What’s the secret to a great taco night? A great taco meat recipe!
When I was a kid, my mom would make taco meat by simply browning ground beef with an onion and add a few spices. I never knew what those spices were, but I knew it was good.
Fast forward to today, and taco night is a staple at our house. It’s definitely one of the quickest and easiest meals to put on the table. Plus, it gives us an excuse to eat chips and salsa – yes, please!
We make our own taco meat seasoning. It’s good, tasty and simple. And unlike using store bought seasoning, it’s much fresher.
These are also basic spices so I always have the ingredients on hand.
Here’s our go-to taco meat recipe:


Taco Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano.
Instructions
- Mix all of them together.
This is enough for 1 pound of ground beef, and I usually make this seasoning while I’m browning the ground beef. If you want to make it in advance so that you have it on hand, you’ll want to double or triple the recipe.
When the beef is cooked, you’ll pour the seasoning in the beef and add about ¼ cup of water.
Simmer until the water is absorbed into the meat.