How to Make Your Own Taco Seasoning Recipe

If you’ve ever bought spices from the store, you probably noticed that they often contain ingredients like “anti-caking agent” or “natural flavor” (aka MSG). Many often contain trace amounts of soy or other fillers, and sometimes these don’t even have to be listed on the ingredients.
Mystery fillers aside, these spices also often sit on the shelf, in plastic bottles, for a long time. By the time you bring them home, they have lost much of their flavor (and did I mention they might contain soy, MSG, or other additives!)
As with many aspects of natural living, simple is often cheaper, easier, and more healthy. Making your own garlic, onion, and chili powders (or a blend of all three) can be one of the easiest and tastiest changes you can make. These are also a great addition to homemade spice blends!
The gist of making these homemade seasonings is to simply dehydrate pieces of garlic, onion, or pepper in a dehydrator or on the lowest setting of the oven until the pieces are dry and brittle. Then, just powder them in a coffee grinder or blender and store.
Fun fact: Did you know that paprika is actually a type of chili powder that uses only sweet red peppers?

 When you make taco mix yourself, you’ll find it is incredibly easy! You only need a few basic spices:

• chili powder 
• cumin
• garlic powder
• onion powder 
• oregano leaf
• paprika
• Himalayan salt or sea salt (optional)
• black pepper

Measure in the ratios below, mix in a small bowl or mason jar, and store for use! It’s that easy. This recipe should give you a starting point but feel free to adapt it to your family’s tastes and make your own “secret” recipe.

Taco-Inspired Recipes to Try

I use the spices above in many other recipes, so it’s great to have the option of using them on their own or combining them into various homemade seasonings (see the whole list of my favorite spice mixes below).
We use our DIY taco seasoning the most in:

• taco meat (obviously) – because we love tacos!
• as a sub for fajita seasoning
• sprinked over eggs
• with ground turkey or beef in a meat and veggie scramble
• in an easy taco soup (taco meat + leftover veggies + broth + squeeze of lime)
• to season chili
• with ground chicken and veggies in a lettuce wrap
• as a tasty addition to   Crock Pot chicken recipe
• to season fish tacos