Taco seasoning makes me crazy.
All you want to do is have an awesome Taco Tuesday, and there you are, standing in the seasoning aisle with your cart full of tequila and tortilla chips, taking a look at the taco seasoning packet ingredients, and there you see it…
“Silicon Dioxide.”
Yup.
It’s listed as an ingredient in those $1 taco seasoning packets we all love to buy for the sake of convenience.
Stop. Buying. Them.
Remember that last beautiful handbag you bought? Remember that little white packet of crystalized whatevers that you had to pull out first before you put your lip gloss in? The one that said “DO NOT EAT” and “THROW AWAY”?
That’s silicon dioxide.
And you’re about to put it in your guacamole hole.
UNLESS you skip the $1 convenience crap package, and try this all natural taco seasoning recipe you can make yourself – in bulk! – so you never have to worry about turning to chemical-filled convenience again.
Ingredients:
12 Tablespoons chili powder
6 Tablespoons cumin
4 Tablespoons salt
4 Tablespoons pepper
2 Tablespoons paprika
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Tip: Add a little bit more crushed red pepper flakes if you like to bring the heat.
Recipe adapted from this source.
Directions:
Measure all ingredients and pour into a medium sized bowl or large jar.
Tip: The 3 oz Archer Farms jar of chili powder at Target is exactly 12 Tablespoons so if you buy that just dump the entire bottle into the bowl and skip the measuring.
All Natural Taco Seasoning. Seriously? Isn’t this gorgeous?
Give it a stir (or shake it like Taylor Swift if you’re going the jar route):
Oh hello, chemical-free taco goodness:
Pour your all natural taco seasoning mix into a medium or large sized, air-tight jar and store in a cool, dry place. I’m all about reusing glassware, so I like to store my bulk all-natural taco seasoning in an old salsa jar.
When it’s taco time, stir in 2-3 Tablespoons of all natural taco seasoning per one pound of meat. (Start with 2 Tablespoons, taste, and add more if you’d like a little more spice.) Feel free to add a little bit of water as well if you’re a hardcore old school taco seasoning packet lover, but really, there’s no need for added water with this all-natural mix.
Let your stirred up seasoned meat simmer for a few minutes for flavors to blend, and enjoy!
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Wow!!! Thank you!!!
My pleasure, Kathy – I hope you like it!
Since you first posted a link to this recipe on Kate’s chicken taco chili, I’ve used it and never looked back. I love it for its taste, freshness, and convenience (even when I run out, I can typically make more on the spot!) Buh bye, added chemicals! At least on taco night.
So happy to hear it, Julie! I’ve been using it all along too, but didn’t like the hassle of needing to pull out a dozen jars from my spice cabinet every time. Prepping it in bulk has been a game-changer! So glad you like it!
this is perfect for taco Tuesday!
So glad you agree, Heather! Happy eating!
I will cut back on the salt, but thank you for this!
My pleasure, Christy – so glad you like it!
I’ve been making my own taco seasoning for a few years now. A couple weeks ago the hubs was in charge of dinner and made tacos, but bought the dreaded packet. We couldn’t believe how different it tasted. The homemade stuff is soooo much better!
My tip- I like to add a squeeze of ketchup (tablespoon or 2?), a touch of water and juice from half a lime to give the taco meat a little “sauce” to simmer in.
Totally agree, Nicole! Great tip, too – thank you for sharing!
I just made this and love it- glad to have no sugar and fewer chemicals in my food. But, my chili powder has silicon dioxode in it so I wasn’t successful in that aspect. Does the target brand not? I’m not overly worried about it since it is sand, but on the other hand, why eat sand if you don’t have to? Ha.
So happy to hear you liked the recipe, Ginger! Great point about the silicon dioxide. I just checked my chili powder jar from Target (it’s the Archer Farms brand) and the ingredients are chile pepper, sea salt, cumin oregano and garlic. Looks like it’s a good one!