Make homemade taco seasoning to avoid fillers and unnecessary additives found in store blends. This taco seasoning works for ground beef, chicken turkey or vegetables.
Making your own taco seasoning gives you full control over what goes into your food and how it's balanced. Many store bought packages contain anti-caking agents, and preservatives that aren't necessary for added flavor. Some blends also include added sugars or fillers that increase the carb count. When you mix your own, you can keep the ingredients simple, adjust the spice level, and tailor it to fit your dietary needs.
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reasons to make
- Save money and time - Mix once and keep on hand.
- Customize - Adjust the heat, salt and spice level to fit your taste.
Pantry Staples You'll Use
- Chili Powder: you can use mild, hot or ancho chili powder depending on how much heat and depth you want.
- Paprika: swap sweet paprika for smoked paprika to add a subtle smoky flavor.
- Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin: all basics you an adjust.
- Corn starch or Arrowroot starch: this is used to thicken the seasoning and you use very little. You can skip this, but remember, it will not thicken and cling to the meat quite the way the store bought version does.
Lessons From Recipe Testing
- As written this is very comparable to the popular store bought mild taco seasoning.
- Salt can be reduced by half if you are really trying to limit your sodium, but if you omit it entirely I found the flavor to be lacking.
- This perfectly seasons one pound of meat.
Want to make a big batch? Slide up the 'servings' section of the recipe card and make enough for a whole bunch of Taco Tuesdays!
Storage
- As written this makes approximately 2 tablespoons and seasons one pound of meat. If you wish to make this in a bigger batch just change the servings on the recipe card. Store in an airtight container up to one year.
Water + taco seasoning
This just helps all the spices dissolve in so you get even coverage on the ground meat. Otherwise it can end up kind of gritty. It also helps create a bit of a sauce when the arrowroot starch thickens the water.
How to Use It
- Meal prep: Turkey Taco Lunch Bowls, or Santa Fe Low Carb Chicken Meal Prep
- Short cuts: Instant Pot Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers or Crockpot Stuffed Peppers
- Classics: Baked Beef Taquitos or Taco Salad Recipe
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons mild chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon arrowroot starch (or 1 teaspoon corn starch)
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients. One batch works with 1 lb of ground meat.
To cook taco meat
- Cook 1 lb of ground meat over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula until no pink remains.
- Drain the pan if there is a lot of grease, then return meat to the pan.
- Add ⅔ cup of water and taco seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until seasoning is well mixed in and most of the water has absorbed.
- This makes enough taco meat for 4 people.
Nutrition Information
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
Ruth says
What is the importance of the Arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)?
Annie says
It serves to thicken the taco seasonings.
Sam says
I was wondering what purpose does the starch have in this recipe? I don't normally notice startch having too much of a flavor.