Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe, how to make your own taco seasoning in 5 minutes. Great alternative to taco seasoning packets. This homemade taco seasoning mix is easy to make diet friendly such as Keto, Paleo, low carb, and clean eating friendly.
Another great taco seasoning recipe for you, Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning! This taco seasoning mix is ready in minutes and great for a wide range of taco meat but I particularly like it for fish and seafood, or chicken. You could also use it on pork, beef, or even vegetables! Since you control the ingredients no MSG, no chemicals, and no ingredients you’ve never heard of.
You can make your own homemade taco seasoning mix with or without citrus and changing it up to your personal preferences. In case you missed it, I have other homemade taco seasoning mix recipes including:
This Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning comes together so quick just like the other taco seasoning mixes. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need before you start. Since these do require a lot of spices so double-check you have everything.
I like to use dried spices so I can store the taco seasoning mix for a few months in my cupboard. Fresh herbs are a great option too BUT you’ll have to use right away or store in the fridge for a few days.
What’s in Taco Seasoning?
I’m sure you’re familiar with those taco seasoning packets you get at the grocery store. I use them in a pinch but do like making my own taco seasoning at home.
As far as what’s in taco seasoning, it can vary a lot depending on the brand. This citrus taco seasoning recipe is a little different from what you would buy at the store. It does not have an overwhelming citrus flavor, but you can definitely add more or less citrus.
If you want to make your own taco seasoning mix from scratch, some popular ingredient options include: chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, ancho chile, Mexican oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, chipotle pepper, coriander, cilantro, citrus zest (orange, lemon, or lime), chives, salt, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
If you do decide to make your own taco seasoning mix, mix and match your favorite ingredients. Start with chile powder and go from there.
This Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning is all natural so no MSG, no strange additives, and no crazy ingredients you may never have heard of.
I add a little cornstarch to my mixes to help thicken the liquid but you don’t need to add it or add water to your meat when cooking.
The nice thing about making taco seasoning at home is it can easily be made gluten-free and can also be made salt-free or lower sodium if you omit or change the salt amount.
As I mentioned above, you can use fresh herbs. You’ll need to change the quantities and adjust. If you do use fresh herbs, you’ll need to use the taco seasoning mix right away or store in the fridge.
If you use all dried spices, you can store the mix in a container for a few months.
How to Make Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning?
So easy to make this Citrus Taco Seasoning!
Before you start, be sure you have all the spices. Good quality dry spices are best rather than spices in the back of your cupboard that you’ve had for 10 years. Oh c’mon, you know we all have those! haha!
Then just mix all the ingredients in a bowl including the chile powder, cornstarch, dried citrus zest, salt, garlic powder, Mexican oregano, ancho chile pepper, coriander, and black pepper.
I used store-bought dried orange zest (in the spice aisle). You could also use your own dried orange (or other citrus) zest. Add more or less zest depending on how citrus-y you want your taco seasoning.
I like to add cornstarch to my taco seasoning mixes to help thicken liquid. It’s not for everyone, so feel free to omit or add more or less. You could also use corn meal, corn flour, and/or flour. Although, if you are on a specific diet like Keto, Paleo, low carb, clean eating, gluten-free, etc. just be careful what you add or change.
This Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe makes about 4 tablespoons. That’s enough for about 1-2 pounds of ground meat such as beef or chicken. Cook the meat, train off the fat, then add the seasoning mix and about 2/3 cup of water. You may need to adjust the water and seasoning for personal preference.
You can also just sprinkle on fish or seafood or even vegetables without the water. I wouldn’t suggest letting your seafood or fish cook a lot of time with additional water if it’s already cooked through.
If you’ve never made a homemade taco mix, I suggest trying the recipe as-is to start (or one of the other flavors I have listed) then go from there. I also added in the notes section of the recipe, a larger batch version with quantities so if you like it, you can make a lot and store in your cupboard.
If you don’t like it, feel free to add more other spices to adjust as needed. Hopefully that won’t happen though.
You can use these taco seasonings just like a taco seasoning packet. So of course you can use it to make tacos, but you can also use the seasoning for a wide range of other things like add it to salsa, sprinkle on sandwiches, sprinkle on grilled meat, or anything else you want!
Citrus not your thing? Be sure to visit my other links for other flavors listed above. Or for more spice mix ideas, check out my long list of other Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes.
Hope you enjoy this Citrus Taco Seasoning Mix recipe!
You might also like this fun Pumpkin Salsa which is perfect during fall.
Citrus Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 teaspoons chile powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon dried citrus zest (such as orange, lemon, and/or lime)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Choose a flavor and size batch. Mix ingredients in bowl until well combined then place in covered container. Store in cupboard for 3-6 months.
- For tacos, add 2-4 tablespoons of seasoning to 1 pound of cooked ground meat (drained of excess fat) in a pan over medium-high heat. Add 2/3 cup of water and let simmer about 10-20 minutes.
Notes
Citrus (large batch):
- 3/4 cup + 4 teaspoons chile powder
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons dried citrus zest (orange, lemon, or lime)
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon black pepper
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Linda S says
Can’t wait to give this a try.