We eat A LOT of Mexican food at my house. Like a lot. And most of those recipes call for taco seasoning. I was buying SO many packs of taco seasoning that it was ridiculous. One day I looked at the ingredients on the packet and was grossed out.
Why did we have to have all these preservatives and additives in the taco seasoning? I was not happy feeding that to my family. Yes, the packets are super convenient but I knew there had to be a way to replace the packets. I was right, and it was SUPER easy. Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?
I looked at the back of the taco seasoning packet again and looked at all the actual spices. I knew chili seasoning had to be the main ingredient and I went from there. After a few times of tweaking, I got it just right. It tasted like the store-bought, but even better because it was fresh.
I felt so much better feeding it to my family. It’s kind of frightening all the junk they put in there.
Not only is homemade seasoning much healthier but it is one way to save a bit of money on your grocery bill each week. By making things from scratch that you would normally buy prepackaged you can end up saving quite a bit of money over the course of a year.
Here are some of my other recipes that use my homemade taco seasoning:
(Low Carb Beef & Cheese Enchiladas)
I like to store my taco seasoning in glass mason jars. I feel like it helps the seasoning to taste fresher than keeping it stored in a plastic container. It could just be me, but I did taste a difference. I also have discovered these plastic ball jar lids that are awesome!! No more worry about rusty lids.
Onto the recipe for the taco seasoning!
Taco Seasoning
- 1/2 c. chili powder
- 1 T. onion powder
- 1 T. garlic powder
- 1 T. cumin
- 1 T. oregano
- 1 t. paprika
- 2 t. salt
- 2 t. pepper
Mix all ingredients in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons as a substitute for 1 packet of taco seasoning. This makes the equivalent of 6 taco seasoning packets. Stays good for up to 6 months stored at room temperature. I purchase all my spices (well the ones that I can) at Aldi.
Savings Break Down:
- Chili Powder – $.48
- Onion Powder – $.06
- Garlic Powder – $.06
- Cumin – $.06
- Oregano – $.06
- Paprika – $.02
- Salt – $.02
- Pepper – $.04
- Total – $.80 vs. $4.74 ($.79 each) for 6 Store Bought Packets
This breaks down to be $.13 per serving by making it yourself. That is a savings of $.56 per packet. Now I know that doesn’t sound like a ton of money but if you make tacos just once a week for a year that adds up to be a savings of $29.12!
All the little ways of saving add up. Plus you’ll be saving your family from having to eat the nasty additives and chemicals that are in the prepackaged packs.
Here are some more seasonings you can make at home.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. chili powder
- 1 T. onion powder
- 1 T. garlic powder
- 1 T. cumin
- 1 T. oregano
- 1 t. paprika
- 2 t. salt
- 2 t. pepper
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons as a substitute for 1 packet of taco seasoning. This makes the equivalent of 6 taco seasoning packets. Stays good for up to 6 months stored at room temperature. I purchase all my spices (well the ones that I can) at Aldi.
Are these teaspoon measurements or Tablespoon? My batch did not equal 6 packets by using teaspoons.
Capital T means Tablespoon. Small t means teaspoons
Do these taste like the store bought packets?
Do these taste like the store bought packets?
Yes, but are so much healthier.
This may be a dumb question but did you really mean 1/2 Cup of chili season? 🙂
Yes. You are making many servings of taco seasoning.
Maybe a silly question but do you add water when using this seasoning? For example when making tacos the packet says add packet and water to the cooked meat. Thanks for posting such great menus and recipes.
Yes I do add water. I do 2 T. of taco seasoning and a half cup of water per 1 lb. Of meat.
thank you so much. I am sure my family will love your recipes. 🙂
Good morning. I am curious how many lbs. of meat is used per 2T of seasoning? I am a cook for a camp/ retreat center and I'm trying to prepare the food a bit more healthier for our guests. We have tacos every Thursday night.
I use 2 T per 1lb of meat.
Do you, by chance, have an Old Bay type seasoning recipe? We eat crab legs several times a month & I would like to have a healthier mix than store bought.
Thanks
I don't, sorry. Check nanaslittlekitchen.com
Hello Darcie, I have a similar recipe and the recipe recommended using smoked paprika in place of the plain, it is very good too. Sometimes if I want a stronger taco flavor I just use more of the seasoning mix (ie. 3T instead of 2T) and that works too if you feel like it is not strong enough. Thank you for your recipes!
made your mix for our taco salad and it was amazing!! Will never buy store brand again. Thank you for sharing!!
Darcie,
Thank you so much for the recipes! I am trying to find your list of seasoning mixes. Every time I click the link it takes me to another site. Help!!