Taking just a little extra time to make this flavorful ground beef makes all the difference in your homemade tacos!
This was awesome!! I've been using the store bought seasoning for as long I've been cooking and I won't be buying that anymore. I didn't change a thing except using garlic powder as I didn't have dried "minced" on hand. It was the perfect mix of flavors. Not too spicy, even with the cayenne. Thank you!!
Read MoreI made this using ground turkey and I went lighter on the salt. This was okay, not our favorite taco-seasoned meat but passable for nacho meat. After tasting it, I did add more spices.
Read MoreThis was awesome!! I've been using the store bought seasoning for as long I've been cooking and I won't be buying that anymore. I didn't change a thing except using garlic powder as I didn't have dried "minced" on hand. It was the perfect mix of flavors. Not too spicy, even with the cayenne. Thank you!!
I made this using ground turkey and I went lighter on the salt. This was okay, not our favorite taco-seasoned meat but passable for nacho meat. After tasting it, I did add more spices.
This was very good and nice to have this recipe on hand when I realized I didnt have a taco seasoning packet. For the "one star" review about the waaaaayyy too much salt. Dont use as much. Pretty simple. Problem solved.
This tasted better than the taco package mix I usually use. I was skeptical wether my seven year old grandson would like this because of the red and cayenne peppers but he loved it. He liked that it was a bit spicy and so did I. I will definitely be making this again. Just an added comment: after the water evaporated I added some taco sauce and let it simmer down. It was even better than before.
This was a great starting point for me when my son said, "mom, I want tacos." I chopped up shallots and garlic and cooked in a little homemade chicken stock. I added the beef and when browned I added the seasonings listed in the recipe (excluding salt, onion and garlic). Then to amp it up a bit I added fire roasted tomatoes and red kidney beans until the ratio looked good. I used chicken stock instead of water. When it cooked down I added fresh cilantro. I know in the end I changed the recipe a lot, but it was a much better base than the mixes.
This made great beef tostadas and burritos. As written this would have been too spicy for some of my diners so I cut the crushed red pepper and the cayenne pepper in half, skipped the salt instead using a cube of chicken boullion in with double the water, and subbed onion powder for the minced dried. I will use this easy recipe again. Thanks for posting.
Our family is kind of taco snobs and really detest packet seasonings. Everyone raved about this one! Very, very good, a keeper my hubby said. May want to reduce the peppers if cooking for kids, but perfect medium spice for an adult.
Wow! This is a keeper. I followed the recipe exactly (hate those reviews when they tweak it) with the exception of the cayenne powder (optional) as I had an old bottle. I will add it next time but liked it without it. This is so easy to do - why buy the packaged? Plus, don't know if anyone else has experienced this but I find no matter what brand I buy of the packaged that there is a moldy taste. I've tried figuring out what seasoning is causing that. I didn't detect that taste of mold with this homemade. This is a little spicy but I like a little heat. I use some avocado, sour cream, & mild taco sauce with my burritos, tacos, etc. so that reduces the heat. I will certainly keep a small batch made up in my pantry so it's ready to use although it only took a minute to mix it up.
I normally do not like tacos. The seasoning is always old tasting. This was awesome with the fresh spices. The cayenne pepper gave it a little tiny kick it was perfect. My husband and his best friend ate ever last bite!
This was really yummy! I didn't have any corn starch or cayenne pepper and it still turned out good. Tasted much better than pre-packaged seasoning. My husband and 2yr. old ate it all up.
Made this when my son was home from college and it certainly passed the taste test! I will use this recipe from now on. Very easy to put together with ingredients I had in my cupboard.
This recipe turned out great! I planned family taco night and didn't have a taco mix packet. My kids said it was better than the packet. I didn't have dried minced garlic. Instead of using fresh, I substituted with garlic powder.
I was skeptical, but the seasoning mix in this recipe really does taste a lot like a taco seasoning packet. I didn't have cornstarch, so instead of the water I used about half a can of tomato sauce. I added a little more salt than called for to counteract the sweetness of the tomato sauce. I let it simmer until it was thickened. I think I'm going to make my taco meat like this from now on. Oh, and I used turkey, and you couldn't tell it wasn't beef!
