Taco Seasoning
Taco seasoning is a pre-mixed blend of chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, and other spices used to flavor ground meat and other fillings for Mexican-American tacos and related dishes.
How to buy
Packets vary widely in salt and filler (cornstarch) content, so check the label if you want to control sodium. A blend with simple, recognizable spice ingredients beats one padded mostly with starch and sugar. Making your own from pantry spices -- chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder, oregano -- gives more control over heat and salt.
How to store
Store packets or homemade blends in a sealed container in a cool, dark pantry; ground spice blends lose potency within about six months to a year, so label with a date and refresh periodically.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Warm and savory with chili-powder earthiness, smoky depth from cumin, garlic and onion savoriness, and usually a touch of mild heat; commercial blends often have a noticeable salty-tangy edge from added salt and a bit of sugar.
- Texture
- A fine powder that dissolves into the fat and juices released from cooking meat, forming a light coating or a thin sauce once a splash of water or stock is added.
- Aroma
- A warm, earthy, cumin-and-chili aroma that blooms quickly once it hits hot fat.
How to prepare
- Simmered with ground meat — Mixed into browned beef or turkey with a splash of water to form a light coating sauce.
- Dry rub — Used dry on chicken or vegetables before grilling or roasting.
- Blended into dips — Stirred into sour cream or cream cheese for a quick taco-flavored dip.
- Mixed into marinades — Combined with oil and lime juice to marinate meat before grilling.
Classic dishes
American
- Taco salad — Lettuce, seasoned beef, cheese, and toppings served salad-style.
- Taco-seasoned ground turkey bowls — Lean seasoned protein served over rice with classic taco toppings.
- Taco soup — A hearty soup built on taco seasoning, beans, and tomatoes.
- Taco pizza — A pizza crust topped with taco-seasoned meat and classic taco toppings.
- Walking tacos — Taco fillings served directly in individual bags of corn chips.
- Taco casserole — A baked, layered casserole built on taco-seasoned meat.
- Taco-seasoned roasted cauliflower — Roasted cauliflower seasoned as a plant-based taco filling.
Mexican
- Ground beef tacos — Seasoned beef filling folded into soft or crispy taco shells.
- Seven-layer dip — A layered party dip built on taco-seasoned beans or meat.
- Taco-stuffed peppers — Bell peppers filled with taco-seasoned meat and rice.
- Nachos — Tortilla chips topped with taco-seasoned meat, cheese, and toppings.
- Chicken fajitas — Sliced chicken and peppers seasoned and sautéed with a taco-style spice blend.
- Taco-seasoned black bean dip — Blended beans seasoned for a smoky, spicy dip.
- Taco-seasoned rice — Rice cooked or tossed with taco seasoning as a quick side dish.
- Quesadillas with taco-seasoned filling — Tortillas filled with seasoned meat and cheese and griddled until crisp.
- Burrito filling — Taco-seasoned meat used as the base filling for burritos.