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How to make a simple homemade Mexican seasoning perfect for tacos, chili, meat rubs, and more. This 11-ingredients Mexican spice blend takes just a couple of minutes to prepare and can be used for months for flavor-packed Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine!
Having already shared recipes for authentic taco seasoning, garam masala, falafel spice, shawarma seasoning, and Italian seasoning (among others) – I’m on a homemade seasoning roll. This means it’s the perfect time to share this Mexican seasoning (aka an all-purpose Mexican spice blend).
With just 11 ingredients and a couple of minutes of your time, you can make enough Mexican spice for months to come! Plus, it’s super versatile and can be used for tons of recipes, including a Mexican taco seasoning. Keep reading below for a list of suggestions on how to use the seasoning!
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What is Mexican seasoning?
Surprisingly, Mexican seasoning isn’t Mexican – or rather, I should say, it’s more of a Tex-Mex Mexican spices blend made for Tex-Mex dishes.
This Mexican spice blend combines some of the most popular spices and common aromatic ingredients used within Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking and condenses them into a single, handy spice seasoning perfect for sprinkling (liberally) over … everything?!
Best of all, when making homemade seasonings, you get to tweak it to your specific taste preference every. Single. Time. Want more spice? More salt? Less smoky flavor? Don’t like a particular spice? No problem!
Below is the base Mexican seasoning that I love, but feel free to tweak it however you’d like, and then let me know in the comments what you enjoyed this with!
The Mexican Spices Blend Ingredients
- Chipotle flakes: Chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeño. You can buy them whole and flaked or even use chipotle powder.
- Oregano: try to use Mexican oregano if you can, as it tastes different from Mediterranean oregano.
- Chili powder/flakes: I used homemade chili flakes. Alternatively, you could use cayenne powder.
- Onion powder: I use homemade onion powder. This is optional but adds tons of flavor to the dish.
- Garlic powder: one of my favorite additions to this Mexican spice blend for tons of flavor (and no need for peeling garlic cloves- yay!). I use homemade garlic powder.
- Cumin: this is used a lot within Tex-Mex cuisine and used as part of Mexican stews and sauces.
- Cinnamon: this might seem a little odd, but the addition of cinnamon to this Mexican spice blend is wonderful as it’s both hot and aromatic. Try to use Ceylon cinnamon if possible.
- Nutmeg: this is optional, but only a small amount (literally a pinch) is used, so I recommend trying it!
- Sweet paprika: I prefer to use sweet or neutral paprika rather than smoky. However, feel free to use a little smoky paprika if you want a smokier flavor.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Feel free to omit the salt if you want to season each dish individually alongside this Mexican seasoning.
Other Optional Add-ins & Variations
In terms of the ingredients, you could potentially omit the cinnamon, cumin, and paprika. They are probably the easiest to omit while the spice blend still keeps wonderful flavor.
Other optional ingredients include:
- Coriander seed powder: for all cilantro haters out there, don’t worry; coriander seeds taste much more mellow with a warm, aromatic flavor and slight citrus/curry flavors.
- Bay leaves: make sure to use Mexican bay leaf if you decide to add this.
- Epazote: this isn’t as easy to source but is an interesting addition to the Mexican seasoning (and has been used in Mexican cooking dating back to the Aztecs!).
- Cloves: I kept this off the list because cloves are very divisive, and even a tiny amount can overpower a spice blend. However, feel free to add just a pinch to your Mexican spice blend.
How to Make Mexican Seasoning
Add all the ingredients to a large bowl, mix well, and then transfer to a clean glass jar with an airtight lid.
If you want the Mexican spices blend to be completely powdered, then feel free to place it in an electric spice grinder or high-speed blender first.
How to Use Mexican Seasoning
There are tons of ways you can enjoy this homemade spice blend, including:
- Use it within chili and chili con carne.
- As a meat rub or marinade – also with tofu or other plant-based meat alternatives, like jackfruit.
- Mixed into cooked legumes – like black beans (and for black bean nachos), kidney beans, or chickpeas. You could even add a little to refried beans.
- Used with tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, and more!
- To season rice or cauliflower rice (and even pasta!).
- Add a little to sauteed and roasted vegetables – like this roasted cauliflower
- With potatoes, roasted, fried, mashed, smashed, etc. Even with these accordion potatoes!
- Add to salad dressings for extra flavor.
- Mixed into (or sprinkled over) eggs like Mexican scrambled eggs or scrambled tofu, or huevos rancheros.
How to store
Store the Mexican spice blend in a clean airtight glass jar in a cool, dark location (like a kitchen cupboard). Aim to use the seasoning within 3-4 months for the best flavor results and shake well before each use to make sure it’s thoroughly mixed.
Alternatively, you can store the Mexican spice in the freezer for 6-8 months – make sure the container is entirely airtight, though, as any liquid entering the spice blend will deplete the shelf life.
Recipe Notes
- Omitting the salt: feel free to omit the salt from this Mexican spice blend if you want to have more control over the salt added to each meal – then you can add it in separately.
- Use a glass container: for any homemade spice/seasoning blends, glass is best; alternatively, use another non-porous material. As plastic is porous, it can absorb and ‘cling’ to the aromas of your spices. This isn’t a problem if you plan to use the container for the same thing over and over – but you don’t want Mexican spice leeching into vanilla sugar – for example!
- Use a mortar and pestle: if you want a finer powder and don’t have an electric spice grinder or small-jug blender/food processor, then you could use a mortar and pestle to break down any of the larger spices like the chili flakes.
- Adjust the amounts: feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to personal preference!
Related DIYs
- Falafel Spice Mix (Middle-Eastern Spice Blend)
- Lebanese 7 Spice Blend (Sabaa Baharat)
- Easy French Fry Seasoning
- Chili Seasoning
If you try this Mexican spice blend recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d really appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Simple Mexican Seasoning (Mexican Spice Blend)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder or cayenne
- 1/2 Tbsp chili chipotle flakes optional
- 1 Tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt optional
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon powder
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg powder
This will yield about 1.2 oz/33 g blend
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl, mix well, and then transfer to a clean glass jar with an airtight lid.
- If you want the Mexican spices blend to be completely powdered, then feel free to place it in an electric spice grinder or high-speed blender first.
How to store
- Store the Mexican spice blend in a clean airtight glass jar in a cool, dark location (like a kitchen cupboard). Aim to use the seasoning within 3-4 months for the best flavor results and shake well before each use to make sure it’s thoroughly mixed. Alternatively, you can store the Mexican spice in the freezer for 6-8 months – make sure the container is entirely airtight, though, as any liquid entering the spice blend will deplete the shelf life
Notes
- Omitting the salt: Feel free to omit the salt from this Mexican spice blend if you want to have more control over the salt added to each meal – then add it in separately.
- Use a glass container: For any homemade spice/seasoning blends, glass is best or another non-porous material. As plastic is porous, it can absorb and ‘cling’ to the aromas of your spices. This isn’t a problem if you plan to use the container for the same thing over and over – but you don’t want Mexican spice leeching into vanilla sugar – for example!
- Use a mortar and pestle: If you want a finer powder and don’t have an electric spice grinder or small-jug blender/food processor, then you could use a mortar and pestle to break down any of the larger spices like the chili flakes.
- Adjust the amounts: Feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to personal preference!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
