Taco Bell Seasoning is a classic spice blend that is zesty and brings bold, savory goodness to any dish. Now every night can be taco night!
The next time you want to take out, you can make your very own Copycat version of the Taco Bell Original Taco Seasoning Mix. You can use this seasoning on Oven Baked Tacos, BBQ Beef Stuffed Peppers, Steak Fajitas, or any other Mexican American dish you’re craving.
Sabrina’s Taco Bell Seasoning Recipe
Dress up your ground beef, turkey, or any other meat you’re making for taco night with that delicious taco seasoning that we all know and love from Taco Bell. This DIY seasoning mix is effortless to make, and once it’s done, all you need are some tortillas, sour cream, taco meat, salsa, and cheese to make yourself these iconic tacos. Taco Bell Seasoning is made from ingredients you either already have on hand or can easily find at your local grocery store.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Whisk onion powder, cornstarch, garlic salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and sugar together in a bowl.
- Good for one pound of ground beef or store in a covered container.
Nutrition
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Table of contents
About this Recipe
When making your Taco Bell Seasoning mix, make sure you have a large, sealable container in which you can mix it. This will help you with clean up, since you don’t have to transfer it out of a bowl when you’re done. You can customize this taco seasoning mix however you’d like, according to your tastes. You can also easily mix this seasoning blend into generic taco sauce to give it some more flavor. Once your meat has cooked through (insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of it to check the internal temperature), dish it out into corn or flour tortillas, cover it in salsa, cheese, and any other toppings you’d like.
How to Store
You should keep this taco seasoning in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. You can keep the taco seasoning in the fridge, but you don’t have to, since it won’t lengthen the lifespan of the spice blend much longer than how long it will last in the cupboard. Storing the spices in the fridge can also dampen the spices and make them get soggy and gross.
Ideas to Serve
The obvious way to use this seasoning is to season ground beef and make tacos or burritos. However, there are lots of other options for using this Seasoning recipe.
- Chicken and Turkey: Use this recipe to season ground chicken or turkey to use in your favorite recipes. It will bring that flavor you love, but using meat that is typically lower in fat. Ground chicken and turkey are fantastic in tacos and burritos.
- Bowls: Season your meat of choice and use it to make taco or burrito bowls. You can use veggies as the base if you’re looking to go low-carb, or use rice as the base if you want to go gluten-free. These bowls also make a great lunch on the go, for work or school. Just heat them in the microwave, grab a fork, and you’re good to go.
- Nachos: Cook a batch of meat with this seasoning and then set it out with all of your favorite toppings to assemble nachos. Refried beans, nacho cheese, shredded cheese, olives, jalapeños, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, guacamole, and hot sauce would make a great start. Make a party out of it. Guests can assemble their nachos just the way they want.
- Taco Burgers: You can season some ground beef and make a burger version of a taco. Just grab your favorite bun, scoop the meat onto the burger, top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and your choice of hot sauce if you’d like some heat.
Frequent Questions
It is not recommended to add your seasoning before the meat begins to cook. You want to cook your meat until the juices start flowing before you add in your Taco Seasoning to provide some liquid for the seasonings to blend. You can also wait until your meat is almost completely cooked. This might work best, especially if you are going to strain the meat due to cooking a high-fat ground beef or any other meat that produces a lot of liquid while cooking. Draining the liquid will also drain out much of your seasoning.
You can use this Seasoning on any meat, or even a meat substitute. It will work on ground meats, sliced and chopped meats, or on full pieces of chicken, steak, or pork. Consider sprinkling it on any meat that you might use to make tacos, burritos, or any Mexican-flavored dish.
Variations
- Hot: Are you a fan of hot sauces and find this seasoning to be just a little too tame? You can dry a few chili peppers, dice them finely, and mix them into the seasoning. I would suggest trying jalapeños, habaneros, or Serrano peppers.
Related Recipes
More Taco Bell Recipes
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Used this taco seasoning tonight and it was soo good! Will be using again!
This is the best copycat recipe for taco seasoning I have tried! Thank you for the tip about the liquid! Excellent taste ?
I made tacos with this mix the other night, and they were really delicious . I’d like to make this in bulk. How long will this keep in the pantry (in airtight container)? Then, how much would I add per pound if I make it in bulk? It looks like maybe 2 – 2.5 Tbsp per pound, but not sure if that would be accurate. Thank you.
Do you add any water to this like with a store bought seasoning?
The liquid comes from the meat. The amount of the fat content in the meat forms the liquid for the spice. It is not recommended to add your seasoning before the meat begins to cook. You want to cook your meat until the juices start flowing before you add in your Taco Seasoning to provide some liquid for the seasonings to blend. You can also wait until your meat is almost completely cooked. This might work best especially if you are going to strain the meat due to cooking a high-fat ground beef, or any other meat that produces a lot of liquid while cooking. Draining the liquid will also drain out much of your seasoning.