3-Minute Homemade Taco Seasoning

Made in 3 minutes or less, this fresh homemade taco seasoning is a blend of inexpensive herbs and spices. Fresher. Better. All natural!

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on the back of a taco seasoning mix packet?

The next time you are at the store, check out the ingredient list on the packet. If there are any ingredients in the list that are hard for you to pronounce, or if you don’t know what they are, it usually means they are NOT natural ingredients.

I usually refer to those types of ingredients as “plastic.” It just ain’t cool with me!

This is my go-to taco seasoning. It’s homemade with a blend of inexpensive herbs and spices that is easy to make. It is fresher than store-bought seasoning packets because it has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. It’s all-natural!

What’s In Our Taco Seasoning?

Chili powder makes up the bulk of it. Don’t be fooled; chili powder isn’t hot and spicy like most people think. The chili powder I am referring to is a blend of spices. Yes, cayenne pepper is one of the spices, but in an actual chili powder, cayenne only makes up a small portion of the blend, along with other spices such as cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika. Chili powder is the base of this taco seasoning. Other spices are added to accentuate the flavors a bit more.

The Spices Used In Taco Seasoning

Here you’ll find a rundown of the spices needed to make this seasoning. Specific measurements are listed in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. You can adapt this recipe to your taste.

• Chili Powder – the American version made of a mixture of spices; it’s not cayenne or hot.
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – use less for milder seasoning with less heat. If you don’t like the texture of the flakes, use a pinch of cayenne instead.
• Dried Oregano – I highly recommend Mexican oregano because it has lemon and citrus flavors instead of just minty ones like those found in regular oregano.
• Paprika – I usually make a large batch and use sweet paprika. You can add smokiness to your seasoning by using smoked paprika.
• Ground Cumin –
• Sea Salt – I use Kosher salt in almost all my recipes, but I like sea salt better for this recipe because the granules are smaller in the type I use.
• Black Pepper – always use freshly cracked pepper. It’s the freshest!

What’s great about making taco seasoning mix is that you can control the amount of sodium and the amount of heat. Suppose your children or a guest doesn’t like spicy food. You could hold back on the cayenne or black pepper, or if someone loves spice, you could add even more. It’s all about your palette and what you like.  

Bottom line: DON’T FEED YOUR FAMILY OR YOURSELF A BUNCH OF PRESERVATIVES! Store-bought mixes contain preservatives and other substances that are used as anti-clumping agents to keep the spice in the package longer.

It only takes a few minutes to make this taco seasoning. You can also make it ahead, so you don’t have to blend the spices before adding them to your dish.

How To Make The Seasoning

Gather the Ingredients: Use the freshest herbs and spices you can get your hands on for the best results. It’s always better to buy whole spices and use a spice grinder to grind them up. Toasting whole spices briefly in a skillet helps wake them up also.

Measure Out the Ingredients: It’s best to measure all ingredients before mixing them. If you make a mistake when measuring the spices, you can quickly correct it.

Mix Up the Spices: Dump the spices into a bowl and whisk them to combine. You could add them to a small spice jar (with plenty of headspace) and shake them well.

Storage

You can store taco seasoning sealed tightly in an airtight container for 6-12 months. Make a large batch to have on hand. Don’t worry; this seasoning mix is so good it’ll never last that long; it’ll get used up in no time!

How To Use This Homemade Taco Seasoning

Add this seasoning to almost anything you want to have a Mexican flare! 

There are plenty of recipes from our kitchen, like Chicken Fajitas, Taco Cups, Fajita Bowls, and Pasta Enchiladas, or you can even try it on chicken wings!

Our favorite recipe is probably steak tacos. This seasoning has the best flavor when grilled on meat!

The next time you crave a home-cooked taco, make the taco seasoning using this recipe instead. Feel free to spice it up or down. Perhaps there is some chipotle seasoning you have wanted to try in your spice drawer or rack?

Go for it!