~6 months. That’s why it’s nice to make extra up and be ready for taco night any night of the week!
- 1/2 cup water: After you’ve browned your meat, add in 1/2 cup water with 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning mix. Stir to combine and mix all together. Slowly add in another 1/2 cup water as some will begin to absorb – you want it with a little sauce, just not too watery!
OTHER RECIPES THAT GO WELL WITH TACOS!
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Homemade Taco Seasoning
This homemade taco seasoning mix is simple to make. The best part? You get to add less salt and still keep it flavorful! This seasoning mix works great not only on tacos, but also veggies, seafood, beans, salads, and more!
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 tablespoons 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Mix in a small bowl the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
*This mix makes enough for making 1 pound of ground meat. You can always make more and have it ready to go whenever you feel like a quick dinner and tacos are a good go-to!
*With this mixture, I added 1/2 cup water after the meat has browned with the mixture. I stir it all together and let it simmer for a minute. And then I added 1/2 cup more water. Add the water 1/4 cup at a time, so it’s not too watery, and to your liking. I like a little sauce!
*If you like it a tad spicy, you can always add red pepper flakes.
*I used just 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, if you like cumin, you can always add more. I wanted just a hint of the smoky flavor, but didn’t want it to overpower the mix.
*Black pepper can also be lessened to just 1/4 teaspoon if you feel it’s too spicy as well!
*I used just 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Tacos can have added sodium in the tortilla, cheese, and other toppings. I chose to go with less, but this is why homemade is great so that it’s also not TOO much!
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Dinner
8 thoughts on “Homemade Taco Seasoning”
So much less sodium than all the store bought versions! Definitely making this in bulk to have on hand!
Thanks for a lower sodium (even could be no sodium) option. Making copious amounts as we speak…
like others, i also appreciate the ‘low salt’ version . given that, though, i have to wonder if the nutrition label is correct . a 1/4 tsp of sea salt would not equal 1,634mg of sodium . thoughts … ?
Updated and corrected: Thanks for letting me know! 1/4 teaspoon of salt has just 575 mg of sodium. The other spices show a natural minimal amount. Store bought ‘low-sodium’ versions have double this amount and the regular versions have at least triple. I’ve even used just 1/8 of a teaspoon and it’s still flavorful! Thanks for stopping by – Enjoy!
I made turkey tacos tonight for myself and my 12 year old son while my wife is on a business trip and used this taco seasoning recipe. We both really liked them. This is one of the rare “healthy” recipes with no tradeoffs. I don’t feel like we had to give up any flavor to drop the sodium level. Tasty and super easy. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe with your son (12-years old can be tough to please!) Thanks for stopping by!
The recipe makes maybe 2T but you say to add 3T to 1lb beef. I don’t want to double it and make it too strong?
I’ll update the recipe – it’s the whole recipe written (which as you said makes about 2 Tablespoons) for a pound of ground meat. I make double (or triple) up to have on hand and sometimes do end up using more as I ‘season to taste’ – you can always add less and then add more as needed (if needed). Hope that helps!