This Homemade Taco Seasoning is a bold Southwestern blend I’ve tested and refined over the years specifically for flavorful taco meat. New Mexico Red Chile Powder, toasted cumin, Mexican oregano, and smoked paprika are unique ingredients to give it a deeper, more distinctive flavor than a typical store-bought packet. It takes just 5 minutes to mix and makes 6 tablespoons, about three times the amount in a typical packet, enough to season 3 pounds of taco meat.
Quick Look: Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 🧁 Yield: 6 Tablespoons – Triple the amount you’ll find in a grocery store packet.
- ⭐ Features: Southwestern✓ Healthy ✓Medium “heat” ✓
- ⌛️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍪 Cook Time: 0 minutes
- 🕑 Total Time: 10 minutes
- 👩🍳 Skill Level: Beginner
- 🏆 Why make THIS version? Unique: Bold Southwestern flavor with freedom to adjust the heat and salt to your taste.
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Why My Recipe Is Different
Most recipes I’ve seen are very generic with a simple spice combination of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika for color. I’ve added some pizzaz and depth of flavor by adding some special ingredients for flavor you won’t get from a store purchased packet.
- Cumin: I’ve taken the cumin factor a step further by adding toasted whole cumin seed. Toasting cumin seeds only takes a minute and it wakes up the natural oils, turning the flavor into a deep, nutty, and complex, adding a layer of depth to the overall recipe.
- New Mexico Red Chile Powder: Most recipes I’ve seen include cayenne pepper for the heat factor, which is commonly used in Cajun recipes. Why not use a a more traditional Southwestern chile powder from New Mexico, like Chimayo Red Chile Powder. It’s flavor profile is better suited for Southwestern and Mexican recipes.
- Mexican Oregano: Most recipes simply call for “oregano”, which most people associate with the Mediterranean style spice. Mexican oregano has a completely different flavor profile. It brings bold citrus and licorice notes. It’s simply more suited to compliment Mexican dishes.
- Smoked Paprika: I feel paprika is normally used in taco seasonings simply for the color. Due to the fact that the other ingredients in this recipe are bold and strong, they will overwhelm mild paprika. I’ve added smoked paprika which stands tall and strong amongst the other ingredients, enhancing the overall flavor rather than just adding color.
Ingredients In Taco Seasoning
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the water added to taco meat, creating the saucy consistency associated with packaged taco seasoning.
- Cumin Seed: Toasted cumin seed will be used instead of cumin powder.
- Chili Seasoning: Chili seasoning (with an “i”) is a blend of seasonings. It’s commonly used to flavor chili soups like my recipe for Bison Chili.
- Chile Powder: Chile powder (with an “e”) is a single blend of ground red chile peppers. I prefer New Mexico red chile powders, with my favorite being Chimayo Chile Powder. To learn more about the difference, check out my article Chili vs. Chile. And to learn more about chile powders, reference my post What Is Chile Powder.
- Smoked Paprika: To add a smoky flavor profile.
- Mexican Oregano: As opposed to Mediterranean oregano.
- Commonly Used Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, Kosher salt.
Mexican Oregano is preferred for this recipe. It's peppery, grassy, earthy flavor is a good compliment for Mexican Food. If you don't have Mexican Oregano, substitute Marjoram. Known for its aroma and delicate flavor, its related to Mexican oregano and will bring a sweet undertone to any recipe.
How To Make Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
- Step 1: Toast the cumin seeds: Heat a small fry pan over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds cooking for about 1 minute, shaking the pan every few seconds. Cook until you smell a fragrant toasty aroma.
- Step 2: Crush The Seeds: Use a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the seeds. I don’t have one, so a hamburger press or a potato masher works well. You won’t be able to completely crush the seeds, but they’ll break apart to add flavor.
- Step 3: Place all ingredients into a bowl and stir well to combine.
How to Make Taco Meat
- Step 1: Brown 1 pound meat and 1 cup chopped onion. ground beef is customary, or ground chicken works very well, (pictured above) Drain excess fat if needed.
- Step 2: Add 2 tablespoons seasoning and 1 cup water. Simmer until the liquid reduces and the seasoning coats the meat. About 15 minutes.
How To Customize This Recipe
- For Less Heat: Use less of the Chimayo Chile Powder or choose a chile powder labeled mild. That’s the beauty of cooking with chile powders, you can purchase mild, medium or hot. I usually choose medium. And use regular smoked paprika rather than hot. Hot paprika can carry a pretty good bite of heat.
