Spice up your meals with Homemade Taco Seasoning! Made with simple spices you already have at home, this flavorful spice blend takes just 5 minutes to make- and you’ll never go back to store-bought again!
Here is a simple recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning. Keep it basic with the use of ground spices you already have on hand, or get creative and elevate this by using dried whole chilies – a fun way to use up those dried chilies you have in your pantry and add flavor, complexity and nuance!
You spice lovers out there are truly going to enjoy this! And this is especially suited to those of you who grew a garden full of chilies last summer and happened to dehydrate them.
Ingredients in Taco Seasoning:
- chili powder (or sub-ground, dried whole chilies)
- cumin
- coriander
- granulated garlic
- dried Mexican oregano
- ground chipotle powder (optional) or cayenne
- salt
- sugar
- black pepper
- optional: ground whole dried chilies (pasillas, Guajillo, chilies negro, chipotles)
How to make Homemade Taco Seasoning:
- Use fresh Spices: gather what you have on hand. Feel free to use whole spices (toasted and ground) or ground spices. Tip if using “older” ground spices, sometimes toasting them in a dry skillet for 30-60 seconds helps to revive them.
- Measure the spices: Place the spices in a bowl, measuring.
- Mix the spices. Store to combine well.
- Taste the taco seasoning! Taste your spice mix and adjust the heat to your liking.
- Store the taco seasoning. Place in a sealed jar for 6 months.
How to elevate Homemade Taco Seasoning
Use Dried Chilies!
You know all those beautiful dried chilies either in your pantry or at the store that you’ve been curious about? Feel free to use them in your taco seasoning.
- Just grind them up in a high-powered blender, or spice grinder and add this to your seasoning.
- To boost their flavor even more, lightly toast in a dry skillet ( turn the fan on) let coo, then stir them in.
- It’s like making homemade chili powder or homemade chili flakes!
- What I love about this is how much depth and flavor these add!
- Make doubly sure to check the heat level before adding (it should say on the package itself.)
Popular Types of Dried Chilies:
- Guajillo
- Pasilla
- Morita
- Chiles Negro
- Chipotle
- Cascabels
- Ancho
Here I’ve used Pasilla Chilies I happened to have on hand, which add a complex fruity heat, with a subtle sweetness. I added a tablespoon to the basic recipe, for a little burst of flavor.
And there you have it: Homemade Chili Seasoning for one large batch of Chili.
Store the Chili Seasoning in a sealed jar and use this to season taco meat, roasted potatoes or cauliflower, grilled chicken or meats, or as a spice rub for crispy tofu.
How to use Homemade Taco Seasoning
Taco Seasoning has so many uses! We use it on everything!
- Add it to scrambled eggs or scrambled tofu to make flavorful breakfast tacos or breakfast bowls.
- Use it to roast veggies! Toss potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, winter squash with a little olive oil and taco seasoning and roast on a sheet pan until tender.
- Coat cubes of tofu with it and pan sear, for a delicious taco filling.
- Add to ground meat ( or plant-based “ground meat”) and brown in a skillet.
- Add to your favorite chili or soups or stews!
Give it a try and let me know how you adapt it to make it your own.
xoxo
Print
Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ⅓ cup
- Category: spices
- Method: mixed
- Cuisine: southwest
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Spice up your meals with Homemade Taco Seasoning! Made with simple spices you already have at home, this flavorful spice blend takes just 5 minutes to make- and you’ll never go back to store-bought again!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (or ground dried chilies- see notes)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1/4– 3/4 teaspoons ground chipotle powder (or smoked paprika or cayenne pepper)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar (or sugar substitute, optional, but tasty)
- 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
Measure and Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and give a good stir.
Store in a sealed jar.
If adding whole dried chilies: Test for heat level (it should say on the package, or taste small piece). Place a whole chili in a high-powered blender, or spice grinder (remove stems, and seeds if you like). Grind until fine. Use as “chili powder” adding 1 tablespoon to this basic recipe. Use the remainder as you would chili flakes- I like to keep in a little bowl handy by the stove.
Notes
To enhance or revive spices or dried chilies, lightly toast in a dry skillet for 30-60 seconds. Let cool before mixing.
Spice blend will keep 6-9 months in a sealed jar.
Add the entire batch of spices to one normal-sized batch of chili (1-2 lbs meat + 1-2 cans beans).
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 13
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 321.4 mg
- Fat: 0.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I really appreciated dried chilies suggestions. This is my new go-to taco seasoning recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great to hear Helen!
Beautiful depth of flavor here! Use dried ancho chilies.