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Homemade Taco Seasoning

(Stop Buying This, Part 3: The Audacity of Taco Bell Edition)

I was standing in the grocery store the other day, about to grab a packet of Taco Bell taco seasoning like a normal person, when I made the mistake of reading the ingredients. You know what the first ingredient is? Wheat flour. The first ingredient in "taco seasoning" is not a seasoning. It's a thickener. It's what you use to make gravy. The very first thing in the packet is filler.

But wait, it gets better. You know what's NOT in Taco Bell taco seasoning? Cumin. There is no cumin in their taco seasoning. Cumin—the spice that is literally the backbone of Tex-Mex cooking, the thing that makes tacos taste like tacos—is completely absent. Instead, you get "SPICE." That's what the label says. Just... "SPICE." That's the FDA letting them say "we put something in here but we're not going to tell you what." It's the ingredient equivalent of "wouldn't you like to know."

So to recap: the number one fast food taco chain in America, the company that has built an empire on tacos, sells a taco seasoning that is primarily wheat flour and contains no cumin. They've essentially been serving us lies wrapped in a tortilla this whole time. The seasoning is a scam. The taco is a lie. We've all been bamboozled by a company whose mascot is a chihuahua and whose marketing strategy is "fourth meal." I don't know why I'm surprised.

Anyway, here's how to make actual taco seasoning with actual spices that actually taste like something.

Prep: 5 min Cook: LOL no Makes: About ½ cup (equivalent to 3-4 packets) Difficulty: If you can measure, you can do this

Ingredients

Notice what's NOT on this list: Wheat flour. Maltodextrin. Silicon dioxide. "Natural flavor." Soybean oil. Malic acid. Whatever the hell those are doing in taco seasoning, I don't know, but they're not invited here.

Instructions

  1. Put all the spices in a bowl. Or a jar. Or directly into the container you're going to store it in if you're efficient like that.
  2. Mix them together. Stir. Shake. Whisk. Whatever method gets them combined. This is not complicated. If you mess this up, I can't help you.
  3. Store in an airtight container. A mason jar works great. So does an old spice jar you've cleaned out. Label it if you're organized. Don't label it and play spice roulette in six months if you're not.
  4. That's it. You've just made taco seasoning. It took less time than driving to the store to buy the packet version, and it doesn't contain wheat flour or mystery "SPICE."

How to Use It

  • For taco meat: Use 2-3 tablespoons per pound of ground beef. Brown the meat, drain the fat, add the seasoning with about ¼ cup of water, and simmer until the liquid reduces. Taste and adjust. You're in control now.
  • The "packet equivalent": About 2 tablespoons of this blend equals one of those little packets. But you can use more or less depending on how flavorful you want it. That's the whole point—you're not locked into whatever Big Taco decided was the right amount.
  • Shelf life: Keeps for months in an airtight container. The spices will slowly lose potency over time, but they don't go bad. If it smells like something, it still works.
  • Double or triple it: Make a big batch. Store it. Never buy packets again. Do the math: a jar of cumin costs like $4 and contains enough for probably 20 batches of this. One packet of Taco Bell seasoning costs $1.50 and contains wheat flour and disappointment.

The Complete Taco Bell Ingredient Roast

Since we're here, let's break down what you're actually getting in that packet:

  • Wheat flour: Thickener. The first ingredient. In a seasoning. Make it make sense.
  • Salt: Fair enough, but 300mg (13% daily value) per serving is doing a lot of heavy lifting flavor-wise.
  • Garlic, Chili Peppers, Onions, Paprika: Okay, these are actual seasonings. Credit where it's due.
  • Maltodextrin: A filler/thickener made from starch. More filler.
  • "SPICE": Literally could be anything. This is legally meaningless. It's the "misc" folder of ingredients.
  • Sugar: Why is there sugar in taco seasoning? (Actually, a tiny bit of sugar can balance acidity, but they don't tell you how much, so who knows.)
  • Silicon dioxide: An anti-caking agent so the powder doesn't clump. Fine, whatever.
  • "Natural flavor": Another legally meaningless term. Could be anything derived from a natural source. Helpful.
  • Yeast extract: Umami flavor. This is basically MSG's cousin that doesn't have to say it's MSG.
  • Soybean oil: Why is there oil in a dry seasoning packet? I genuinely don't know.
  • Malic acid: Adds tartness. Found in apples. Why it's in taco seasoning is anyone's guess.

And again: no cumin. Taco seasoning without cumin. The audacity. The absolute audacity.

Stuff You'll Need

Measuring spoons. A container to mix in. A container to store in (can be the same container if you're not a coward). The righteous indignation of someone who just learned they've been eating flour-based lies.