Homemade Taco Seasoning

Homemade Taco Seasoning, the quintessential Mexican spice-blend to enhance flavor of any Mexican meal. With this easy recipe, you can make Taco Seasoning at home using pantry-staple spices. Trust me, all spices to make taco seasoning are already in your pantry. Like, right now! Plus homemade seasoning is healthier, preservative free, artificial color free, gluten free and can be adjusted as per your taste. 

Homemade seasonings are also good utilization of pantry spices, great way to save some money, and trip to grocery store. Even though a package of Taco Seasoning cost 99 c to 1 dollar... but cost can add up for a Mexican food lover like myself. Plus why spend on something you can resource from your own pantry in less than 5 minutes? This is what motivates me blend most of spices at home. 

So, let's make some Taco Seasoning today!

To make taco seasoning, I mix taco seasoning ingredients - garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, dried oregano, cumin powder, chili flakes, sugar and salt. To control the amount of salt per taste, I recommend adding half of the salt while mixing and add rest later after tasting the mixed taco seasoning. This helps keeping salt to taste, specially when you want low-sodium taco seasoning.

I used two kinds of paprika - sweet paprika and hot paprika, to give this seasoning right blend of flavor and heat. Overall this taco seasoning blend recipe has little bit of kick due to addition of chili flakes. 

Just like salt, you can control the amount of heat in taco seasoning by adding half amount at time of mixing and add rest after tasting.

Homemade Taco Seasoning is also my favorite for following reasons:

1. Opportunity to adjust the flavor as per personal preference. Homemade Taco Seasoning is way more flavorful than store-bought package.
2. Keep salt in control. Make seasoning low-sodium. To adjust salt to taste, I add half of salt first, then add rest after tasting if I need more.
3. Make seasoning at moment's notice without a trip to grocery store using spices I already have in pantry. 
4. Make small batch equivalent of a standard store-bought Taco Seasoning Package or more. This recipe makes about 4-5 packages worth of Taco Seasoning.

Just keep good quality spices in pantry. Using these you can make any spice mix, at moment's notice, without trip to grocery store. Try more spice-blends I shared earlier - Fajita Seasoning, Garam Masala, Za'atar Seasoning, Turkey Seasoning, Chai Tea spice 

Note: McCormick is my trusted brand for quality spices. McCormick Spices are available in almost all US Grocery Stores. For everywhere else, you can buy these online.

Once you have spices in-hand, it takes few minute to make delicious Taco Seasoning.

You can use Taco Seasoning in endless way. My top favorites being:

1. Meat, Beans, or Veggies for Tacos (of course)
2. Grilled Meats or Roasts
3. Salad Dressings
4. Soups
5. Dips

Friends, homemade seasoning is only 5 minutes away. Look out in pantry and blend some today for your next Mexican Feast. You can find lots of Mexican Recipes on the blog.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Holidays.