Homemade Taco Seasoning – Say Goodbye To Store Packets!

If you would like to say goodbye to prepackaged taco seasoning packets or store-bought mixes and be more in charge of your ingredients, then try this simple homemade taco seasoning recipe! It’s made using only 7 staple pantry ingredients and is packed full of flavor without all the unknowns!

If you are like our household and many others out there, then you probably have a taco night each week. We don’t have them on a specific night like “Taco Tuesdays”, but we eat some form of tacos about weekly.

I used to purchase mild taco seasoning packets from the grocery store but got tired of the constantly increasing prices. Besides, I like the fact that by making my own homemade seasoning, I can adjust the flavors to my family’s liking.

This recipe creates a mild taco seasoning flavor that still allows you to taste the flavor of the beef instead of just covering it up. Since we purchase locally raised beef, that’s a huge plus for us.

As always, feel free to change up this recipe a bit to make it your own. That’s why I think I enjoy cooking things from scratch so much because you can really make recipes and meals work for you and your family.

How To Make Homemade Taco Seasoning

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients

• Minced Onion – Don’t use freshly minced onion here unless you are going to cook the seasoning right away. If you want to be able to store the seasoning mix until you are ready to use it, use dried minced onion. Or, use your own dehydrated minced onion if you have any available. (Here is the dehydrator I use – Product Link: COSORI Food Dehydrator.)
• Chili Powder – This is one ingredient where you can alter the flavoring of the recipe a bit. I use either mild chili powder or original (usually no spice level is mentioned if it is original). If you prefer a taco seasoning with a bit more of a kick, just use a hot chili powder seasoning instead.
• Dried Oregano – Again, do not use fresh unless you are cooking the seasoning right away.
• Salt – Regular table salt works just fine for this recipe.
• Garlic Powder – I am a huge fan of garlic so this is a must-be-included ingredient for me!
• Cumin – I love the savory and warm flavor that the cumin adds to the recipe.
• Corn Starch – This is a thickening agent that helps give the taco seasoning some body when added with water and cooked slightly.

Instructions for Making Taco Seasoning Homemade

This is one of the easiest instructions I’ve had to write so far! Just add all of the ingredients to a bowl or container and mix well. Make sure to incorporate all of the ingredients throughout. That’s it!

Store the taco seasoning in an airtight container. You can use any food-safe glass jar or plastic container as long as it has a lid. I like to just use little storage containers for keeping taco seasoning in smaller batches. That way, I don’t have to measure each time I cook with it. (Product Link: 4-ounce Glad containers)

This is a good recipe for doubling to make a big batch and keep it on hand for whenever you need it. The mixture is good for around 6 months, but ours never makes it past a week or two!

Cooking Taco Meat

This recipe makes enough homemade taco seasoning to use with two pounds of ground beef. To make the taco meat, first brown two pounds of ground beef and drain off any excess fat.

Next, add the entire batch of taco seasoning (or 4 slightly rounded Tablespoons if you made a large batch). Add 1 cup of water and mix everything together well. If you are using only one pound of ground beef, add 2 slightly rounded Tablespoons of taco seasoning and 1/2 cup of water.

Reduce the heat on your stove to low. Simmer for around 5 to 10 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed and the taco meat has slightly thickened.

Using Taco Meat Besides Tacos

Our favorite way to use the taco meat is in plain old hard or soft shell tacos. However, you can use taco meat in all sorts of different recipes that go beyond plain tacos. You can also freeze it once cooked for thawing out and using at a later date when you are in a time crunch and want a quick meal.

One of my kids’ favorite (and so simple) recipes is mixing a batch of macaroni and cheese with a pound or two of taco meat. Think homemade hamburger helper – Only better! We also like any variations of tacos. Think taco taters (adding cooked tater tots to cooked and seasoned meat), taco haystacks, taco pie, etc. The list just goes on and on!

Hopefully once you try making homemade taco seasoning from scratch, you won’t go back to store-bought packets again!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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