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When you have homemade taco seasoning in your pantry, you never have to worry about running out on Taco Tuesday! This flavorful and versatile mix will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
I’m not sure what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but it’s downright swampy here in Ohio.
I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you it has been raining for weeks.
It’s so bad that my dad can’t even put his boat at his dock because the dock is completely submerged.
I had to invest in two large umbrellas because regular sized umbrellas were just no longer cutting it here in the swampland.
Needless to say, it doesn’t feel much like summer. More like early fall, except with loads of mosquitos and a disgusting thickness to the air even though it’s only been in the high sixties.
Since we rely heavily on our grill during the summer months, we’ve been having to get a little more creative in the dinner department. Let’s be real, no one wants to grill in the rain even if you do have a cute, giant umbrella overhead.
Since our summer staples like Grilled Garlic Basil Shrimp, Sweet and Spicy Beef Kebobs, burgers and grilled chicken breasts are pretty much out of the question for the foreseeable future, we’re eating all the tacos.
Because for one, tacos are amazing, and for two, tacos are super easy. And quite frankly, I’m all about that easy summer life right now.
As long as I have the essentials like taco shells, shredded lettuce, cheese and my homemade taco seasoning, we’re good to go.
WHY DIY TACO SEASONING IS THE BEST
There is nothing worse than being in the middle of making a recipe only to realize that you’re out of a key ingredient.
This has happened to me an embarrassing number of times. But these moments of pantry inconvenience have resulted in a number of my favorite recipes, including my favorite pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice and chai spice blend.
I figured there had to be a way to make homemade taco seasoning, too. After all, I might as well avoid any future Taco Tuesday mishaps, right?
A quick visit to Google told me I was only a few minutes away from a flavorful homemade taco seasoning.
A little recipe tweaking told me I was able to control the level of heat and the salt content from making my own spice mix and my tacos have never been the same.
Now whenever I made my own taco seasoning, I make a large batch and store it in my spice cabinet for everything under the sun.
HOW CAN YOU USE TACO SEASONING?
This perfect taco seasoning has become something of a multipurpose spice blend in our house.
Obviously it is great for making tacos any night of the week. But I like to add it to everything from spicy taco cheese ball to 7-layer dip to roasted potatoes.
I even like to use it as homemade chili seasoning, too.
Gasp! Yes. I know it’s controversial, but I like to use the same mix for tacos and chili.
I’ve found that taco and chili seasonings are usually so similar in flavor that it made sense to consolidate them in my pantry and use this mix for both!
So I add it to hearty chili when the weather gets cold.
Turns out, being well prepared with flavorful homemade spice blends in your pantry can lend lots of flavor to nearly any recipe you make.
Homemade Taco and Chili Seasoning
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons sea salt
- 4 teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Stored in an airtight container, this spice blend will keep for up to a year.
- When making chili or tacos using one pound of ground beef, start with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the seasoning blend and adjust according to your tastes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
omg I want to to make it again again!
omit the water if you want, however it is import while simmering, blending, reheating etc. Add as yo may
.
Far beyond the best spice mixture I’ve seen, blends as it sits. Has a bit of a bite, might want to step back on the pepper, step up on the chili powder. Maybe teaspoon of sugar. absolutely the best. As another poster put, I will never go back to chili spice mixture again. Absolutely the the best base Ive tried
James-
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the seasoning! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
In reading this thread I decided to look at my “Simply balanced” brand Organic chili powder jar to see if there was a list of ingredients other than just chili’s as I assumed. I was wrong. My “Simply balanced” “chili powder” includes: organic red chili, organic cumin, sea salt, organic oregano, and tri-calcium phosphate (anti-caking agent). I was surprised to learn that what I thought was just chili’s in my chili powder was not.
Having said that I will probably follow the above recipe, with using either less or no more added salt.
In the future I will read the ingredient list when buying spices.
Looking forward to enjoying chili for dinner tonight.
Thanks so much, Sandy! This has been quite the debate! ;)
Regarding the dispute over
the use of the term “chili powder”, I believe both sides are on the same page. The reason I say this is because using the generic phrase “chili powder” usually implies a blend of seasonings. However, Jamie is referencing pure, ground Ancho chili powder made clear by the link provided above. You all mean the same thing! For clarity in recipes, however, I can understand that it is probably best to state specifically which ground chili powder is used.
Being specific (i.e., ground Ancho chili powder) makes it
perfectly clear that the recipe does not call for a pre-mixed chili powder. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but am going to very soon. It sounds fantastic.
Jamie, you are very patient! I just made this and it’s very good.
Thank you, Sharla! I’m so glad you liked it!
Michael and Annie made valid points, though I don’t think Michael understood the difference between prepackaged chilli seasoning such as Old El Paso, French’s etc… and basic chilli powder. Nor do you for that matter. Chilli powder is not JUST a blend of ground chillies. EVERY major spice retailer, IE: ClubHouse, McKormick’s etc … use a blend of ingredients to make chilli powder over and above just ground peppers!
Looking at my chilli powder under Safeway’s own label from their spice rack I read: chilli pepper, cumin, salt, oregano, garlic, silicon dioxide. The package of No Name generic powder I have lists that with the addition of coriander and cloves without SiOx. Perhaps you should visit the spice aisle and read the ingredient list on those jars of chilli powder and offer an apology. If you’ve been buying your spices and herbs in bulk then you probably wont see an ingredient list. Sorry to be a real jerk but you were so certain of yourself in shutting down Michael and Annie. I only stumbled on your page to find the correct proportion of other ingredients to add to my chilli powder to replicate the French’s Chilli-O seasoning packet I forgot to buy earlier when I was out and this just set me off.
I appreciate your feedback!
I actually added the whole mixture (sounds like a lot, it’s not) to a huge pot of chili I made. consisted of
1 large white onion
one large green pepper
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 can of diced tomoatos (not drained)
1 can tomato paste
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of chick peas
1.5 pounds of ground beef
let simmer for about 1 hour and had it with rice
it turned out amazing and was a crowd pleasure.
Great, Mick!
I used this recipe due to my Wife’s Gluten Allergy for the first time and will use it again. This recipe is better than what is pre packaged.
Thank you, Peter!
Hi!
I stumbled upon your recipe after realizing there was no more of the usual pre made chili packets I use. I had most of the spices already on hand thankfully! Did a taste test just now and even my picky 6 year old aproves lol.
Thank you for the recipe, it saved this dinner! :)
When I please a 6 year old, Sheila, I feel like my job is worthwhile! I’m so glad to save dinner. Enjoy!
What make off chili powder is just grounded chilies everything I’ve seen has all other ingredients in it?
Hi, Ray! I’m not entirely sure I understand your question, but you can use whatever kind of chili powder you like. Let me know if I can help with anything else!