Easy Eats: DIY Taco Seasoning

We packed up a lot of kitchen stuff so when it comes to meal prep, we’re keeping it simple. On this week’s list? TACOS! Who doesn’t love a #tacotuesday amiright? The last time we made tacos I used my homemade taco seasoning and got a zillion questions. So let’s break it down!

There are so many things in my kitchen that I never thought about switching, one of them being seasonings. I always figured they were just blends of…spices. Right? So imagine my surprise when I started reading food labels and found that many of my spice blends and seasoning packets contain common allergens like gluten, dairy, soy and corn, and most also had added sugar and complex flavor enhancers. So I threw them all out and tried to start over. And then came taco night.

I know it can feel overwhelming to “make your own” everything and start from scratch, but I promise this taco seasoning is so easy, cost effective and way better for you than the store bought alternative. But don’t just take it from me – let’s analyze a common taco seasoning label to get the full scoop:

So, after reading this it seems like there are really only 4 actual ingredients in this list of 15: Chili Pepper, Salt, Onion Powder, Sea Salt (again?) and Sugar. I almost threw in “spice” but I have no idea what that even means. The rest of the ingredients are either thickeners, additives or “flavor enhancers”, presumably to enhance the four ingredients above. For the reasons I listed in the graphic, I don’t feel good about them, which is why I ultimately chose to make my own blend!

I had all 8 spices in my cabinet – I use a mix of Simply Organic, Thrive Market and whatever is at the grocery store but we try to stick to organic when we can. I blend them in a small glass storage container that we keep in the spice cabinet and try to stick to the proportions in the recipe but I’m not fussy about it. If some flavors speak to you more than others, play around with the measurements and find a blend that tastes best for you!

When I cook our taco meat I use 2-3 tablespoons of the seasoning for about 2 pounds of meat. If you’re making tacos and have a little extra liquid, you can always add arrowroot flour to thicken the mix (or corn starch if you aren’t grain free!).