Best Taco Seasoning Recipe - Kristine's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Do you brown meat before adding taco seasoning? ›

Add the ground beef and onion and cook until browned, stirring occasionally breaking up any large pieces. Once browned, drain off any extra grease. Then add in the taco seasoning, salsa or tomato sauce and water.

Ground cumin – Next to chili powder, cumin is the most important ingredient in taco seasoning. It adds an earthy flavor and aroma.

McCormick Spices on X: "@DialedIn6 Whoops, sorry for the confusion! Our Original Taco Seasoning Mix is spicier than our Mild Taco Seasoning Mix.

When it comes to seasoning your ground beef, wait until after it has been browned and drained. Adding salt to raw ground beef pulls out moisture, drying the meat out and creating steam while it cooks, which prevents it from browning properly.

To use: Use about 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning for every 1 pound of meat. Use more or less depending on your preference. Brown meat and drain the fat. Add your taco seasoning along with about 1/2 cup of water.

Chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried oregano – then shake. That's it!

Ingredients. Spices (paprika, chipotle pepper*, chili pepper, and other spice), Onion Powder, Sugar, Salt, Garlic*, Corn Starch, Malic Acid. Contains 2% or less of: Vegetable Oil (canola and/or soybean oil), Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent), Annatto Extract (color), Vinegar*.

Seasoning is convenient and cheap, but we can make it better. One tablespoon chili powder, half a teaspoon garlic powder, half a teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy.

You will find cumin in many Tex Mex and Southwestern dishes. It's a must have spice in my chili and I don't spare its use in my taco meat, but it's uncommon in real Mexican dishes.

How do you make tacos taste better? ›

Acid is key. In just about any dish, especially meat-rich tacos, you'll want acid as part of the flavor balance. Salsa lends acid. So does crema, vinegar-based slaw, grilled fruit, or a squeeze of lime.

For more than 80 years, Old El Paso has been bringing families and communities together to celebrate old and new traditions around delicious, Mexican-inspired flavors. We believe that any night can be a taco night, and we're here to help make it a little easier and a lot more delicious.

Mexican seasoning typically consists of a blend of traditional herbs and spices while taco seasoning is a specific blend of spices that may not be used as much in traditional Mexican dishes.

The major difference between McCormick's 'Original' and their 'Premium' Taco Seasoning is that Premium also contains Smoked Paprika, Dehydrated Red and Green Bell Peppers, some Cocoa Powder and Black Pepper.

However, you do NOT need to add other seasonings before searing. You're going to be cooking the exterior of your meat at very high temperatures, and the other seasonings will simply burn on the surface.

Mix the seasoning into the meat before cooking!

To get the most seasoning flavor in your taco meat, mix it into the meat and let it rest in the fridge like you would ground sausage. This also helps keep more moisture in the meat because you risk squeezing the juices out of the meat when you mix it in after it's cooked.

To season ground meat tacos, first sauté the meat until it loses its pinkish color. Then sprinkle with taco seasoning and stir to combine. Add one cup of vegetable, chicken or beef stock per pound of meat and stir to combine. Turn heat to low and let the liquid evaporate from the meat.