The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

I’ve got The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning to share with you today! No more buying those packets from the grocery store, you’ll have the BEST right at your fingertips.

If you love taco recipes like we do, try our Grilled Taco Lime Chicken recipe too!

A jar with homemade taco seasoning

Easy DIY Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning coming your way! I bet you’ve got just about all of these ingredients in your pantry right now. With just 5 spices, you’ll have a jar of amazing homemade taco seasoning ready for your beef, chicken or seafood recipes! It’s actually even really good sprinkled in your scrambled eggs, chicken, beef, pasta and in mac and cheese sauce. Lots of ways to use it!

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homemade taco seasoning ingredients on counter top

What You’ll Need

Here are your 5 ingredients you’ll need to get your taco seasoning ready to go. See the recipe card located at the bottom of the post for full details.

  • Ground Cumin– Ground cumin is a smoky spice that is perfect in homemade taco seasoning.
  • Kosher Salt– I use kosher salt in my recipes, it’s a coarse salt.
  • Garlic Salt– If you can find the Lawry’s brand of garlic salt, that is what we prefer.
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper– For best tasting results use freshly ground black pepper.
  • Smoked Paprika– Smoked paprika adds a smoky addition to the taco seasoning.

How To Make Taco Seasoning

Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s time to make your very own DIY taco seasoning. It will take less than 5 minutes!

Cumin and Salt. Add the ground cumin and salt to the mixing bowl.

Garlic Salt, Pepper and Paprika. Garlic Salt and freshly ground black pepper in the bowl. Last but not least, smoked paprika. Make sure you get “smoked.” Makes a big difference.

Mix. Stir all spices together until well combined.

Transfer To Airtight Container. Place your new taco seasoning in an airtight container and use as you’d like!

Recipe Tips For Success

Use Fresh Spices. Make sure your spices are fresh before making homemade taco seasoning.

Airtight Container. Get yourself an airtight container to store your taco seasoning in.

How To Serve

Wondering how to use your new spice mix? Here are some of my favorite recipes that use taco seasoning.

Add To Your Ground Beef. You can also mix taco seasoning in with ground beef while you’re cooking it on the stovetop. Use about 3 tablespoons of seasoning per 1 pound of meat.

How to Store

I usually store my taco seasoning mix in a sealed mason jar but a smaller Tupperware works too. It will keep for about 6 months this way.

Freezing Instructions

If you don’t use taco seasoning as often as I do and want to extend the shelf life, you can store it in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 1 year.

The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

This is the Best Homemade Taco Seasoning! No more buying those packets from the grocery store, you'll have the BEST right at your fingertips.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 89kcal
Author: Jenny
Cost: $25
Print Pin Rate

Equipment

  • measuring spoons
  • mixing spoons
  • airtight jar

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic salt
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into large mixing bowl, stir to combine. Place in an airtight container. Use as desired to taco seasoning on ground beef and chicken breast.  Use about 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning per 1 pound of meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 42259mg | Potassium: 585mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7005IU | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 5.1mg
Keywords: best homemade taco seasoning, taco seasoning recipe
homemade taco seasoning

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70 Responses
  1. Dana M usick

    I made this taco seasoning and was hesitant with “about 3 tablespoons per one pound of meat” so I used two and still was way too much . Are you sure it isn’t 3 teaspoons? Be careful, we could not eat our tacos!

  2. DebInTN

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have been making my own taco seasoning for years because the packaged stuff is too salty (not to mention all the unpronounceable ingredients either!).
    I was searching for an alternative to my usual and came across yours. As a personal preference– I did lower the salt by half and swapped garlic powder for the garlic salt.
    This recipe really tastes fantastic. I made a big batch and put it in a mason jar with one of those Parmesan cheese lids. Now I can just sprinkle it on the meat!
    Again–thanks for sharing!

    1. LW

      There is no way you used the same identical ingredients and the same amount called for and can say that!
      This recipe is screwed up and 99% of the reviews are proof! Such a shame the owner doesn’t revise it or DELETE it!

  3. Filonila Ferns

    Very interesting recipe…Ilove to use Cumin n most meat dishes…but I do find it very strong and overpowering so I will use 1/2 a qtr cup..Also as there is also Garlic salt in the recipe I will opt for half of the salt you recommend. So here goes…Cheers.and Thanks…ff

  4. Smalltowngirl68

    It must be a Texas thing but I’ve never heard of traditional taco seasoning without chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder.
    The ratio of salt and garlic salt to the other 3 ingredients is way off as well.

  5. Rhonda

    Thank you for sharing. That’s very kind of you!!! I look forward to trying this tonight on Kevin & Amanda’s Fajita Pasta dish. Love bloggers who share their secrets with the rest of us 🙂

  6. Frankie

    WAAAYYYY too salty! I recommend cutting the salt in half, at least. Between the salt and garlic salt, there is too much for the recipe. From what I could taste beyond the sodium chloride, it seems like a solid taco seasoning recipe. Play with it and make it your own!!!!

  7. Sara Walerius

    I made this tonight, and it was terrible. So salty we couldn’t eat our dinner. Had to throw it out. What a waste of time

  8. Ashleigh

    My husband and I love the flavors in this taco seasoning, but like most people have said, it’s way too salty. The flavors are great though, so I suggest using WAY less salt. I don’t know exactly how much salt I use when I make this, but it is significantly less. Add salt to your liking:)

    1. Lisa W

      I did the math as well and knew this recipe was going to be insanely salty…compare it to PW’s taco seasoning. Can’t imagine the commentors that made it and didn’t find it salty!!?

  9. Sara

    I just did the math and wondered if this would be much too salty. Now, reading the comments I believe I will make another batch without salt and combine. Thankful I only did 1/4 of the recipe to try. I might just add some chill powder as well. Has anyone else done this?

  10. Elise

    Love this recipe, i’ve used it before but typically would use 1 T for every pound of meat…tonight I did 3 T as suggested, and it was WAY too salty. My husband and I found it hard to eat. I definitely will keep making this, but start with one tablespoon per pound instead of 3 (at least for ground beef) and you’ll love it!
    Thanks for the recipe! I love this with feta and guac!

  11. Monique DC

    Seems a bit heavy on salt: recommend you substitute GARLIC POWDER for Garlic salt. And I was surprised there was no chili powder in the mix (used to work for a family owned Mexican restaurant. We always included chili powder (not too much) because it brings a great heat to the meat.

  12. Jennifer L.

    This mix would have been awesome but for all that salt. I knew it was a lot when I was making it and I used less than the recipe called for. It was still ridiculously salty. Next time I try this I will be cutting out the salt completely and adding it to taste at the end of cooking.

  13. Jennifer L.

    This mix would have been really good but for all that salt. I knew it was too much when I was mixing it, and used less. Still way too salty. ??

  14. Kim

    I wish I had read through the comments before making this! This is way too salty and I love salty foods. I’m going back to Penzeys.

  15. Stephanie

    Like many others, way too salty… Love the *flavor* and the whole family agreed it would be good to make again without the salt. I like a previous commenter’s idea to make without the salt and then season to taste. I’m not quite ready to give up on it, but this recipe definitely needs some adjustment.

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