How to Make Taco Seasoning

It’s impossible to resist Tacos – the traditional Mexican dish of tortilla topped with a delicious filling, folded and eaten in your hand. It is such a versatile dish, it can be made with beef, chicken or pork but seafood and vegetables are also popular options. They are great for cozy family dinners or parties for all of your friends. Most people like to finish them off with some fresh salsa, guacamole and sour cream and then serve them with crisp lettuce, onion and tomatoes. The dish originated as a Mexican street food but is now popular throughout the world.

Kits containing everything you need to make Tacos are available in most grocery stores but some people prefer to make their own. They pick up some Taco seasoning and add their own fresh ingredients. But what exactly is in store-bought Taco seasoning? If you check the labels, you will see that many contain MSG and other artificial ingredients. Wouldn’t it be so much better to make your own fresh Taco seasoning? Here’s a simple recipe so that you can do just that.

Our Delicious Taco Seasoning Recipe

This quick and easy Taco seasoning recipe takes just five minutes to prepare and five minutes to make so a lack of time is no excuse! The following recipe will give you enough seasoning to make Tacos to serve eight people.

A homemade Taco seasoning provides 7% of your daily required Vitamin A requirement and 6% of your iron intake. On the other hand, it only contains 2% of your daily fat requirement and 1% of the sugar requirement.

Ingredients

The ingredients that you need will probably already be in your spice cupboard! They are:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Method

The method could not be simpler. You need some measuring spoons and a glass bowl to combine the ingredients in. Then, you carefully measure each of the ingredients and place them in the bowl. The colors and odors are irresistible. You can double up the ingredients if you need more. Make up the seasoning on the same day that you need to use it.

What You Need to Know About DIY Taco Seasoning

Once you have prepared your delicious Taco seasoning, you can use it straight away but you can also store it for use later. This allows you to make up a batch and use it over the coming months. If you store your homemade Taco seasoning in an airtight container and place it in a cool and dry place, it will last for up to six months. A mason jar is perfect but any airtight container will do. This makes it just as convenient as store-bought seasoning.

If you are used to buying your Taco seasoning from a store it can be hard to work out how much you will need for your recipe. As a general rule of thumb, each packet of Taco seasoning from the store will contain two tablespoons of seasoning for each pound of meat that it is to be used for. Larger packets are therefore used for larger quantities of meat. When you make your own Taco seasoning, you are in charge of the quantities. You may find that you want to use less but there will be no wastage because you can store your seasoning for next time. If you are half way through a recipe and need a bit more, you can just make some without having to open up a whole new packet.

Use Taco Seasoning for Other Dishes

Your DIY taco seasoning is not just for tacos. You can make a Taco Burger using fresh minced beef and your homemade taco seasoning and serve it with fried corn tortilla strips, salsa, avocado and crisp lettuce. Don’t forget the toasted potato bun.

Have you ever heard of a Chicken Taco Masala? It’s about time that you tried it! This amazing dish is basically a chicken tikka masala made with chicken thighs. Instead of using the garam masala seasoning, you swap it for taco seasoning. It’s a lovely Mexican twist on a classic Asian recipe and always goes down well with guests at kitchen supper parties.

You could also try a Taco Michelada. If you are a fan of the classic Michelada with lime, ice, hot sauce and beer then you will love this. You just have to dip the rim of the glasses into your homemade Taco seasoning to give it an extra bit of bite. Served in long and elegant glasses, this will be a talking point at your next drinks party.

Whilst most Taco recipes are laden with meat, there is no need for vegans and vegetarians to miss out on all the fun. More and more people are choosing to exclude meat from their diets and Tacos are one of those recipes that adapts very well. You can also take a traditional Buffalo dip recipe and make it without the meat content. It is surprisingly good!

Another option is to take some grated cauliflower and cook it in a Valentina hot sauce. Then you simply combine it with some cream cheese, mayo and taco seasoning. If you are serving to vegans, you need to use vegan cream cheese and vegan mayo. It makes a delicious dip that can be served with pita chips, carrots or celery at a pre-drinks gathering or as a light lunch. Even kids love it!

Enjoy the Taste…

So, there is everything you need to know to make your own delicious Taco seasoning. You will never have to buy this seasoning from the store again and your recipes will be richer and more natural than ever before – bursting with natural flavors that will impress your family and friends.