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October 5, 2020 By Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
. 7 Comments

Copycat Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning Recipe

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Cutting out packaged seasonings is one of the best ways to save money on groceries. Not only do you get more robust and fresher flavors, you can customize the spices to your liking. The best part of this copycat Trader Joe’s taco seasoning is that you can make it less spicy than the store bought version. Or you can make it spicier! Your call.

When I first started this blog, one of my very first tips was to ditch packaged seasonings. I love making my own seasoning, mostly because I’m cheap and want natural alternatives to processed foods.

Copycat taco seasoning trader joes

When I moved close to a Trader Joe’s, I fell off the “make your own spices” bandwagon.  I love the fact that Trader Joe’s offers so many low processed foods at reasonable prices. I’m a stickler for avoiding preservatives, food coloring, and fake flavors. I do my best to feed my family real food made from natural ingredients, and at Trader Joe’s I never have to look at the ingredients.

How my low waste lifestyle has impacted my love for Trader Joe’s

As a long time environmentalist I’ve been working towards reducing my waste. Through this low waste journey I’ve realized that many of my Trader Joe’s favorites aren’t eco-friendly. While I still frequent Trader Joe’s, I do my best to buy foods that either come without packaging or have easy to recycle packaging. My favorite packaging is glass jars because I can up-cycle those in my own home instead of recycling them.

The number one Trader Joe’s product that I can no longer justify is taco seasoning.

Easy taco seasoning recipe

What a shame too, because the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning is the best I’ve ever had. One packet typically gives us 4 nights of Taco Tuesday!

Sure, a small packet isn’t a huge deal in the world of waste. And if this packet was filled with something that I couldn’t make myself, I’d justify the purchase. However, I can make taco seasoning. I made it for years before I moved close to TJ’s. So I do. Weekly.

Once a week- Taco Tuesday to be exact- my boys and I whip up a batch of taco seasoning. Yes, I know I could make a huge batch at once and store it for later, but I use this time to practice math with the boys. The weekly repetition is pretty good for them.

Jackson makes taco seasoning-4

I digress. The main reason you’re reading this is to learn the secret of the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning.

The secret to the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning

There is definitely a secret to the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning.

The secret is ginger.

That’s right, ground ginger.

Sounds crazy, I know, but trust me. I’ve tried so many different taco seasonings to find this particular copycat Trader Joe’s taco seasoning.

taco seasoning

Copycat Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning Recipe

This recipe is meant for one pound of taco meat. Want to make a bigger batch for storage? Quadruple this or even make more!

I know this seems like a lot of seasoning for one pound of meat. Feel free to adjust. This is how we like our tacos and how I get it to taste as similar to TJ’s as possible, but you can easily put less.

Trader Joe's copycat taco seasoning
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Copycat Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning

The closest homemade taco seasoning recipe to Trader Joe's!

Course Seasoning
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword taco, taco seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Author Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper reduce to 1/8 tsp if you don't like your seasoning spicy. The TJ mix is spicy!

Instructions

  1. Combine in a bowl

  2. Store in an airtight container until use

  3. To make tacos, cook ground meat on the stovetop over medium heat, add seasoning and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer until water has boiled off.

How to use copycat Trader Joe’s taco seasoning

There are so many different ways to use taco seasoning!

taco seasoning-5

Of course, the easiest way is to use it on ground meat in tacos. However there are many more uses. Here are some of my favorites:

Taco Soup—> click here for the link to the recipe

Vegan Walnut Tacos—> Process 1 1/2 cups of deshelled walnuts in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, add taco seasoning, 1 tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce). Serve room temperature or microwave for 30 seconds if you want it warm.

Taco Dip—> Mix seasoning with 8 ounces of Greek yogurt or sour cream, mix well and serve with chips.

Copycat Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning

 

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Filed Under: Recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. napleslocaldiva7170 says

    October 7, 2020 at 9:17 am

    Definitely trying this as I have all ingredients in my cupboard :-). I also need to watch salt content so this is great I can reduce the amount of salt :-) Thanks for posting. Also saving to my pinterest page.

    Reply
    • Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money says

      October 8, 2020 at 10:15 am

      Yes! I love that you can change the amount of salt in this too. I don’t even think you’d miss it too much with all the other flavors.

      Reply
  2. napleslocaldiva7170 says

    October 7, 2020 at 9:18 am

    oops – Pinterest page ,lol

    Reply
  3. Chris says

    July 13, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    Way too much cumin for me. Once I doubled the chili powder and the cayenne they were better.

    Reply
    • Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money says

      July 19, 2021 at 11:54 am

      Good to know! My family really loves it with these proportions because it is pretty close to the TJ mix, but each to their own. I’m glad you found a tweak that made you happy. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  4. Katrina says

    May 4, 2022 at 4:32 pm

    I don’t get it. On Trader Joe’s website the product ingredients are listed (see below). No ginger. We believe the product has been discontinued, so looking for recipes, but will need to look elsewhere for the proportions of these ingredients

    SEA SALT, CUMIN, CAYENNE PEPPER, BROWN CANE SUGAR, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED ONION, BLACK PEPPER, PAPRIKA, DRIED RED BELL PEPPER, RED CHILI PEPPER FLAKES, DRIED OREGANO, SMOKED PAPRIKA.

    Reply
  5. Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money says

    May 4, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    The original one that I used did have ginger, but it could have been from a while back. I haven’t bought it in years! Sorry if this recipe doesn’t match the flavor profile of the one you love.

    Reply

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While I love saving money, I also have expensive taste and a passion for the environment. I firmly believe that you can live frugally while enjoying the finer things in life such as travel and high end products. I like fine foods and quality ingredients, I also enjoy spending money on fancy local coffee and kombucha. It’s all about the experience! Join me as I balance a budget and preserve our Earth, while enjoying the finer things in life.

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