This is okay; it has some flavor, but it's just too bland for us. I ended up doubling the cumin, oregano, garlic and corn starch. And I added some paprika and a pinch of sugar. Then it was great.
These made the best American style home tacos I have ever had... way better than the store bought packets.
This mix is great! I made it last night for my husband, brother-in-law, and I. We all loved it! I had taco seasoning packets at home but wanted to try to make my own. Tastes much better!! I added two teaspoons of fresh minced garlic because I didn't have dry. I also put in a few dashes of garlic powder. It tasted great. The crushed red peppers really bring it up a notch. Along with the cayenne pepper. Yum!!
Very tasty. I added a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and cut back on the water a bit. I found it a little bit spicy but my husband and daughter both loved it.
I always forget which brand of packaged seasoning it is that I don't like at the store...thank you for an excellent solution!
Love this recipe. Used flour rather than cornstarch and Italian seasoning rather than oregano (who runs out of oregano??). We use wheat tortillas always rather than the corn. Love the fact the sodium is much lower than using the envelope seasoning.
Made it close to the recipe only I substituted xanthan gum for the cornstarch and added two drops of stevia. I'll make it again!
Great beginnings with a lot of ad lib to it. Never go back to store bought. Used real onion and garlic. Swapped out the chili flakes for 1/2 finely diced jalapeno. Sauteed the onion, garlic and jalapeno with the ground beef. Added some hot sauce to the 1/2 cup water and voila, better than restaurant quality. The fresh ingredients made it so good! Added extra flavour and a heat that snuck up on you but was not overpowering. Just flavour packed.
Easy to make and tastes better than those salty ready mixes. I also made it with chicken.
The picture does not do it justice. It tasted great! I also added green pepper and onions strips, fried with the hamburger.
This recipes is amazing!! Full of delicious flavor! Spicy but I like my tacos that way. I will definetly be making my tacos this way from now on! No more store bought tacos mixes.
We thought this was easy and great! Probably won't be buying packets anymore!!!
Execellant mix of spices,better then the package stuff,really good taste.Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!Elaine
I made the recipe exactly except I used fresh onions and garlic. It came out very bland for me and I ended up doubling everything and adding green chilies. If I hadn't added more I don't think my husband would've liked it. This recipe is a good starting point for ratios but it's definitely a tweak for preference type recipe.
I have made this several times. It is an easy alternative to store bought mix. My only changes are to use 1/4 cup fresh minced onion and 1-2 minced garlic cloves instead of dried, cooked with the meat; and to double the seasoning when using ground turkey.
It was mmm good! Sharing this with everyone I know. Homemade taco seasoning is the BEST!
Very tasty! Enjoyed every crunching bite. I didn't have any cayenne pepper so substituted with black pepper. Quick and easy. Thanks!
I have made this about a hundred times. It's spicy, quick, and so good! I reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp because I thought 1 was a little much and turns out great every time.
I’ve made this at least 5 times. Everyone loves it (that includes people aged: 2, 10, 13, 38, 52, and 75- so I feel like that is a representative sample). I typically cook low sodium meals, so I cut the salt in half, and the tacos come out great. I’ve made this with beef and with turkey and my family always loves it.
This is a really awesome recipe!! I added some tomato paste for flavor!!!
Spices are perfect!! My hubby loved it. It's nice having a homemade taco seasoning. Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing!
Have made this recipe numerous times and love it! Only change is that I omit the cornstarch and cook the recipe for several hours in a slow cooker to develop the flavors.
This is a very creative recipe and looks amazing to eat. I haven't tried it yet but looks delicious keeping my fingers crossed!
WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY too salty and too hot with the Cayanne Pepper. I would never, ever try this recipe again.
we have made this a few times, and since we love a spicier flavor, we doubled all of the spiced and used fresh onion and garlic (basically omitted the need for the water) and the taco meat is delish!! We actually crave it and it is so fast and yummy!
I used fresh onion (1/4) and one clove of garlic. This is the recipe I’ve been searching for! Delicious! And the salt was JUST RIGHT! But a good rule of thumb is the put in less and add more as needed if you are not a saltaholic !
