Homemade Mild Taco Seasoning Recipe: Big Batch

This easy homemade taco seasoning mix will be a staple in your kitchen for tacos, fajitas, and all your taco tuesday favorites!

The trouble with grocery store packets is that one taco seasoning packet never seems to be the perfect amount. Sometimes one isn’t enough and two is too much, but when you make your own taco seasoning, you can always use exactly as much as you want. Plus, you can control the ratio of spices to your taste. And it's so easy to make your own seasoning blend from pantry staples and have it handy for whatever you decide to make on taco night!

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Why You’ll Love This DIY Taco Seasoning

• Mix once, use multiple times. As written this large batch seasons 6 pounds of taco meat, and you can scale it up further if you’d like!
• You can use exactly as much as you want. No more partial packets in your pantry.
• Complete control of your ingredients. Need to cut sodium? Leave out or reduce the salt. Like it spicy? Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to yours.

Let's Get Started! Here's What You'll Need:

Ingredients: 

• Mild Chili Powder- a blend of dried chili peppers and spices, mine is from Costco and in addition to two types of chili peppers it contains salt, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder.
• Paprika- dried red ground peppers, this is generally more mild than chili pepper powder. I recommend smoked paprika but you can use sweet paprika or regular paprika as well.
• White Sugar- a little helps balance the spices. It also helps bring out the natural sweetness in bell peppers and onions when making fajitas. 
• Onion Powder- if you're always making fajitas with fresh onions this is less important to include in the spice blend, but it gives great flavor to traditional tacos.
• Ground Cumin- a savory spice that adds a warm, earthy flavor.
• Garlic Powder- because mincing fresh garlic every time we want tacos sounds like too much work. 
• Corn Starch- this helps the seasoning coat the food well, and stick to the meat more easily so you get the maximum flavor. 
• Sea salt- brings out the food's natural flavor.

Equipment:

Literally all we need is measuring spoons, and a jar big enough to store them in plus some space for mixing. If your jar is only big enough to store it then you'll also need a medium bowl to mix things together in, and then transfer it to the jar.

How To Make Homemade Taco Seasoning

Step 1: Combine your spices

You’ll want a bowl or container that is large enough to accommodate the spice mixture, plus space for stirring without it spilling over.  For the base size I like to use a 2 cup Pyrex.

Step 2: Stir and Store

Stir your spices together and store them in an airtight container.  A glass container with a lid like a pyrex or mason jar is perfect.

Using Your Own Homemade Taco Seasoning

I recommend 2 tablespoons of seasoning for each pound of meat, plus 1 more tablespoon for vegetables when using it as a fajita seasoning. For easy ground beef tacos, brown a pound of ground beef and drain it, then add a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and mix well, stirring occasionally until the cup water mostly evaporates. Serve with your favorite shells and toppings.

What to Make with with Your DIY Seasoning

• Classic Tacos
• Fajitas
• Taco Salad
• Taco Soup
• Nachos
• Burritos
• Rice Bowls
• Walking Tacos
• Quesadillas

Popular Substitutions & Additions

• Low sodium- halve or omit the salt. If you need a no sodium look for a chili powder that doesn't contain it, as most blends do.
• Add some heat- add cayenne and/or red pepper flakes to taste
• Add oregano or black pepper- these are common ingredients in many store-bought taco seasoning packets

FAQs

Tacos are a quick, easy dinner.

Looking for more ideas like that? Check out these other low prep entrees:

• Pesto Butter Salmon
• Baked Feta Pasta
• Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Let me know in the comments what you use your big batch of homemade taco seasoning for!  And if you love it be sure to come back and leave a star rating or review.

📖 Recipe