Homemade Taco Seasoning

Make your own homemade taco seasoning with this simple recipe made with minimal ingredients. Use this combination of seasonings for your favorite vegetarian Mexican recipes and never run out of taco seasoning again!

Of course you can buy store-bought taco seasoning, but why not try this vegan taco seasoning recipe and make it yourself. That way you get the flavorings exactly the way you like them.

Make taco seasoning vegan from scratch and add it to your favorite recipes such as this spicy, crispy Roasted Chickpeas and this Easy Vegan Taco Cornbread Casserole.

It was a family member who encouraged me to start making my own taco powder. I’m so glad because there are lots of reasons for making your own spices at home. I now even make my own pumpkin pie spice, too.

What You Need

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• Chili powder — I buy chili powder in bulk at Costco or health food stores, but it’s also available in larger quantities at many grocery stores.
• Garlic powder — You can find garlic powder in the spices section of your grocery store or health food store.
• Dehydrated onions — I prefer dehydrated onions to onion powder because I find onion powder clumps very easily, making it nearly unusable.
• Crushed red pepper flakes — This is an optional ingredient, but a favorite if you like a little heat in your taco seasoning.
• Dried oregano — This may be best known as an Italian seasoning, but it adds subtle flavor to this Mexican spice blend too.
• Ground turmeric — We buy this in bulk, but you can find it at grocery stores in smaller bottles.
• Paprika — Try using smoked paprika for a chipotle flavor to your taco blend.
• Ground cumin — This is the star of the taco show if you ask me. I like using a lot of it so I buy this in bulk.
• Salt + Pepper — You can use table salt or sea salt (I prefer sea salt), but when it comes to pepper, I highly recommend freshly ground black pepper.

Ingredient Spotlight

What Turmeric is Best for Taco Seasoning?

Turmeric is a flowering plant in the same family as ginger and cardamom. As with ginger, the root is used in cooking as a spice to add flavor and color. Turmeric is commonly used in vegan recipes for natural orange and yellow food coloring. Curcumin is turmeric’s main ingredient and is responsible for many of its health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory effects which are constantly being studied. [Source]. For this recipe, it’s best to use ground turmeric, widely available in many stores.

How to Make Taco Seasoning

1. Stir all ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Transfer to a lidded jar, like a mason jar or spice jar.

You can adjust this list of seasonings to fit your preferred tastes. Some like to add sugar to their taco seasoning. Some like more salt. I like a lot of ground cumin, but my husband does not, so I strike a balance that works for us both.

However you slice it, create the perfect taco seasoning for you!

How to Use This Homemade Taco Mix

You may be wondering how much Mexican spice mix to use to make the best vegan taco mix. Here’s a handy guide that I use:

Make Vegan Taco Meat:

1. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of taco spice mix to 2 cups of vegan veggie crumbles in a skillet.
2. Cook and stir over medium heat until the veggie crumbles are heated through.

Best Vegan veggie crumbles: I like to use Gardein Beefless Ground Crumbles, Bocca Crumbles, and/or Beyond Meat Crumbles. You can also use plant-based meat substitutes like Impossible Burgers or Pure Farmland.

Make Vegan Taco Steak

1. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning to 2 cups vegan steak pieces.
2. Cook and stir over medium heat in a skillet until the vegan steak pieces are thoroughly coated and heated through.

The best vegan steak pieces are Gardein Beefless Tips.

Make Taco Jackfruit

• Drain a can of young jackfruit in brine (available at health food stores).
• Add two cups of water, and bring it to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 to 20 minutes, until the jackfruit is tender.
• Use a fork to break the jackfruit down into strands.
• Add 4 to 5 tablespoons taco seasoning and stir to coat the jackfruit.
• Continue simmering until the liquid has turned into a thick sauce.

Make Vegan Taco Chicken:

1. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of taco spice to 2 cups of vegan chicken pieces in a skillet.
2. Cook over medium heat until the chicken pieces are heated through.
3. Use a spatula to break the vegan chicken pieces into smaller, bite-size pieces. Add to taco salads, on vegan quesadillas, and more!

Best vegan chicken pieces: Gardein chicken pieces or make homemade vegan chicken.

More Mexican Recipes

If you love vegan Mexican recipes, then these South of the Border dishes will be right up your alley. Use this best taco seasoning as much as you like for these:

Well, that’s it for this mild homemade taco seasoning recipe!

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

You can buy this at the store, but why not make your own homemade taco seasoning? Homemade is always best and that way you get the flavorings exactly the way you like it.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Seasoning

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 4kcal

Author: Namely Marly

Ingredients

CupsMetric

• ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dehydrated onions
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

• Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Stir.
• Store in an airtight container.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

* Turmeric is optional, but it’s such a healthy spice I love adding it wherever I can!

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Amount Per Serving

Calories 4

% Daily Value*

Sodium 247mg10%

Potassium 23mg1%

Vitamin A 350IU7%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Calcium 5mg1%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!

This post was originally published in 2016 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.