Good flavor; we mixed in half a thinly sliced white onion and diced yellow, red, and green peppers while browning the meat, and used a little bit of salsa with the water.
I used chicken broth instead of water and omitted the corn starch. Came out great! The whole family enjoyed it!
Ground Beef w/ Homemade Taco Seasoning Haiku: "This tasted okay. It could use some jazzing up. But we love tacos!" This was a nice, lightly-seasoned taco meat that meant using alot more cheese, salsa, and mixed veggie toppings when it came to building our taco plates (I prefer tostadas or lettuce boats myself) AR's "Taco Seasoning I" still reigns supreme here, but I'm glad to have tried this out - any reason to not use the store-bought packets!
I used Angus meat that had no grease. Hot & spicy is not something I eat often. But this I'll eat any time! Awesome recipe! Thank you.
Just made this; smelled great cooking it. I substituted TVP for the meat, as we're vegetarian. Nicely spicy for my rather tame tastes. Future changes to try: if I make it to take to family dinners, cut down the spice significantly as my mom needs very mild food, try adding tomato paste.
GREAT RECIPE! I'm a newlywed, and my husband is pretty underwhelmed by packaged taco seasoning, so I found this recipe and thought I'd give it a try. While mixing it up, I really felt that it smelled just like the seasoning I buy at the grocery store, and hubs agreed. However, because I mixed it up by hand, I knew exactly what to change. Turns out neither of us cares for cumin! So I replaced the cumin in this recipe for chipotle chile (same measurements), and we were both thrilled! Once the meat was done, we got out the tortillas and cheese and made beef quesadillas - his topped with lettuce and sour cream, and mine with lettuce and guacamole. Holy cow was that good! Delicious subtle flavor, and just a mild slow burn after swallowing. We both agreed that this recipe will be going into our recipe rotation!
This was good. I felt like it was a little lacking in flavor. I admittedly only put in half the chili flakes as the bf doesn't like too much heat, but I still thought it needed a little more flavor. Maybe a little tomato paste? I would make this again but will play with it a little. A couple of tips: I made the meat with all the spices earlier in the day so the flavors could develop. I think this helps (just leave it in the pan and reheat later. Saves time at the end of the day too!). This especially works for the salt and hot spices. Go a little easy on both if you're worried about it, and add more later if you want to. Amazing how beautifully the flavors blend and develop. Again, this was good. Just need to tailor it to your own tastes I think. Regardless, it is A THOUSAND times better than that store bought, envelope stuff! Not sorry I made this at all. Thank you!
Too much chili powder. Left out red pepper flakes & cayenne because it's too hot for us. I eventually reduced the chili powder giving it a better flavor & smoked paprika gave it a wonderful flavor. I didn't have dehydrated onions so I added fresh onion to the burger while cooking it.
I made this to use in Creamy Beef Enchiladas (gotta check it out). I made the enchilada sauce from this site and produced Enchiladas that are superior to anything in any local Mexican restaurant.
This was an excellent starting point for our taco seasoning. It was so much better than the packaged seasoning! I used fresh garlic and onion, omitted the cayenne, substituted about 1/8 tsp ground red pepper instead of red pepper flakes and started with half of the other seasonings. Delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I don't make tacos too often, but my wife suggested we do just that. This seasoning is spot on. Used a little less salt and added some chipotle powder for an extra kick and flavor while adding bold smokiness. I don't ever drain the fat and grease from the beef since I use grass fed beef and the flavors and nutrients are an added bonus. It absorbed the seasoning into the beef even better that way. Still added some water to keep it moister longer. Great recipe, paired well with a poblano lime dressing I made as well, with a strip of queso, cilantro, red onion, tomato and lettuce.
Absolutely Delicious! I will never buy packaged again. After trying this recipe I feel I have been cheating our taco night for years. Thank you and my whole family thanks you for sharing. :)
Great recipe to follow...I doubled the recipe, but felt that I still needed to add more cumin. I like a lot of flavor in my food! I also sauteed green pepper and onion with cumin, salt, and pepper, and added it to the meat. It was a great addition!
