While I love all the traditional Mexican taco fillings, there’s something particularly comforting about Tex-Mex-style ground beef with taco spice mix. It’s delightful for making copycat Taco Bell soft or hard shell beef tacos, scattering over a bed of greens for taco salad, or making a sheet pan full of homemade nachos dolloped with sour cream. But, rather than using pre-made seasoning packets, which include maltodextrin, silicon dioxide, sugar, and other ingredients that some of the big brands use? Trust me: learning how to make homemade taco seasoning for ground beef or ground turkey is a snap, and it’ll quickly liberate you from the world of artificial nonsense so you can feed your family nothing but the best.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Chili Powder — This popular spice blend is generally made with a mix of mild chiles and warming spices like cumin. Note that different brands will have different blends, so feel free to experiment until you find your favorite! Ground Cumin — It’s hard to imagine taco spices without thinking of the warm, pungent aroma of cumin. If you only have whole cumin seeds, try giving them a quick toast in a dry pan until they’re fragrant (about 45-60 seconds), then grind them using a mortar and pestle or clean coffee grinder. Garlic Powder — For adding mild garlic sweetness to your seasoning mix without any sticky fingers or fussy papery skins. Feel free to use either plain or California-style (with parsley added). Onion Powder — For adding sweet allium goodness with no tears to speak of! If you only have dried onion flakes, you can sub those in. Or, go the extra mile and blend them to a fine powder for the best flavor distribution. Dried Oregano — If possible, reach for Mexican oregano. Unlike “true” Mediterranean oregano (which is part of the mint family), Mexican oregano is part of the verbena family and boasts more citrusy undertones. If you’re fresh out, marjoram is the closest substitution. If not, Greek or Italian oregano will do the trick. Paprika — Mild, sweet paprika is the perfect option if you prefer mild taco seasoning. Hot paprika has a good amount of fire, which is perfect for all you spice lovers out there. You can also use smoked paprika, which has a smoky undertone reminiscent of chipotles. Salt — Opt for fine sea salt for the best flavor. If you’re using coarsely ground kosher salt, you may want to consult a conversion chart to get the seasoning just right! Black Pepper — Freshly cracked pepper will give you better flavor and texture than the pre-ground powder.
How To Make Taco Seasoning
- Measure the chili powder into a a small bowl.
- Add the cumin and garlic powder.
- Next, add the oregano and paprika.
- Season the spice mixture with salt.
- Whisk together until well combined.
- Transfer the seasoning mix to an airtight container and store in your pantry. Store in an airtight container or glass jar in a cool dark place like a spice drawer, cabinet, or pantry. Best if used within 3 months.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Some store-bought taco seasoning packets come with an added thickener to create a more luscious sauce. If you’d like to recreate that, add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to your homemade seasoning mix. Can’t do corn? Swap in potato starch instead. For a spicy DIY taco seasoning mix, you can either use spicy paprika ~OR~ add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or ground chipotle chiles. If you’d like to make a salt-free seasoning for tacos, simply omit the salt. When it comes time to make the taco meat, consider adding a few rasps of lime or lemon zest, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, or a pinch of citric acid. Acid is always a great alternative to salt! Love tacos as much as we do? Make a big batch of this taco meat seasoning and keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place like the spice cabinet. It should stay fresh for 6 months to a year!
If you’ve tried this recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
