Making homemade taco seasoning is easy, and it’s so much better than store-bought mixes! This homemade taco seasoning recipe is perfect for Taco Tuesday. You can also use it for seasoning other Mexican-inspired dishes, pastas, soups and stews.
I think we all love tacos, am I right? We can never get enough of them around here! Homemade taco seasoning is an absolute essential pantry staple, in my opinion, and it comes together quickly from spices I already have in my cabinet. There’s no need to buy prepackaged spice blends, which sometimes include unnecessary preservatives.
How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning
This DIY taco seasoning will save you time and money, it tastes better, and you can customize the spice ratios according to your own personal preferences. All you need to do is grab the spices, combine them evenly using a fork or whisk, and store the seasoning in an airtight container at room temperature. It will be ready to go when you’re ready for tacos!
If you frequently make tacos, you can scale this recipe up for a larger batch to store in an airtight container. Or, if you don’t think you’ll use it more than once, you can cut the recipe down by half or more.
How to Use Homemade Taco Seasoning
You use this seasoning just like you’d use a taco spice packet from the store. Cook the ground beef (or protein of your choice) and stir the spice in with a bit of water or something like tomato sauce for even more flavor. I recommend using about 2 tablespoons of spice per pound of meat.
More Homemade Spice Blends
If you like this recipe, you should also check out my homemade pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon sugar blend! I also love this homemade za’atar recipe from Culinary Hill.

Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Measure the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, oregano, paprika, and cayenne into a small bowl.
- Mix together with a fork or small whisk until completely blended.
- Use immediately or store at room temperature in an airtight container. 2 tablespoons of this mix equals approximately 1 seasoning packet.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Thanks for the Taco seasoning.. I was searching for it!