Homemade Taco Seasoning by Weight

This taco seasoning recipe in grams makes about 21 g of seasoning, enough for 1 lb of meat. It's built on chili powder and cumin with paprika, garlic, onion, oregano, salt and pepper, and every spice is listed by weight so your batch tastes the same every time.

Why spice weights don't match their spoons

A teaspoon is a measure of space, not weight, and spices fill that space very differently. Using USDA FoodData Central figures, 1 tbsp of garlic powder weighs about 10 g, while 1 tbsp of onion powder weighs about 7 g. Dried oregano leaves are so light that 1 tsp weighs only about 1 g. Chili powder lands around 8 g per tbsp.

A few other things nudge the numbers around:

• Grind. Fine powders and coarse grinds settle differently, so two jars of cumin can weigh a little differently per spoon.
• Brand blends. Chili powder is itself a blend, and every brand mixes it a little differently.
• Packing and heaping. A loose, level teaspoon and a tapped, rounded one can be very different amounts.
• Salt type. The 3 g of salt here is 1/2 tsp of table salt. In Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 3 g is about 1 1/8 tsp.

That's the whole reason to mix by weight. The grams stay the same no matter whose jar you're scooping from.

How to mix this taco seasoning recipe in grams

1. Set a small bowl on your scale and zero it.
2. Add the big hitters first. Weigh in the chili powder, then the cumin and paprika.
3. Zero between spices if you like. Pressing tare after each one keeps the math simple.
4. Add the small amounts last. Garlic, onion, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne are all under 4 g each, so go slowly.
5. Whisk well. Break up any clumps of garlic or onion powder so every pinch has the same mix.
6. Store it. Keep the jar batch in an airtight container away from the stove, and label it with the date and "21 g per lb."

How much to use

For comparison, a McCormick Original Taco Seasoning packet is 1 oz for 1 lb of ground beef or turkey, cooked with 3/4 cup of water. This homemade blend uses about 21 g per pound, so it's a little lighter. Start there, taste, and work up toward 28 g if you like it bolder.

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey: brown, drain, then stir in 21 g of seasoning and 3/4 cup of water and simmer until it thickens.
• 2 lb of meat: use about 42 g.
• Chicken, beans or roasted vegetables: try 21 g per pound and adjust from there.

Dialing heat and salt up or down

The two numbers people tweak most are cayenne and salt. Cayenne is about 0.4 g per 1/4 tsp, so changes of 0.2 g at a time make a noticeable but not wild difference. For a milder batch for kids, leave it out completely and add hot sauce at the table.

For salt, leaving it out of the blend gives you more control. Mix the spices without salt, then salt the meat itself as it cooks. If you're using salty toppings like cheese or pickled jalapeños, that's often the easier path.

Weighing amounts this small is easier with a MeasureMate digital measuring spoon. It scoops and weighs in one step, the display reads in 0.1 g steps, and the tare button zeroes it between spices. The spoon head comes off for washing, which helps when you move from chili powder to something lighter colored.

Quick questions

How much homemade taco seasoning equals one packet?

A standard McCormick packet is 1 oz, about 28 g. Use about 21 g of this blend for a lighter flavor or up to 28 g for a stronger one.

Can I use fresh garlic and onion instead of powders?

You can, but they don't keep in a dry blend. Mix the dry spices ahead and add fresh garlic and onion to the pan when you cook.

Weights based on USDA FoodData Central spice data, the McCormick package label, and the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart.