Jon Gutierrez
Gwynedd Stuart
What separates taco meat from just “any old meat you have lying around”? Seasonings, and plenty of them! Yep, a good taco needs a healthy dose of spice to kick it from bland to bueno, which is why finding the best taco seasoning mix is often the most important part of the taco process.
How we found the best taco seasoning
In two separate taste tests, we bought every packet we could find, from classic McCormick to new(er)comers like Siete and Cholula (yes, Cholula makes taco season packets now). While we were setting out to find the best taco seasoning for every kind of meat—the best seasoning for chicken tacos, the best seasoning for pork al pastor tacos, etc.—we tasted these seasonings on big batches of ground beef. Here’s what we were looking for:
- Savory flavor—without too much salt. Taco seasoning should enhance the savory flavor of meat without being a total salt bomb. We tended to like taco seasonings with MSG for this very reason.
- A good blend of spices. Some taco seasonings only taste like chili powder, others only taste like cumin—we want a nice, nuanced blend of flavors. We could just add spices from our own spice racks, but we’re buying taco seasoning packets for that special alchemy of flavors.
To help you on your taco travels, we raided our local grocery store’s “foreign food aisle” (boooo!) to try out as many taco mixes as possible, judging them on flavor, style, and heat level. After two separate taste tests, these are the best taco seasoning packets you can find at the grocery store.
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- McCormick 30% Less Sodium Taco Seasoning Mix
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Taco mixes can really pile on the salt, so if you’re looking for a lower sodium mix, this is the best taco seasoning mix to buy. It’s still salty enough—if you didn’t try it alongside the regular mix, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. (In fact, I thought it tasted a little saltier than McCormick’s “original blend.”) As for the taste, it shares a lot of its flavors with another McCormick product: Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, only with some added notes of paprika and oregano, along with some chile pepper to give it a good amount of heat. Overall, it’s a pretty tasty way to trick your body into being more healthy, which is sadly the only way I know how. —Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Siete Spicy Taco Seasoning
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I’d never heard of the Siete brand before I devoured several pounds of taco meat for this taste test, but after trying this mix, I’m going to be sampling (and presumably still devouring) the rest of their products. This blend is some of the best taco seasoning out there. It has all the flavor and risk of addiction of a high-end snack chip brand, with a surprising mix of salty and savory ingredients (ground dates?!?) that had me gobbling it up with a fervor I usually reserve for those last few chip crumbs at the bottom of a bag of Sunchips. And while some taco seasonings can overwhelm you by piling on the chile powder, this one is a bit more subtle, letting the other spices in the blend come through, while still providing a fiery kick that will leave an impression, but not have you gasping for water. —Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix, Original Flavor
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If you’re craving that “traditional” taco flavor you’ve eaten since you were a kid, chances are you’re craving Old El Paso. As the U.S.’s first nationally distributed Mexican-focused cooking brand, Old El Paso pretty much defined what the public thinks of as “taco flavor.” It’s smooth and strong, with just enough chili to warm up your mouth without making that the sole focus. You won’t find anything particularly surprising about it, but there’s a reason it’s still on store shelves after all these decades. It’s the best store bought taco seasoning for those old school taco nights. —Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Dash Salt Free Flavor Fuel
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If you’re looking to get rid of all sodium, Mrs. Dash offers some of the best seasoning for taco meat. It features a veggie-focused flavor that’s strong on seasoning. A little lighter and without the salt-heavy focus of most taco seasonings, it still provides plenty of flavor to accent your meat. (I also ended up mixing it with sour cream to make a tasty, if extremely lazy, party dip.) And while it may be a healthier option, it’s not bland. There’s still plenty of chili pepper to keep your temperature up, while keeping your blood pressure down. —Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Cholula Chili Garlic Taco Mild
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I’m a garlic freak. If a recipe calls for two cloves, I’m adding four. I pile my slices of pizza with granulated garlic. I’m Italian—what can I say?! Anyway, if you have a similar affinity for that particular allium, ya gotta give this chili-garlic Cholula taco seasoning a shot. While a lot of taco seasoning is very finely ground, this taco seasoning has lots of bits in it. They reconstitute when you add the seasoning to meat and then add water to simmer. The whole packet of seasoning is really nicely infused with garlic flavor and I loved how this tasted on ground beef (which I proceeded to use in burritos smothered in some leftover enchilada sauce I had from that taste test). —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Siete Al Pastor Taco Seasoning
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This is the most unique of all the taco seasoning packets we tried in our second taste test. The main thing this has going on that most taco seasonings don’t? A combo of white vinegar powder and lime oil that makes it taste super zesty and bright. You still get all the other good stuff—salt, cumin, guajillo chili powder—but the citrusy flavor makes this the best taco seasoning for both pork and chicken tacos. Add some fresh pineapple slices to the mix to really lean into the al pastor vibes. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Cholula Original Taco Medium
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Spoiler: McCormick makes our #1 favorite taco seasoning on this list, but McCormick also makes this line of Cholula taco seasonings. When you lick a finger and dunk it into this packet to taste the seasoning on its own, chances are it won’t wow you. But with some red meat? Everything just comes to life. I used this to make the meat for ground beef tacos and it made them taste exactly like carne asada—and I didn’t even have to futz with skirt steak. This is definitely less salty than other varieties, but the blend of flavors is great. Nice little kick of heat, too. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Siete Mild Taco Seasoning
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While similar to Siete’s previously mentioned spicy taco seasoning, this mild version gets a higher spot on the list because it’s a little more flavorful. Oh, it’s still got chile powder, but with a stronger focus on the mix of tomato powder and garlic, it packs in a bit more overall flavor. To me, this seems like the best taco seasoning mix for a crowd. It’s mild enough that you don’t have to worry about people who hate spice, but with enough heat that it still reads “taco” and offers a unique taste that might fool your friends into thinking it’s your own personal blend of spices. (And if you can’t lie to your friends, who can you lie to?) —Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- McCormick Original Taco Seasoning Mix
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I’ll admit, I didn’t expect this brand to top the list, as the name “McCormick” doesn’t exactly scream “authentic.” But the heartiness of this taco seasoning mix really surprised me. This seasoning has more of a Southwestern flavor than most other mixes, with a cumin-focused profile (oddly, cumin’s not listed in the ingredients, but it’s got to be in there!) that would blend well with your grandma’s best chili recipe. And it also does exactly what the best taco seasoning packet should do: It brings out the inherent flavor of your meat while adding some extra heat and spice. What more could you ask for? —Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Low Sodium
Best Spicy
Best Classic Flavor
Best No Sodium
Best Taco Seasoning for Chicken Tacos
Best Taco Seasoning for Al Pastor Tacos
Best Taco Seasoning for Carne Asada Tacos
Best Mild
Best of the Best
Other taco seasoning packets we tried
Taco Bell Mild Taco Seasoning Mix, Taco Bell Original Taco Seasoning Mix, Ortega Original Taco Seasoning Mix, Ortega Seasoning Mix 40% less sodium, McCormick Mild Taco Seasoning Mix, Lawry’s Taco Seasoning Mix, Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, 25% Less Sodium, Cholula Smoky Chipotle, McCormick Hot, McCormick Chicken Taco
Justine Sterling
Matt Crowley
