Learn how to make keto taco seasoning from scratch in just 5 minutes for a fraction of the price of store-bought taco mix, and use it to make these delish carne asada tacos, or to season our Instant Pot ground beef! It's also Paleo, gluten-free, vegan, and Whole30.
If you’re on a keto diet and love tacos but are struggling to find a taco seasoning that doesn’t contain cornstarch, sugar or any other fillers, look no more! Many famous taco seasoning mixes such as Old El Paso taco seasoning and McCormick taco seasoning contain fillers. Just take a look at their listed ingredients and total carbs! Plus they are often loaded with fillers, which are usually posted as some of the first ingredients.
This is a good reason why you'll want to take control and make your own at home. You know what it is in it (spices only). Plus you can customize your own by deciding the amount of each spice to use in it according to your own taste and preferences.
There is no ONE FORMULA!
You’ll notice the difference in flavor too!
This keto taco seasoning is perfect not only for ground beef and turkey but also for other meats such as chicken, pork, shrimp, and veggies too.
It is a versatile seasoning mix, as you can see!
Low Carb Taco Seasoning Ingredients
Our homemade keto taco seasoning yields about 5 ½ tablespoons, although we recommend using 2 tablespoons of it for every pound of meat.
This means you have leftovers you can use another time or in other dishes. Most packets of taco seasoning contain just 2 tablespoons of the mix (with fillers) and you pay more for that compared to when you make your own at home.
Here are the needed ingredients:
- Chili powder (Some omit this but it gives a smoky flavor and a mild kick to the mix. For a spicier seasoning mix, use half chili powder and half cayenne)
- Cumin
- Paprika (I used smoked but you can use sweet paprika instead)
- Salt (usually 1 teaspoon per pound of meat)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder (Use dried onion instead, if you want)
- Oregano (Replace with coriander or dried cilantro if you prefer those)
- Black pepper
There is no need to memorize the amount of each spice. Just grab our taco seasoning ingredient chart and make your own at home by mixing all the listed spices together and storing the mix into a mason jar or a Ziploc bag.
If you are asking what are the main differences in homemade taco seasoning mix recipes out there, the answer is their ratios and a few of the seasoning options.
As I mentioned earlier, you can customize according to your own tastes!
BETTER DIY TACO SEASONING
There isn’t a rule or set formula. Just make your own at home!
There is no need to cook anything or manipulate a large number of ingredients. The only thing you have to do is to measure the spices and mix them together! Easy peasy!
I’ve been making my own homemade taco seasoning for a long time. The great thing about it is that there are no fillers and I am saving money!
No matter what diet you are on (keto, paleo, gluten-free, or Whole 30), our keto taco seasoning fits them all!
To figure out how to better DIY taco seasoning, I looked at the packaging of a bunch of store-bought brands and their ingredients, yet skipped the fillers such as cornstarch, sugar, and of course preservatives.
I wound up with spices only! Yay!
Next, I played around with ratios to come up with one that is flavorful and perfect for several types of meat.
Salt was the thing that I mostly played with.
Taking into consideration the following:
- Julia Child recommends a teaspoon of salt per pound of meat.
- Many people around the world struggle with high blood pressure and taking into consideration the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day (equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt per day).
- Salt can cause swelling and therefore increase one’s water weight. On a keto diet, you want to see your weight decrease, right?!
- Overall flavor.
I decided for the amount of salt in our keto taco seasoning to be about ⅖ teaspoon (0.4) per 1 tablespoon of seasoning.
Of course, you can add more or less depending on your health and dietary needs. You can use our taco seasoning and add more salt to the final dish once you taste it. Adjust it according to your needs and wants!
Or you can simply omit the salt and add the desired amount directly to the dish you are preparing for better control of daily sodium intake.
Do as you please!
HOW TO MAKE TACO SEASONING
- All you have to do is stir together chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and black pepper in a bowl!
- Then transfer to either a small mason jar or a sealable plastic bag and label it.
To save some washing, you can place the seasonings right into your storage jar/bag, cover/seal, and give it a good shake.
HOW TO STORE
Store my quick and easy keto taco seasoning recipe in an airtight container or sealable bag for up to 6 months (for ground spices). Make sure to keep it in a cool, dry place. Of course, if you want to stretch that time to one year you can, but please be aware that ground spices tend to lose some of their flavor after 6 months of proper storage.
There is enough for 3 pounds of meat. If you have a larger family, or if you want to use it more often, feel free to double, triple, or even quadruple our homemade taco seasoning recipe.
There is no need (or point) to freeze it!
HOW MUCH TACO MIX PER POUND?
Whether you want taco seasoning for ground beef, steak, chicken, turkey, pork, or seafood, the amount to use is the same.
Simply use 2 tablespoons of our homemade taco seasoning mix per pound of meat. All the store-bough packets recommend this!
Always start by browning the meat first. Once it’s cooked through and you drain off part of the grease from the meat, add 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix and ½ cup water per pound of meat. Stir well and then simmer until the water mostly evaporates.
Because a touch of acidity works wonders to bring out all the flavors, I often stir in a splash of red wine vinegar or squeeze the juice of a lemon/lime into the cooked meat.
There you have your taco seasoned ground beef or meat to enjoy!
Who’s ready to make some yummy tacos?
How many net carbs are in this Keto Taco Seasoning Recipe?
This keto taco seasoning mix contains 19 calories and 1 g of net carbs per tablespoon.
Use ½ tablespoon to seasoning ¼ pound of meat if making individual serving, or 2 tablespoons per pound of meat (family serving size).
Recipes with Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Instant Pot whole chicken
- Baked chicken breast
- Mexican carne asada marinade
- Baked chicken thighs
- Pork fajitas
- Beef chilaquiles
PIN & ENJOY!
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Keto Taco Seasoning (Homemade)
Equipment
- Mason jar or sealable plastic bag
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon chili powder Some omit this but it gives it a smoky flavor with a mild kick to the mix. For a spicier seasoning mix, use half chili powder and half cayenne
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika I used smoked but you can use sweet paprika instead
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder Use dried onion instead if you want
- 1 teaspoon oregano Replace with coriander or dried cilantro if you prefer those
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- All you have to do is stir together chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and black pepper in a bowl!
- Then transfer to either a small mason jar or a sealable plastic bag and label it. To save some washing, you can place the seasonings right into your storage jar/bag, cover/seal, and give it a good shake.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Such a great recipe! And so convenient to have this on hand. Thanks!
A Rybak says
You mentioned 2 tablespoons = a packet, but no liquid is mentioned. Would it be the same as on a packet? I want to write it on the storage container.
Denise Browning says
Hi! This seasoning is a powder mixture, so it contains no liquid. You store it in a mason jar, airtight container, or Ziploc bag with most of the air removed. The store-bought one is also a powder mixture and comes in a sealed packet.