Homemade Taco Seasoning

Homemade Taco Seasoning is an easy, flavorful blend of pantry spices that adds the perfect kick to all your favorite taco night meals. Ditch the store-bought packets and whip up this simple seasoning in minutes. Great for tacos, burritos, dips, and more!

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This post was originally posted on 2/24/2017 and updated on 3/18/2025.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe Ingredients

• Chili Powder: this is the American chili powder that is a combination of spices.
• Paprika: standard, sweet or smoked paprika can all be used. I usually use standard.
• Cumin
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Cayenne Pepper: used to make the taco seasoning spicy, add as much or as little as you want to reach your desired spice level.

How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning

1. To make the taco seasoning is really simple. Just layer the spices in a mason jar or place them in a bowl.
2. Put the lid on and shake it like you mean it. Once the layers disappear, you have a well mixed taco seasoning. Or simply stir or whisk it together well.
3. Use it to make your favorite taco meat, soups, side dishes and more!

How Much Seasoning to Use

This recipe makes a large batch, but it keeps for a long time! Use 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning per 1 pound of meat. 2 tablespoons is about the equivalent to using one store bought packet.

Storing Taco Seasoning

Shelf-life: Homemade seasoning blends keep really well. When stored properly it will last up to a year. My rarely lasts a month, but you get the idea.

Storing: Store the seasoning mix in a jar with an air tight lid. A mason jar or spice jar works great. Keep it in a dark, cool and dry place like a cupboard, drawer or pantry.

How to Make Taco Meat with Taco Seasoning

The hardest part about making tacos with Homemade Taco Seasoning is deciding what type of meat to put it on! It's always a tough decision to decide between ground turkey, ground beef, shredded chicken or fish. I will have you know that we eat them all and they all are approved by my family. Here, I'm going to explain how to make it with ground meat.

1. Start with a pound or so of your chosen ground meat: beef, turkey, chicken or pork.
2. Sauté the meat in a frying pan over medium heat until fully cooked through. If you need to drain any grease, do so now.
3. Then stir in 2 heaping tablespoons of the taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and ¾ cup of water.
4. Simmer meat over medium-low heat until bubbly. Simmer until some of the liquid has reduced and absorbed into the meat.
5. Remove from heat and make tacos!

Fixings for Taco Nights

• Diced Tomatoes
• Shredded Cheese
• Corn
• Black Beans
• Avocados or Guacamole
• Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
• Salsa, Taco Sauce, Hot Sauce
• Tortilla Chips, Hard corn-shells, Soft flour tortillas

Make it a Freezer Meal

Taco meat can easily be made into a freezer meal. Simply make a double or triple batch and freeze any leftovers from your Taco Night party. Or you can do batch cooking over the weekend and cook up a whole lot of taco meat and freeze it for later.

To freeze taco meat let it cool completely and then place your desired amount in freezer safe containers or zip top freezer bags with a label and date on it. I used to freeze mine in 2 pound portions but now that I only cook for 4, I freeze in 1 pound portions.

When it comes time to use it, you can simply place the frozen meat in the crock pot and heat on low for 3-4 hours or you can let it thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over low heat on the stove. Both ways work very well.

Recipes with Taco Seasoning Mix

Here are some of my favorite recipes using my homemade taco seasoning:

• Taco Biscuit Bake
• Chicken Taco Soup
• Taco Flavored Steak Fries
• Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
• Taco Pasta Skillet
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
• Mexican Lasagna