Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Made In Your Own Kitchen

Homemade taco seasoning is easy to make, saves you money, and tastes better than store bought. It has a warm, smokey flavor that can be used to compliment a variety of dishes.

You can mix up a batch in just minutes. And, if you like, you can double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe, so that the next time you want some it’s sitting in the cupboard waiting for you.

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

Let’s talk about why you should make homemade taco seasoning for a bit. Even though, I think the real question is, “Why wouldn’t you want to make this great seasoning mix?”.

It’s a win-win skill to have. You’ll always know exactly what’s in your mix, which allows you to control the purity of the ingredients. And it can be very useful if you’re watching your salt intake.

You can also adjust the level of spiciness to your personal liking. The recipe provided in this post is very mild. Simply add more chili powder, cumin, and/or crushed red pepper to amp up the heat.

And, over time, making your own seasoning mix will save you some money. It may feel like you’re spending more if you have to pick up some of these spices to make the blend. But in the long run it works out to be quite a bit less expensive than those individual packets on store shelves.

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS SPICE BLEND

If you have a welL-stocked spice cabinet, you will likely have all of the ingredients necessary to make this tasty homemade taco seasoning mix.

Here’s a list of what you’ll need …

• CHILI POWDER
• SMOKED PAPRIKA
• CUMIN
• GRANULATED GARLIC
• ONION POWDER
• SALT
• CRUSHED RED PEPPER
• OREGANO
• GROUND BLACK PEPPER

You will also need two ingredients that don’t seem to be included in the other recipes, for this seasoning mix, that are all over the great big interweb.

They are …

• CORNSTARCH – Adding cornstarch to the recipe causes it to thicken up as it cooks.
• BEEF BOUILLON POWDER – A little bit of beef bouillon amps up the flavor of the meat as it simmers.

ADJUST THE SPICINESS OF THIS SPICE BLEND

The homemade taco seasoning recipe in this post is very mild. I love spicy foods, but I prefer that my tacos not have any bite to them.

There’s a chance that I’m odd man out on this one, but that’s okay. Because you can adjust the heat of this recipe very easily.

The chili powder, cumin, and crushed red pepper all carry some bite. Add more of any one of them, or more of all of them, to make your blend as spicy as you like.

HOW TO USE HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

You can cook many things with homemade taco seasoning. And we’re going to talk a bit about that in the next section of this post.

But no matter what you decide to make there is just one thing you need to consider when using it. And that is whether or not you are making a sauce with it or just using it to season a dish.

If you are seasoning a dish with it, you can use it like any other spice blend. But if you are making a sauce with it, then you have to take the fact that it will thicken as it simmers into consideration.

This isn’t going to make a great deal of difference for most dishes. It will, however, make a big difference when making beef for tacos.

To do that … you will cook the beef, add the seasoning and some water, and allow it to simmer until it thickens to the consistency you desire.

WHAT TO COOK WITH HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

It seems a shame that this great spice blend carries the name taco seasoning. Because it can be used for so many dishes.

The name seems to put it in a box in our minds. Do yourself a favor, open that box, and experiment with this seasoning blend.

You can use it to make soups, casseroles, and dips. It makes an amazing pasta dish. And a great addition to a few of your favorite pasta dishes too, think mac and cheese or fettucine alfredo.

Mix it into your ground beef the next time you grill a burger, and then top that burger with your favorite taco toppings.

Or spread it over fresh pizza dough and then layer on the cheese and taco toppings before you put it in the oven. So good.

It makes a great dry rub as well, particularly for chicken. Use it to make chicken tenders in the oven or do a breast on the grill and make a sandwich with it. Don’t forget those taco toppings.

It is also great as a dry rub on a chicken breast cooked in a cast iron skillet. Prepare the breast this way and then top it with melted cheese, tomatoes, and olives.

HOW TO STORE YOUR SPICE BLEND

There’s really nothing special that you need to know to store your homemade taco seasoning. It’s just like any other spice blend.

Simply place it in an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dark place. It will stay fresh, when stored in this way, for up to six months.

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If you try this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars! It supports my work more than you may realize, and I appreciate that a great deal!

You can also show your support by tagging me on Facebook @sustainableslowliving and/or Instagram @slowlivingbydianegail when you post a pic of your finished spice blend.