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Homemade taco seasoning made with basic pantry spices. Use it to make delicious ground beef taco meat, or as a seasoning for any kind of meat or vegetable dish to level up the flavor.

Jar of layers of seasonings to be mixed together for homemade taco seasoning.

When I was in college, I was the number 1 consumer of taco seasoning packets. I was so obsessed with the store-bought packets that I had no clue tacos could be made without the seasoning packets.

While I fully support anything anyone needs to do to enjoy a succulent taco, I have perfected my own homemade taco seasoning, which can be used

This homemade version is super easy to make with basic spices! You can make a big batch in bulk and have it on hand, or you can stir it up right before making home-made tacos.

Ingredient Notes:

Coconut sugar or brown sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to offset the heat.
Minced Onion
Garlic Powder
Mexican Oregano
Ground cumin
Paprika
Chipotle Powder (optional)
Sea salt
Black pepper

Jar full of homemade taco seasoning and individual jars full of spices in the background.

All combined, this blend of spices yields the best taco seasoning with a perfect balance of savory, spicy, sweet flavor. You’ll never go back to store-bought.

Let’s make it!

How to Make Taco Seasoning:

Simply add all of the ingredients to a jar, secure the lid, and shake it until everything is well-combined.

Now you’re ready to use it on ground beef or turkey for tacos. One batch of this seasoning is good for two pounds of ground meat. You can easily halve the seasoning mix if you’re making one pound of ground beef.

Storage:

Store this homemade spice mix in a sealed glass jar or airtight container in your pantry, spice drawer, or a dry place for up to 6 months.

How to Use It:

For ground beef tacos, simply do the following:

Saute one chopped medium-sized yellow onion in a large skillet with two tablespoons of oil.
Transfer two pounds of ground beef to the skillet, and brown the beef until it is mostly cooked through.
Add all of the seasoning blend from this recipe along with one cup water or chicken broth.
Bring this mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until much of the water has evaporated.
Load up your corn tortillas or flour tortillas with your seasoned ground meat, and top with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and any other toppings you enjoy.

You can also use this seasoning the same way you would chili powder! Add it to soup or chili, sauces, and use it to season chicken, birria tacos, taco salad, or any type of animal protein.

Use it in marinades or as a dry rub for any type of meat. I use it regularly on salmon, vegetables (for roasted veg), and chili.

Is It Spicy?

This taco seasoning is medium spicy because of the chipotle powder. If you want it to be mild, omit the chipotle powder and cut the paprika down to 2 tsp.

To increase the heat, add more chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, and/or red pepper flakes.

Jar with a spice mix inside to make taco seasoning, and a spiral notebook next to the jar with the recipe and jars of seasoning in the background.

Recipe Customizations:

Play with the amounts of each ingredient to customize it. For spicy chili powder, add 1/4 tsp to 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes, depending on the level of heat you’re going for.
Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried parsley or dried basil for an herby essence.
Replace the minced onion with onion powder, and/or replace the garlic powder with minced garlic.

Use this homemade taco seasoning for my Ground Beef Taco Meat recipe for your next Taco Tuesday!

Enjoy all the tacos!!