Taco Seasoning Substitutes: What a Packet Contains and How to Replace It

No taco seasoning? Mix your own from chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, salt and a little cornstarch, and you’ve replaced the packet outright. Chili powder plus cumin gets you most of the way if that’s all you have. Just watch the salt. One McCormick packet carries close to a full day’s sodium, and most homemade blends carry less. The cornstarch matters too: it’s what thickens the water you add to the meat into a sauce.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

How big is a packet?

The labels give you enough to work it out. These numbers come from two named products, not every brand.

The FDA’s Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg a day,³ so one McCormick packet carries close to a full day’s sodium for the whole pound of meat.

If you need the whole job done: make your own

This is the closest substitute, because you control every part of the packet.

Homemade versions tend to follow the same pattern: chili powder as the base, cumin as the main supporting spice, then garlic, onion, oregano, paprika and salt. Cook’s Country’s homemade taco seasoning, by Matthew Fairman, sticks to it and was “designed and tested to replace one store-bought packet of taco seasoning.”⁴ It also adds a little cornstarch on purpose. The recipe says it “added saucy body to the juices in a skillet of ground beef.”⁴

A basic homemade taco seasoning, for one pound of meat (about 1/4 cup):

Brown the meat, stir in the blend with about 3/4 cup of water, as the McCormick packet directs,¹ and simmer until the juices thicken. Skip the cornstarch and the meat will be looser. Add a pinch of cayenne if your chili powder is mild.

Ratio (Method): Use the whole batch in place of one packet, for about a pound of meat.

If you need the chile and cumin flavor

1. Chili powder plus cumin

Chili powder is the base of the homemade blend above, and it’s a blend itself. The USDA’s purchasing specification says chili powder should include ground chili pepper, cumin, oregano, salt and garlic powder,⁵ and Saveur says the chile is usually ancho.⁶ So chili powder already brings most of what’s in a taco packet, minus the thickener and a lot of the salt.

The USDA specification is a minimum, not a recipe, so how much of each spice is in your jar depends on the brand.

PepperScale also says you can get by with chili powder and cumin alone, though it gives no amounts.⁷

Ratio (Method): Use about 2 tablespoons chili powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin per packet. That’s a little more chili powder than the homemade blend, since it’s standing in for the garlic, onion and oregano too. Then add salt (below) and, if you have it, 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch.

2. Chili powder alone

If chili powder is all you’ve got, it’ll still season the meat. PepperScale lists it as a substitute on its own and notes it has the most heat potential of its options.⁷ It’s a little less cumin-forward than a taco blend, and you’ll need to add salt.

Ratio (Method): Start with about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat, salt to taste, and add more chili powder only after tasting.

If you need the salt

Packet taco seasoning is heavy on salt, and most homemade substitutes aren’t. You can match it with a little math.

Ratio (Computed): Morton table salt carries 590 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon.⁸ A McCormick Original packet carries about 2,280 mg (see the table above), just under 4 quarter-teaspoons, so about 1 teaspoon of table salt.¹⁸ An Old El Paso Gluten Free Original packet, at about 1,400 mg, works out to a little over 1/2 teaspoon.²⁸ Cook’s Country’s recipe also uses 1 teaspoon of table salt.⁴ The homemade blend above uses 3/4 teaspoon, roughly 1,770 mg of sodium by volume before counting any salt already in the chili powder,⁸ so add up to 1/4 teaspoon more if you want packet-level salt. That math covers salt only, for these named products. Kosher or other coarse salt doesn’t measure the same by the teaspoon; see kosher salt substitutes for the conversion.

If you need body in the sauce

Both packets we checked contain cornstarch, and Old El Paso’s lists it first.¹² It thickens the water you add to the meat into a sauce.

Ratio (Attributed): Cook’s Country uses 2 teaspoons cornstarch in its packet replacement.⁴ The homemade blend above uses 1 1/2 teaspoons, for a slightly looser sauce.

If you have a different packet: fajita seasoning

Fajita seasoning shares taco seasoning’s core. The USDA’s fajita specification lists salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic, onion, red pepper and natural lime flavor,⁵ and McCormick’s fajita mix lists chili pepper, cumin and paprika among its spices.⁹

The difference is sourness. McCormick’s fajita mix contains citric acid and lime juice concentrate,⁹ and the USDA specification includes lime flavor,⁵ while McCormick’s Original taco label lists no acid.¹ Expect a tangier pan of meat.

Ratio (Method): The salt is close, packet for packet: McCormick’s 1.12-ounce fajita packet carries about 2,000 mg of sodium (250 mg per 1½-teaspoon serving),¹⁰ against about 2,280 mg in the taco packet.¹ Swap one packet for one packet, and skip any lime or vinegar the recipe adds.

What isn’t known

• Neither packet label we read names cumin specifically. At most it falls under “spices.”¹² How much cumin goes into a commercial taco seasoning isn’t published.
• You’ll sometimes read that commercial taco seasonings contain tomato powder for acidity and color. Neither label we read lists tomato.¹²
• We didn’t find a published share for each spice in a typical chili powder. The USDA specification gives ingredients, not amounts.⁵

Related

• Taco seasoning, spices for taco meat, fajita vs. taco seasoning
• Chili powder and chili powder substitutes
• Fajita seasoning and fajita seasoning substitutes
• Cumin, oregano, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, onion powder
• Good Mexican spices for chicken