This homemade taco seasoning recipe is super easy to make and absolutely delicious!

It’s also generally healthier than store-bought mixes that contain powdered fillers and preservatives.

You may even already have all of the necessary spices in your cabinet.

Taco seasoning is one of those recipes that we’re all so used to buying in packets that we just keep doing, but I’m here to tell you that it’s way better to mix up at home.

You can adjust the base recipe if you like to experiment, or have it as written here for awesome ground turkey tacos, shredded chicken tacos, or even taco soup.

What’s in taco seasoning? Taco seasoning is a mix of dried ground spices that include chili powder, ground cumin, ground corander, garlic, oregano (or Mexican oregano), and sometimes paprika. Other ingredients may include smoked chili powder, different dried ground peppers and sometimes masa harina (corn flour).

Taco Seasoning Ingredients

Makes enough for 1 pound of ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken for taco meat:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder (mild, medium, or hot, whatever you like)*
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano (use Mexican oregano if you have it)
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne or big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for heat
• optional: 1 teaspoon of white granulated sugar if you want it to taste like the store-bought mix**

Ingredient Notes:

• *Chili powder is already a blend of ground, dried chilis that often contains some garlic, cumin, and perhaps other spices. Every brand of chili powder is a little different and they come in a variety of mild, medium, or hot heat levels. Choose one you like best.
• **I usually don’t add the white sugar to mine, but the popular mixes at the store have it. It’s a very small amount, so add it if you want that old-school flavor.
• For me, the paprika is more for color, so if you don’t have any I wouldn’t buy it just for this.

Homemade taco seasoning is flexible. It’s a recipe that you can customize to make your own. I’ve listed exactly how my family likes it here, but you can always add more or less of anything if you prefer to your DIY taco seasoning (although, I think it’s just about perfect in the proportions listed below!).

Sometimes masa harina (corn flour) is added to taco seasoning to help thicken the sauce, but I find it’s uncesseary and there’s no reason to add corn or flour to something if it’s not needed.

How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning

• Measure the spices into a small bowl and mix it up with a spoon, then use it in place of a packet of taco seasoning for 1 pound of ground beef (or ground turkey or ground chicken).
• It’s that easy!

Storage

If you make tacos often, consider mixing up a double, triple, or quadruple batch and storing it in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place like a cabinet. It will keep mixed up for 3-4 months.

Taco Recipes for DIY Taco Seasoning

• Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
• Spicy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce
• 30-Minute Taco Soup
• Ground Turkey Tacos

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