I've used this recipe several times for tacos. I sometimes use an Italian blend instead of oregano, if only because that's what I might have on hand at the time. I find it's quite easy to tailor this to my family's spiciness tolerance by altering and/or eliminating the cayenne, chili powder, and red pepper. My next step is to make this in bulk so it's easy to just dump several tsps. in with the meat and not have to measure every time.
I made this for lunch. It was very delicious great flavors. I had to substitute the minced onion for onion powder, I also added garlic powder, black pepper and minced jalapeños while cooking. Topped it off with mild cheddar cheese, sour cream, and salsa verde.
Very good! Will definitely become part of our regular meals. I halved the salt and cayenne pepper . Next time will make it 3/4 strength. Didn't have any cumin. Didn't use the cornstarch. Added cooked rice to absorb some of the liquid and then used the meat/rice mixture inside burritos with added cheese, tomatoes, green onion and shredded lettuce. YUM!
Day 2+ meat is everything!!
Tasty, defiantly tasty. I made enough of the spicy mix to save some in a jar for the next time...plus, it was fun to make. I served it on lettuce and tomato with a dollop of sour cream...and a few taco chips and a nice ripe avocado on the side.
Tasty, and easy to make. The reviewers who noted it wasn't too spicy were correct.
Omg came out amazing. Definitely making this next Tuesday.
Very easy to make and it is very good. I had some Elk ground round so very lean but adding the water made it nice and moist. Best taco's I've made in a long time.
Great taco seasoning mix. I've made it twice and the only thing I changed was to cut down on the salt a little bit. Way better than packaged seasoning.
Much to bland for us. I kept adding salt, pepper, chili powder, etc. and couldn't find the right blend. I'm going back to Penzey's taco seasoning.
Wow! My husband hates hamburger tacos, but these have made him a believer. I followed the recipe as written and the tacos came out flavorful and delicious.
Wow...way better than a packet and lots less sodium....you can even leave the salt out and it taste great. So much better when homemade. cheaper too!
For all the people struggling with salt - this recipe likely calls for kosher salt. If you are using table salt or iodized salt it is MUCH saltier and would ruin a dish in this ratio. Overall tasty if it needs to happen fast. Otherwise I recommend using real onion, real garlic, Chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, black pepper and depending on your heat level cayenne or red pepper flakes. I found the fresh ingredients added a bit more water to the mix so you can add more or starch if needed or add 1 tsp of tomato paste.
Kids & partner approved. Only substitutions I made was to skip the cornstarch and trade 8oz can of tomato sauce for the water. We served with yellow rice and typical taco fixins (lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese).
Really great combo of spices for Tacos. I've tried a bunch of recipes for taco seasoning and I always end up tweaking it. This one didn't need much. I did use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder and I left out the corn starch. You can either drain the fat off the meat (and therefore not need the thickener), or you can just eat them the sloppy way! This would be a great recipe to use to make your own pre-made taco seasoning mix!
I made this exactly as the recipe calls for and now, it is my favorite! This is my new "go to" recipe for tacos! It taste even better when it sits for awhile.
Very good recipe though I did 1/2 teaspoon of salt, as 1 teaspoon seemed like too much. It turned out just right. I also added 1 clove of fresh minced garlic to the meat as I cooked it since I love more garlicy flavor in my tacos.
The flavor was much better than a packaged mix. However, it was not as spicy as I like, so I will have to tweak it a bit.
Delicious! I added more of the spices because I used ground turkey. Definitely making this again.
I made the seasoning mix without changing the recipe and it worked out perfectly! It was perfect!
New favorite! Lots of flavor. Added an extra 1/2 tsp of Mexican chili powder for a little more kick.
I made it last night for taco Tuesday and I did use the cayenne pepper! Not spicy at all!! I did substitite the minced onion and garlic for regular powdered onion and garlic because that's all I had in my spice cabinet but it worked and the husband and I absolutely loved it! At first I was nervous to use all of the seasoning because I used a small amount of meat being that there were just two of us eating so I gradually added the mixture it ended up using all of it anyway. Delicious recipe! Thank you!
I forgot to buy a taco seasoning packet at the grocery store and didn't have the means to go out and get it. This recipe made a great go to, because I had most of the ingredients in my kitchen and only substituted the dry onions and garlic for fresh onions and garlic. It was tasty and really hit the spot.
