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Cheap and Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

5 from 2 votes
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Most kids love tacos and your kids will love making their own homemade taco seasoning – and you will love how much cheaper it is to make your own, not to mention that this taco mix is healthier, easily adaptable to your own tastes and means you don’t have to run to the store when you are out!

You can make a bunch, because my taco omelette uses up leftover taco meat!

Table of Contents
  1. Cheap and Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning
  2. How To Make Homemade Taco Seasoning
  3. Tips And Tricks for Homemade Taco Seasoning
  4. Cheap and Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
Homemade Taco Seasoning in small glass jar with lid
Homemade Taco Seasoning

Cheap and Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

This cheap and easy homemade taco seasoning goes perfectly with so many dishes, from Mexican inspired meals to soups, casseroles (like my Taco Casserole!), and even as a chicken or steak rub! Once you have a few staple spices in your cupboard this seasoning only takes a few minutes to pull together so it’s super quick and easy to make. I usually pair this one with ground beef and it’s beyond delicious!

a teaspoonful of Taco Seasoning from a glass jar

My daughter is quite a picky eater, but surprisingly the one thing she loves is taco meat! Weird isn’t it? She likes butter chicken and she likes taco meat but God forbid I get her to eat anything else that has seasoning on it. So when it came time to make some homemade taco seasoning I decided that it was time she learned how to make it herself, since this is something she likes to eat.

How To Make Homemade Taco Seasoning

It doesn’t get much easier than this!

  1. Mix all of your ingredients together in a small bowl and… YOU’RE DONE! I like to store my spices in mason jars, but any airtight container will do the trick.
  2. The next part is getting the taco meat ready. If you’re using ground beef, fry until it’s browned and cooked through.
  3. You’ll need to go for a lean meat and up to around 1lb of it is perfect.
  4. Once it’s cooked, drain the fat and add in 2 tablespoons of your taco seasoning.
  5. Remember to add a quarter cup of water to the mix if you’ve used cornstarch.
  6. Continue to cook the beef and seasoning until everything has combined and the beef has thickened.
  7. Remove from the stove and get ready for taco time!!
Taco Seasoning with chipotle powder, crushed red pepper flakes and cornstarch in a small clear glass container

Tips And Tricks for Homemade Taco Seasoning

  • I love adding this taco seasoning to ground beef for my tacos but you can try it with chicken and pork too!
  • If you’re making this with the kids make sure to remind them not to rub their eyes with their hands until they’ve washed up. Those spices will definitely cause tears if they get into their eyes!
  • I sometimes use smoked paprika instead of the regular version as it gives the flavour a bit of an extra pop.
  • If you want a milder version of the seasoning just reduce the amount of pepper you use and ditch the cayenne.
  • This homemade taco seasoning will last for around 6 months once you store it in a cool dry place. I keep mine in my spice cabinet so it’s always within easy reach (and I always use it up!).
  • Don’t be tempted to leave out the onion even if you’re not an onion fan! The powder gives a very subtle onion flavour so it’s not overwhelming. If you leave it out I’m 90% sure it’ll seem like it’s missing something!
high angle shot of Taco Seasoning with chipotle powder, crushed red pepper flakes and cornstarch

More Taco recipes for you to try:

Classic Weeknight Tacos

The BEST Tex-Mex 7 Layer Bean Dip

Ground Turkey Chili

Bacon & Buffalo Chicken Tacos

I hope this is super helpful, I can’t be the only one who runs out of taco seasoning all the time right? Now that we have mastered our own taco seasoning and most importantly, my daughter now knows how to make her own taco seasoning , I’ll put her in charge of tacos from now on. This is actually a super milestone when you have picky eaters, I consider this a major life skill in her teen years that she can actually make real food she will eatl!!!

Happy cooking! Love you guys more than chocolate!

Karlynn

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This is the best homemade taco seasoning recipe, easy to make, easy to customize to your tastes and not to mention it's incredibly cheaper than store-bought taco mixes!
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Cheap and Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning

This is the best homemade taco seasoning recipe, easy to make, easy to customize to your tastes and not to mention it's incredibly cheaper than store-bought taco mixes!
5 from 2 votes
high angle shot of Taco Seasoning with chipotle powder, crushed red pepper flakes and cornstarch
Prep Time
5 minutes
Course
Sauces
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
3 batches of tacos
Calories
63
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( adjust this to desired heat and spice level)

Optional Add Ins

  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch (this will thicken the seasoning when used in tacos)

Instructions
 

Directions

  • In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

To Prepare Taco Meat

  • Fry up 1 lb of lean ground beef until browned and cooked throughout. Drain the fat and mix in 2 tbsp of the taco seasoning mix. If you added cornstarch, add in 1/4 cup of water to the mix. Cook until the taco seasoning is all mixed throughout the beef and thickened up.
  • Remove from the stove and place in a bowl. Use for tacos and wraps.

Recipe Notes

You can use smoked paprika in this recipe for a lovely smoky flavor.
  • To make the amount shown in the jar, quadruple the recipe! We make a LOT of tacos so Ivy made four times the recipe- and that was also some GREAT math skills practice for her as well! 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 63kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1325mg, Potassium: 313mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 4485IU, Calcium: 70mg, Iron: 5mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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