Homemade Mexican Seasoning Recipe (Whole30, Paleo)

It’s Taco Tuesday, and as I was making up a skillet of taco meat, I grabbed my jar of homemade Mexican seasoning and it occurred to me that not only is it a cheaper, healthier alternative to those little packets you buy at the store, it’s also Whole30- and Paleo-friendly. 

 

I love Mexican food and chili, and for most of my life, my recipes included those little packets of  Taco or Chili Seasoning Mix from a popular maker of such things. At about $2 a pack, they aren’t all that expensive, but for a reason totally unrelated to being frugal, I had to stop using them —  migraines. Yep, those sweet little packets of chili seasoning also contained MSG, and MSG triggers migraines for me (and lots of other folks). Now that I’m older and a more frugal mom, I also appreiciate the cost savings. 

 

A few years ago, I began experimenting with different combinations of spices to develop my Mexican seasoning recipe. I wanted one that would work for tacos, chili, and any other Mexican-type dish I made. This is the combination of flavors I finally settled on and it has worked well for me for many years now.  

I haven’t figured out exactly how much it costs per Taco Tuesday or pot of chili, but I would guess it’s a few cents rather than a couple of dollars. Plus there’s the added benefit of no MSG or other ingredients you can’t pronounce (those unnecessary preservatives and fillers). 

 

The recipe is very simple and you can tweak it to your own family’s tastes. I’m listing the ingredients in “parts” so that you can make a little or make a lot. I make it by cupfuls and store it in a Mason jar with a screw-top lid.  You can adjust it to the tastes of your family. We like things a little spicy here.  

 

2 parts chili powder

1 part ground cumin

1 part garlic powder

1 part onion powder

1/2 part paprika

1/16 part dried oregano

1/16 part crushed red pepper flakes

 

So for example, when I make it, here is what the recipe looks like: 

 

2 cups chili powder

1 cup ground cumin

1/2 cup garlic powder

1/2 cup onion powder

1/2 cup paprika

1 T cup dried oregano

1 T crushed red pepper flakes

 

Mix together and store in a container with a tight lid.  I add salt and black pepper to taste as I’m cooking.

 

I used this seasoning for chili, tacos, mexi-chicken, black bean soup, tortilla soup, and any other “Tex-Mex” type of dish. It’s also good sprinkled over raw veggies, like celery, carrots, and cucumbers (right before you dip them in yummy hummus).

 

Enjoy!