15 Best Store-Bought Taco Seasonings Ranked, Ranked From Bold to Mild
If you love real Mexican flavors, it’s important to keep taco seasoning in your pantry.
It’s all you need to turn plain ground meat into chili con carne that you can’t resist. You can also transform avocado into delicious mouthwatering guacamole!
That said, not all popular taco seasoning packets are built the same. We’ve done the dirty work of doing a taste test to compile this list of the best store-bought taco seasoning for you.
Trust us; our recommendations will help make your trip to the spice aisle easier.
The Rise of Taco Seasoning
Taco seasoning has come a long way from simple homemade blends to the colorful packets lining grocery store shelves today. Originally, families mixed spices like chili powder, cumin, and garlic to add bold flavor to tacos at home. Brands saw that cooks wanted quick, tasty seasonings. So, they started packaging these blends for busy kitchens.
Today, the variety is impressive. You can find taco seasoning for every taste — from mild and kid-friendly to fiery hot for spice lovers. Many brands even offer organic or low-sodium options for health-conscious shoppers.
Here’s a quick look at the types you’ll spot in stores:
| Type | Flavor Level |
| Mild | Subtle, kid-friendly |
| Medium | Balanced spice |
| Hot & Spicy | Bold, fiery heat |
This rise in choices means there’s a perfect taco seasoning packet for everyone, no matter how you like your tacos on taco night.
Top 15 Tastiest Store-Bought Taco Seasonings (Ranked)
1. Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning Mix
Average Price: Around $7
Why We Love It: The Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning is our number one tastiest store-bought taco seasoning.
Each taco seasoning packet has a great balance of flavors. The cumin adds a smoky touch, while the chipotle pepper brings out traditional Mexican tastes.[1]
Old El Paso had a nice texture. It wasn’t too sloppy, so you could easily scoop it into taco shells without making a mess on the kitchen floor.
We personally love cooking ground beef with this, but you can practically add it to anything.
2. Flavor Seed Rock Yo Taco Seasoning
Average Price: Around $8
Why We Love It: One thing that sets Flavor Seed Rock Yo apart from other taco seasoning packets is its addition of cocoa powder.
As you can imagine, this adds a mole-like taste and texture to it, which, in our opinion, is one Mexican gift that keeps on giving.
It is made with high-quality and organic New Mexico chilis, ancho chilis, garlic, coriander, oregano, and other spices. It has a flavor so complex and downright delicious that you won’t be able to help yourself from sprinkling this onto anything.
3. Lawry’s Taco Spices & Seasonings Mix
Average Price: Around $13 (for 12)
Why We Love It: Lawry’s is a popular brand in seasoning packets, and Lawry’s Taco Spices & Seasonings Mix does not disappoint. However, it’s a tad salty for our liking, which isn’t necessarily the taco seasoning going bad if you won’t use it for taco meat.
So, what does one use this taco seasoning packet for if not for saucy tacos? Simple! Taco dip, ground beef, and tortilla soup are just a few things off the top of our heads. [2]
And if you like cumin, onion, and paprika, we’re sure you’ll be able to get more use out of this.
4. Newman’s Own Mild Taco Seasoning
Average Price: Around $8
Why We Love It: Newman’s is a quirky brand. They make cheese pizzas with cauliflower crusts for vegans and organic salad dressings. However, their Mild Taco Seasoning is one of their biggest hits.
“When it’s done properly, taco should be a verb.”
Jonathan Gold, American Food Critic
Based on our taste test, it’s not as spicy as traditional taco seasonings (hence its name). Still, it makes up for it by incorporating plenty of rosemary for a lovely woodsiness and turmeric for that surprising pop of color. [3]
5. Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning
Average Price: Around $18 (for 8)
Why We Love It: Each Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning packet has bold Mexican flavors. It includes cumin, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic, brown sugar, and smoked paprika.
It’s very versatile. This taco seasoning works great for many dishes. You can use it for meat, stuffed peppers, or even as breading for chicken tenders. [4]
| Check out: How Do You Elevate Trader Joe’s Mac & Cheese? |
6. Bearitos Taco Seasoning
Average Price: Around $38 (for 12)
Why We Love It: Bearitos Taco Seasoning is a solid choice for seasoning, albeit lacking that wow factor.
Our taste test revealed that this seasoning’s spice level is also mild, which is perfect for people who don’t have a high tolerance for spicy food.
Bearitos is made with paprika, garlic powder, onion, and a secret spice blend, which gives it an unbelievable flavor.
7. Spiceology Taco Seasoning
Average Price: Around $23
Why We Love It: Spiceology prides itself on a brand created by a group of chefs on a mission to bring you the best flavors through testing and experiments.
They’ve done a fantastic job with the Spiceology Taco Seasoning. They incorporate brown sugar for a bit of sweetness, aside from traditional Mexican spices.
They also grind spices in small batches while fresh, giving them a better flavor and aroma.
