This homemade taco seasoning is super simple to make and is healthier than a packet of taco seasoning from the store!

Making your own seasoning.
Making your own seasoning for any meat is one of the best and simplest ways to start cooking healthier.
Like most pre-seasoned or packaged food, taco seasoning at the store comes with more than just spices. It has extra sugar, extra sodium, and modified food starches. All of these things are meant to preserve it as it sits on the shelf at the store. And some things are added just for food coloring purposes.
Have you ever noticed how when you buy taco seasoning at the store, your taco meat has an orange look to it? When you season taco meat at home, it isn’t that orange! That should tell you something.
When you think about these things, making your own taco seasoning is a no brainer. And I bet you already have the ingredients in your spice cabinet.

What makes that “taco” flavor you love so much?
There are two main ingredients that make that delicious Mexican taco flavor we all know and love: Cumin and chili powder. Even if you don’t have any of the other spices in this recipe, your taco meat would still taste like tacos with a lot of cumin and chili powder.
However, I have come up with a perfect blend to give you some great homemade tacos.
Recipe
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Modifications to make:
I have a young child in my home, so when I use a whole tbsp of chili powder it is quite spicy for him. To make it less spicy, you can bump down the chili powder to 1/2 tbsp or 2 tsp.
How to use taco seasoning:
Measure out all the ingredients into a small bowl.
Then (assuming you are using ground beef), after your beef has been browned about 3/4 of the way, sprinkle the seasoning over the beef.
Stir it in until it has coated the meat well. Let the meat cook the rest of the way.
Pro tip: sometimes adding the seasoning will make the meat appear dry. It’s not really drying out too much but if you want to prevent the meat and seasoning sticking to the skillet too much, you can add a few tablespoons of water. The water will help deglaze the pan, but also absorb quickly so your meat is not soft or soggy.

Salads, dressings, or dips!
I have found this seasoning to be great when making homemade taco salad dressings, or dips!
For a homemade taco salad dressing make my easy homemade mayo. Then add taco seasoning and a little honey. It has a great flavor and goes well on a taco salad, or even as a topping to a taco dish.
For a dip, you can add this seasoning to 1 cup of sour cream. Perfect for a tortilla chip dip, or the base of a seven layer taco dip.

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Homemade Taco Seasoning
Homemade Taco Seasoning is one of the easiest things to make to swap out the store bought version for a healthier version. It tastes delicious and is super easy to throw together.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Measure out ingredients into a small bowl.
- When taco meat is cooked 3/4ths of the way through, sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat.
- Stir to combine until all the meat is covered.
- Let cook the meat the rest of the way.
Notes
If the seasoning makes the meat seem dry, add a few table spoons of water to the skillet. This will deglaze the skillet and will quickly absorb without making your meat soggy.
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