A batch of homemade Tex Mex Seasoning is the best shortcut to making tacos, burrito bowls, fajitas, soups, or other Southwestern-style dishes. Keep a batch of this spice blend in your pantry and substitute it for the spices in any Southwestern or Mexican recipe (or use it to replace any recipe that calls for store-bought taco seasoning).

We make tacos (or something related to tacos – burrito bowls, fajitas, etc) almost every week. It may be our favorite go-to meal. But it suddenly occurred to me that I was mixing up individual spices each and every time I made them. What a waste of time! I now keep a large batch of this delicious spice blend in my pantry, and add it to recipes as I go. The result tastes more fresh than store-bought taco seasoning and allows me to customize it however I like, reducing or omitting salt, adding a pinch of cayenne for extra heat, or throwing in some adobo chili powder for smoky flavor. 

I have been loving this seasoning so much that I’ve gone through several batches this month. Slow-cooker taco beef is making the whole house smell amazing as I write this post.

Here’s how to make your own Tex Mex Seasoning!

Homemade Seasoning / Spice Mixes vs. Store-bought

So why make your own seasoning blends when you could just buy the store-bought variety?

1. It tastes better! You will be amazed at how much better this seasoning mix tastes than a pre-made variety.
2. Customizable. You can adapt homemade seasoning blends to fit your taste. Add more or less spicy ingredients if you prefer. Don’t like cumin? Reduce it or leave it out. Need a low-sodium dish? Add as much or as little salt later
3. No junk. When you make seasoning at home, you know what you’re getting. No weird fillers, no mystery ingredients, just a short, fresh list of ingredients that you know. 

I just googled the list of ingredients on a popular brand of taco seasoning and not much about it screams “yum”…

Homemade Tex Mex / Taco Seasoning Ingredients

For Tex Mex /Taco Seasoning, you need a short list of pantry staples:

• Chili Powder
• Ground Cumin
• Ground Coriander
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder – Make sure you use garlic powder and not garlic salt.
• Dried Oregano
• Salt – It’s up to you whether you add salt to the seasoning or not. Adding some when you first mix it up will mean that the spice mix is ready to be blended into any dish without the addition of salt. You can also wait and add salt later when you’re cooking with it (this gives you total control to just add as much salt as the unique recipe you’re making needs). 

Ways to Use Tex Mex Seasoning

• Tacos (or taco casserole)
• Fajitas
• Burrito Bowls (or Meatball Taco Bowls!) 
• Enchiladas (or enchilada casserole) 
• Enchilada Soup
• Stuffed Peppers
• Queso Dip
• Burger Patties (like these Tex Mex Guacamole Burgers)

Use this Tex Mex Seasoning in our Tex Mex Burgers with Guacamole! And just to keep our spice cabinets interesting and our dinners easy, I’ve got an entire series of DIY seasoning and ways to use them coming your way over the next few weeks. Look for Italian Seasoning, Moroccan Seasoning, Jerk Seasoning (spicy or not!), Ranch Seasoning, and many ideas of how to use them on other blog posts.