Homemade Taco Seasoning
This is the BEST homemade taco seasoning recipe. It's fast, easy, and can be made with just a few ingredients from your spice cabinet!
Servings: 1 recipe (about 2¼ Tbsp)
Calories: 42kcal
Equipment
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp chili powder $0.30
- 1 tsp smoked paprika $0.10
- 1 tsp ground cumin $0.10
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper $0.02
- ½ tsp dried oregano $0.05
- ½ tsp salt $0.05
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, (about 15 cranks of a pepper mill) $0.05
Instructions
- Combine everything in a small bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Use immediately, or store in an air-tight container, away from heat and sunlight, until ready to use.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Optional add-ins: ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder (either or both, depending on if you're using fresh garlic or onion); ½ tsp cornstarch (add ⅓ cup water to your meat or beans to create a saucy consistency).
Low Sodium: To make this seasoning lower in sodium, reduce the salt or leave it out of the blend entirely. Salt does help the other spices pop, but you can always season the finished dish to taste once it's cooked.
Pricing note: I use a flat cost estimate for herbs and spices because they’re just too hard to measure and weigh such small quantities, so this cost is an estimate. I generally estimate $0.10 for every teaspoon of an herb or spice, unless it’s a particularly expensive item. For salt, I generally estimate half that. So, take the cost of this recipe with a grain of salt (pun intended).
How Much Taco Seasoning to Use:
This recipe makes about 2¼ tablespoons of taco seasoning, which is roughly equal to one store-bought seasoning packet. Use the full batch to season about 1lb. of ground beef, turkey, or chicken, or about 3 cups of cooked beans. If you scale the recipe up for bulk storage, use ~2 tablespoons of seasoning per 1lb. of meat.How to Use:
Use one batch of taco seasoning to season about 1 lb. of ground meat, 3 cups cooked beans, chicken, potatoes, or roasted veggies. For ground meat, brown it first, then add the seasoning and sauté for about 2 minutes to toast the spices. For beans, stir in the seasoning and heat through. For chicken, potatoes, or veggies, sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the surface before cooking or roasting. This is a small batch recipe, so it's unlikely you'll have much leftover. If you do, stir it into mayonnaise or sour cream for a quick taco-flavored sauce, sprinkle it over roasted vegetables, or add a pinch to scrambled eggs for extra smoky-spicy flavor.Nutrition
Serving: 1batch (about 2¼ Tbsp) | Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1299mg | Fiber: 5g