Make your own taco seasoning to have on had for beautifully flavored tacos or fajitas. Our favorite ingredient may be the cinnamon or that we can adjust the heat to our liking.
By Tux Loerzel
Russell and I tend to eat a lot of ground turkey or grilled chicken tacos, and now that we’re trying to eat better they’re a great meal we can make after work. There are a lot of small family owned tortilla factories in my neighborhood so we can get our corn tortillas super fresh. A few tortillas filled with some well seasoned lean meat, sautéed onion, and black beans is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal. Rather than cheese or sour cream, we like ours with a few creamy slices of ripe avocado.
I like to make my own seasoning because we make tacos so often. The store bought stuff is crazy salty and some of it has some really questionable ingredients that I’m not comfortable eating on a regular basis.
This seasoning is not only fresher and much less salty, but you also know exactly what you’re putting into it and can customize it to your taste. I like my tacos nice and spicy, so in addition to the chile powder I like to add ground cayenne pepper too. Cinnamon adds a warmth without adding spicy heat, and smoked paprika adds a great warm smokiness. You may think cornstarch is an odd addition to a seasoning blend, but most taco seasoning does have thickening agents in it to help make a nice thick sauce. If you don’t like using cornstarch you could substitute arrowroot powder instead or leave it out altogether. It’s your party!
Now that you have an amazing taco seasoning blend, make these Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Pesto and Red Cabbage Slaw.
PrintDIY Taco Spice Blend
- Yield: makes about 6 ounces, enough for 4 to 6 pounds of meat 1x
Description
Make your own taco seasoning to have on had for beautifully flavored tacos or fajitas. Our favorite ingredient may be the cinnamon or that we can adjust the heat to our liking. adapted from Love & Olive Oil
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons ground chile powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all spices in a small bowl and whisk until evenly distributed. Can be stored in an airtight jar or container for future use. Recipe doubles (or triples, or more) very easily.
- If using ground meat, brown the meat first then add seasoning along with a few tablespoons of water. You’ll want about 2 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of ground meat. Stir regularly until meat is fully cooked and sauce is thickened. I like to add a diced small onion while I brown the meat, and a drained can of black beans right at the end. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- You can also use the seasoning as a rub for chicken breast. Sear the chicken breasts until fully cooked and slice thin before adding to tacos.
- Category: Side, Spice, Topping
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
