Homemade Taco Seasoning - No Msg, Low Sodium

I'm a huge, huge fan of taco salads. They are definitely one of my all time favorite lunches. I do still enjoy a good old grilled chicken salad too, but there is just something about a taco salad that makes it seem a little more exciting. 

It's like a lunch fiesta and I love to party!

A few years ago I was making taco meat for my salads and I actually flipped the seasoning packet over to look at the ingredients. I was slightly horrified. 

Monosodium glutamate (MSG). Soybean oil (inflammatory fats). And enough sodium to instantly raise my blood pressure a few points (slight exaggeration, but not by much).

I had been using these seasoning packets my whole life and never really bothered to think about this. As soon as I saw all the crap that goes into one of these packets, I set out to find a better solution. 

Like most recipes I have on this blog, it took me a few attempts until I found one that I really liked. 

Even after finding that, I still kept making a few tweaks here and there until I found the perfect combination of spices. 

And that is what I want to share with you today. 

Here is my homemade taco seasoning recipe that contains no msg and just a touch of salt. 

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

I want to give a quick shout out to this Whole 30 taco seasoning article. This is where the original formula came from and I'd feel bad if I took all the credit for this. 

https://therealfoodrds.com/homemade-taco-seasoning-whole30/

I simply Googled something like "no sugar taco seasoning" and this is one of the top results that came up. It was already a solid recipe to begin with but I think with my little tweaks it's now the perfect taco seasoning. 

Let's get into the formula.

The Ingredients

There is quite the list of spices that go into this formula, but it is WELL worth it. You may have to take inventory of what you have on hand at the moment and most likely add to that. You'll thank me later!

• 2 TBSP Chili Powder (I use McCormick's Mexican Style Chili Powder...so good!)
• 2 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Dried Cilantro
• 1/4 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a jar, give it a good shake to mix all those beautiful spices together and you are done!

A lot of times I double this recipe so I can have it on hand for a few weeks or so. If you have a nice air tight jar, this should keep for up to 6 months no problem.

I recommend using about 1 1/2 to 2 TBSP per pound of meat, depending on how spicey you like it. 

I'm going to assume you know how to cook up taco meat, so I'll skip that step for now. 

And that's all there is to it. 

This is so much cleaner than the store bought junk, tastes WAY better, and won't leave you with a nasty headache or your meat just tasting like a salt bomb.  

Other Thoughts

93/7 ground turkey is my go to meat to use with this seasoning. It's cheap, lean, and I don't have to drain the pan before I season it because there is hardly any fat left after browning.

I do like to use ground chicken as well. It's a little more expensive than just buying chicken breasts, but it's so much easier. I like my recipes to be pretty simple and have as few steps as possible. Plus, I'm lazy when it comes to cooking....just being honest!

For the most part, I do taco salads with this, but if it's the weekend and I want to indulge a bit, I'll definitely do normal tacos with it as well. It's also amazing in burritos or quesadillas. 

Recently I have been using this for "fajita" bowls as well. I haven't really found a homemade fajita seasoning that I like, so I just stick with this formula and then use all the other ingredients to pre-make the bowls. 

I'm experimenting with a crock-pot recipe for this and will be sharing that one once I have that perfected. I love being able to come home and just pop a fajita bowl in the microwave and have that for dinner. 

Any dinner I can make in about 5 minutes is a big winner in my book. And if you use this seasoning with it, I guarantee it will be delicious. 

As always, give it a shot and let me know your thoughts. I'll think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

via GIPHY

Author

Nick Heuer aka "Coach Nick" has been working in the fitness industry for 7 years. He's done everything from one-on-one training to large group training to online coaching and everything in between. He's helped dozens and dozens of men and women regain their fitness, lose weight and burn stubborn body fat, and get them feeling comfortable and confident in their own skin again.