8. Mccormick Original Taco Seasoning Mix
Average Price: Around $26 (for 9)
Why We Love It: McCormick is one of those brands we’ve probably had in our kitchen pantries since childhood.
It has a simple ingredient list: paprika, oregano, garlic, and chili pepper. If you enjoy a familiar flavor in your spice mix, this is the choice for you.
9. Flavor God Taco Tuesday
Average Price: Around $12
Why We Love It: Flavor God Taco Tuesday will leave you wanting tacos every Tuesday for the rest of your life. It’s impressively delicious and will add plenty of lip-smacking flavors to chili con carne, tostadas, and other Mexican dishes.
Aside from traditional spices, it also incorporates a bit of fennel into the mix. Although unconventional, the fennel gives it a sweet, herbal taste, which will work extremely well with ground beef and pork.
10. Simply Organic Spicy Taco Seasoning Mix
Average Price: Around $22 (for 12)
Why We Love It: This organic spicy seasoning mix is pretty polarizing, but we had to include it in our list of the best taco seasoning.
Spicy food lovers swear this is their top seasoning mix. But those who don’t like spice often call it terrible.
Either way, we love the extra heat and flavor from this seasoning mix because it makes tacos taste more interesting and enjoyable to eat.
11. Tone’s Taco Seasoning Blend
Average Price: Around $24 (for 2)
Why We Love It: If you’re one to make tacos in huge batches, Tone’s Taco Seasoning Blend is something you should consider. They hold frequent sales and good deals at nearby Tesco, Walmart, and Amazon, which will save you tons of money.
This seasoning mix has a tomato-forward flavor, which is always a great hit if you’re trying to get little kids to appreciate Mexican food.
The tomatoes give it a nice, saucy texture and taste when mixed with chicken, beef, and fish tacos.
12. Kinder’s The Taco Blend (Lime & Ancho Chili)
Average Price: Around $14
Why We Love It: Kinder’s taco seasoning mix (Lime & Ancho Chili) is a unique taco seasoning mix with interesting flavors like lime and ancho chili.
The ancho chili pepper is complex. It has a sweet and smoky taste. These flavors pair perfectly with tacos.
On the other hand, the lime juice gives it a refreshing, citrus feel and taste that we don’t see in other taco seasoning brands.
13. Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix, 40% Less Sodium
Average Price: Around $7
Why We Love It: Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix, 40% Less Sodium is the best taco seasoning packet for people looking to cut back on salt but still want to enjoy the delicious taste of Mexican food.
That being said, it’s not as flavorful as other options, but it’s super easy to add spices to your meat toppings to transform this into something more you like.
14. Taco Bell Original Taco Seasoning Mix
Average Price: Around $18 (for 24)
Why We Love It: If you love Taco Bell meat toppings, the Taco Bell Original Seasoning will always be a welcome spice in your pantry.
You’ll get the same familiar taste within the taco seasoning packets as you would in the local Mexican restaurant, minus the long lines.
The Taco Bell taco seasoning mix has a great blend of garlic, onion, peppers, and paprika without being too spicy. Little kids will love its mild taste, but adults can add cayenne or hot sauce for extra spice.
15. Riega Taco Seasoning
Average Price: Around $15 (for 8)
Why We Love It: This seasoning mix has just six ingredients: chili peppers, cumin, sea salt, onion, garlic, and oregano. It contains no MSG or artificial additives.
It has a simple yet powerful flavor, an excellent combination for those who like uncomplicated dinner prep. They’re one of the brands on this list that prove you can pull off something super delicious without incorporating many fancy ingredients.
FAQs on Store-Bought Taco Seasonings
What brand of taco seasoning is authentic?
Pulling off “authentic taco seasoning” is difficult without doing everything from scratch yourself. That being said, Old El Paso Taco Seasoning has a nice and authentic Mexican flavor without too much of a “store-bought” quality.
What’s the difference between taco seasoning and chili seasoning?
Taco seasoning and chili seasoning share the same base ingredients: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Taco seasoning has more cumin, while chili seasoning contains more chili powder.
Are all taco seasonings the same?
No, not all taco seasonings are the same. Some taco seasonings are milder, some spicier, and some sweeter. Sampling different brands is key to finding out which suits you best.
Finally
Taco seasoning is warm, spicy, and smoky—three things Mexican food should be. And if you’re always looking forward to taco night, having taco seasoning in your kitchen pantry is a must.
Old El Paso Taco Seasoning tops our list of the best taco seasoning because it has a homey and authentic Mexican feel. It has the perfect balance of cumin, chipotle, and peppers without being too overwhelming.
It also has a nice texture—we loved how we could scoop it into taco shells without breaking them and making a huge mess.
Of course, it’s also super versatile—aside from taco filling, you can use it in tortillas, chili con carne, enchiladas, and just about anything else.
References:
- https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-hidden-story-of-mexican-food/VAWRQkyi4kS5dw?hl=en
- https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13351/chicken-tortilla-soup-i/
- https://www.britannica.com/plant/rosemary
- https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16669/fried-chicken-tenders/
