Homemade Taco Seasoning
On December 04, 2023 (Updated September 24, 2024)
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My Homemade Taco Seasoning is a rich blend of herbs and spices sure to elevate your ground beef and fish tacos, and so much more. Wow at your next family Taco Tuesday with this killer secret ingredient.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
A taco party with family and close friends is sort of an everyday tradition. It’s great being able to be a backyard BBQ hero by cooking delicious tacos for everyone you love. My homemade seasoning is here to help you deliver mouthwatering tacos packed with flavor in every bite.
Making your own taco seasoning is not only super easy, but takes your whole taco game to a different level. With this seasoning, you get to know exactly what goes into your food and the quality of the ingredients. You’ve got a go-to seasoning on hand to bang out flavorful tacos at a moment’s notice. You have a secret ingredient to spice up your bean dips and your quesos. You can do all of this in just a couple minutes with simple ingredients you already have on hand.
Ingredients for Taco Seasoning
Making your own taco seasoning only takes a couple minutes with 9 simple ingredients, most of which you more than likely have on hand already. Here’s everything you need for this taco seasoning blend:
- chili powder: heat
- sea salt: enhances everything
- smoked paprika: smokiness
- black pepper: heat
- cumin: nutty
- Mexican oregano: citrusy
- garlic powder: savory
- onion powder: sweetness
- cayenne pepper: heat
Tips for Making Seasoning
You can turn out amazing tacos anytime using this taco seasoning as is, but I’m also here to help you get more comfortable in the kitchen and on the grill. Once you’ve used this incredible seasoning a few times, you’ll start branching out. Trust me. Here are a few helpful seasoning tips to help you explore your creative cooking side.
- Ease into the cayenne. Cayenne provides a great combination of spice and flavor. However, every store-bought cayenne powder has different levels of spice and freshness. It’s always better to start with less and then add. It’s much easier to increase the amount of cayenne in the recipe than it is to take it away.
- Make bigger batches. This taco seasoning is going to be good up to 6 months in your cupboard. If you’re honest with yourself about how many tacos you’re going to throw down over that time, you’ll start to realize you always want to keep this spice blend on hand.
- Experiment. The best part of making your own seasoning blends is the ability to customize them. You can adjust the levels of herbs and spices already in the blend, or you can bring in new elements. For example, you can adjust the amount of smoked paprika used for more or less of that smoky flavor. This recipe doesn’t have any sugar, so you could add an element of sweetness if you want that in your flavor profile. This recipe is a great jumping-off point, but feel free to make it your own.
Uses for Taco Seasoning
This taco seasoning is tasty and can add something extra to a lot of different dishes. Whether you’re planning surf or turf for your tacos, this seasoning will bring out the natural savoriness while giving it that spicy kiss. You can add it to dips like queso, bean dip, and even hummus, for a whole new, zesty experience. The depth and variety of flavor makes this taco seasoning ideal for bringing a little kick to all sorts of foods.
How Much Seasoning to Use
When it comes to most proteins, you’ll use around 2 Tablespoons for every 1 pound of meat, or roughly 1 packet of taco seasoning from the store. This recipe is going to yield a little over 8 Tablespoons of this zesty blend, or 4 store bought packets. So for less than 25 cents worth of fresh ingredients, you can spice up over 4 pounds of savory ground beef or sizzling fish.
You can also use it just like you would a seasoning packet from the store. To add it to ground beef, for example, simply brown 1 pound of meat and then add 2 Tablespoons of your seasoning and 1/2 cup of water. And just like the store-bought packet you’ve got seasoned and sizzling ground beef, minus the preservatives.
How Long Does Taco Seasoning Last?
My taco seasoning stores easily in case you have any left over. It’s also great to make in advance so you already have it on hand when that taco craving hits. Just place your seasoning in a glass spice jar and add it your seasoning cabinet or spice rack. It will remain fresh in your cupboard up to 6 months. After that, you might want to take 1-2 minutes and make a fresh batch.
How to Make Taco Seasoning
This recipe is almost too easy to make. All you need is a small bowl and a whisk or fork, and you’re ready to make your own taco seasoning.
- Blend seasoning. In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients for your seasoning and blend them together with a whisk. You can also use a fork to do this. The important thing is to make sure you break up any clumps and have a nice, even blend.
- Enjoy. After that, it’s ready to go. You can add this to your favorite beef or fish and get them on the grill right away. If you have extra or are making it for future use, that’s fine. You can store your Homemade Taco Seasoning in a glass spice jar and add it to your spice rack and use it whenever you want to give your tacos something extra.
More Seasoning Recipes
Let me take the stress out of planning your next Taco Tuesday. Check out one of my favorite taco recipes you can make with this awesome blend. I’ve also got my corn and flour tortilla recipes if you want to go totally homemade.
Tacos:
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Tacos with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
- Grilled Fish Tacos
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Tortillas:
Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
Spice things up with this seasoning. Hey Grill Hey is here to help you make the process of cooking simple so you can feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for all the latest Hey Grill Hey tips, tricks, news, and more.
You can find a whole bunch of seasoning recipes like this one, as well as some amazing dishes to use them on, in the Hey Grill Hey app.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Make the seasoning. Combine all seasonings in a small bowl. Mix together using a whisk or fork to ensure there are no clumps.1 Tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Use or store. Use this seasoning immediately on ground beef, shrimp, and more. Store any unused seasoning in a glass spice jar for up to 6 months for the best flavor.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
we tried this I thought it was fantastic my wife said a little to much heat for her so iI just added everything except the cayenne pepper with what I had made. will see how that works
Ummm… did I miss something somewhere? That adds up to a little over 4 Tbs. Just asking.
The recipe makes that amount. She is saying that 2 tbsp of this recipe is equal to a packet of store bought seasoning.