- For More Heat: Add more chile powder, use chile powder labeled hot, and use hot smoked paprika.
- For A Deeper Chile Flavor: Using New Mexico chile powder will deliver a true chile flavor.
- For A Smokier Flavor: Add a little more smoked paprika or sprinkle in some Chipotle chile powder, which is a single blend powder made from smoked jalapeno peppers.
Lea Ann’s Tips For Success:
- Large Batch:This recipe makes enough to season three pounds of meat. Which for us is 3 meals. If you make a lot of tacos like we do, this recipe is very easy to double or even triple, so you have a larger supply on hand.
- Toasting Cumin Seeds: Watch those seeds when toasting. If you walk away and toast them to a burnt stage, it will ruin the flavor. Start over.
Ways to Use It
The most popular way to use taco seasoning is for ground beef tacos. But go beyond Taco Recipes and try it with:
- Beef: Use this seasoning in Taco Burgers, or Mexican Beef Casseroles.
- Chicken: Season ground chicken to make chicken tacos or a Chicken Burrito Bowl.
- Seafood: Sprinkle a little of this seasoning over shrimp or white fish before frying, to make simple seafood tacos.
- Vegetarian: Use taco seasoning to season beans, roasted vegetables or rice to make any vegetarian Mexican dish.
- Soups: Take a look at my Taco Soup Recipe. Feeds a crowd and this seasoning mix is the key ingredient.
Homemade Taco Seasoning FAQ’s
Routinely, one packet of purchased taco seasoning’s listed weight is one ounce. This can vary by brand. One ounce equals two tablespoons. My recipe makes six tablespoons. Use 2 tablespoons of this homemade taco seasoning in place of one standard taco seasoning packet.
Two tablespoons will season one pound of ground meat.
For best flavor, use within 6 months. Properly stored dried spices don’t suddenly spoil at six months, but they gradually lose potency. Store in an airtight jar in your cool, dark pantry. As with any spice mix, avoid heat and light.
Making homemade taco seasoning mix is such a breeze. Almost as easy as standing in front of the Mexican aisle at the store and trying to figure out which brand to buy, or which brand offers the best flavor. Keep a jar in your pantry and you’ll always have homemade taco seasoning ready for taco night.
Explore More Southwestern Seasonings
New Mexican Red Chile Sauce is the backbone of countless classic Southwestern dishes, so don’t miss my recipe for Red Chile Sauce Made From Powder. This sauce will take recipes like my New Mexico Style Huevos Rancheros and Skillet Enchiladas over the top with flavor. And if you love Mexican food as much as we do, don’t miss my Mexican Southwestern Category.
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Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds freshly toasted and ground, or 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika hot or mild
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Mexican Oregano
Instructions
- Toast The Cumin Seeds: Heat a small fry pan over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds cooking for about 1 minute, shaking the pan every few seconds. Cook until you smell a fragrant toasty aroma.
- Crush The Seeds: Use a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the seeds. I don't have one, so a hamburger press or a potato masher works well. You won't be able to completely crush the seeds, but they'll break apart to add flavor to the seasoning.
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl using a whisk, or in a small jar and shake to combine.
- To Make Ground Meat Tacos: Break up and brown 1 pound of ground beef, or ground chicken, in a wide skillet over medium heat. Then sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of this taco seasoning and add 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often. As moisture cooks out of the mixture, it will be thickened by the cornstarch.
Notes
- Large Batch:This recipe makes enough to season three pounds of meat. Which for us is 3 meals. If you make a lot of tacos like we do, this recipe is very easy to double or even triple, so you have a larger supply on hand.
- Toasting Cumin Seeds: Watch those seeds when toasting. If you walk away and toast them to a burnt stage, it will ruin the flavor. Start over.
Nutrition
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Super easy and so very good! For years I have seasoned my taco meat with just cumin and chile powder. This brought the flavors to new level, complex yet balanced. I keep it in a half pint jar in the fridge.
Thank You, as always!
This was delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I too am a lover of Tex-Mex cuisine amd I’m looking forward to cooking through your library. Have you thought about creating a cookbook? I would love to have these on my shelf!
this was a
Thanks so much for your extremely fast response! I’m thinking of freezing this in small increments in waxed paper packets. Will that increase it’s shelf life? Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes!
Absolutely. I’m keeping some of my chile powder in the freezer for just that reason.
Hard to beat those homemade seasonings