The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe in the World!

Growing up in a home where the most exotic spices used were salt and pepper, I can’t get over how you can make the same combination of protein, vegetables, and whole grain taste completely different every day of the week just by switching up the spices in the dish.

Sometimes the simplest things awe me. Sad, I know.

Mexican, Latino, and Spanish spice combinations are one of our favorites. We go through taco seasoning like crazy because we get the flavor we want by opening one spice bottle instead of four or five.

I have to pace myself on the physical spice bottle opening exertion. I don’t want to get carpel tunnel or anything.

Pin this recipe for later!

After our almost religious experience of eating hand made tortillas for the first time in our lives, my husband me with a cast iron tortilla press like this one from a local Mexican grocery store. (I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.) 

I'm working like crazy on my tortilla making skills, which means I've been going through tons of taco seasoning packets. That gets expensive.

I figure if I'm upping my game making my own tortillas, I should make homemade taco seasoning recipe too.

It tastes fabulous! It is less expensive than buying those not big enough packets or bottles of taco seasoning. I don’t have police the ingredient list because I know exactly what is in it.

Taco Seasoning Recipe

This DIY taco seasoning looks like it has a lot of salt in it. I’ve tried making it with less salt but it did not bring out the flavor as the original amount.

I don’t typically use onion and garlic powder in cooking because I like the taste of fresh better. I keep them around for this recipe. Sometimes but them on popcorn to kick the flavor up a notch.

Thoroughly mix together in a bowl the following spices:

1/4 cup of chili powder (use your favorite depending upon how hot you want it to taste. Husband sometimes adds crushed dried jalapenos because he likes to eat lava. I’m not such a fan of nuclear spicy hot food and make the recipe as written. Do what you like.)

3 Tablespoons of paprika

3 Tablespoons of cumin

1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt

1 Tablespoon of onion powder

1 Tablespoon of corn starch (corn starch keeps the mix from clumping together in the spice bottle. If you don’t like to use corn, you don’t have to add it.)

1 Tablespoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of oregano


I store my homemade taco season recipe in an old spice jar in my pantry.

It doesn’t last very long in the cupboard. It is the absolute best and tastiest taco seasoning in the whole, wide world!

If you'd rather buy, than DIY (no judgement here!) try the options below!



Did you like this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Lazy Budget Chef RSS feed or by subscribing to Lazy Budget Chef by email.