Mexican Seasoning Blend
Level 1: About as easy as this kind of recipe gets. Few ingredients, minimal cleanup, forgiving timing – a good way in if this type of recipe usually feels intimidating.
Level 2: Easier than most recipes of this type. Some technique, but nothing tricky. Minimal cleanup, forgiving timing. Think weeknights, a quick meal, or the easy version.
Level 3: About average for its category. Real judgment calls – tasting, timing, multiple components. Not a beginner recipe, but doesn't need to take over your afternoon or feel impossible for a decently quick dinner.
Level 4: More involved than the average recipe of its type. Multiple stages, careful timing, technique that matters. Worth setting aside the time and clearing the kitchen.
Level 5: The most involved this category gets here. Lots of components, real attention start-to-finish, multiple skills in play. The "I'm cooking today – bring me snacks but no questions" tier.
A cumin-free Mexican-inspired spice blend built around smoked paprika, chili powder, coriander, garlic, onion, Mexican oregano, salt, and pepper, with optional add-ins for heat (cayenne, ancho, chipotle) and depth (cumin, allspice, cinnamon), plus a touch of sugar to balance. Yields ≈3 tablespoons (9 teaspoons) of base mix in ≈5 minutes. Built for fajitas, tacos, Mexi-Tots, and chili where you want bright, layered Mexican flavor without cumin dominance.
This is a great homemade spice mix that I use for fajitas, tacos, and Mexi-Tots. I think that you will like this one...especially if you do not like cumin (like me) which is heavily featured in store-bought versions. It is highly versatile, and the flavor leans whichever way you want by nudging the ratios. Try this for the Fajita Sandwich, Chili, Mexi-Tots, or Mexican Pizza recipes!
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dry brine time:
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marinade time:
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hands-on time:
5 minutes
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rise time:
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cook time:
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rest time:
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chill time:
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total time:
5 minutes
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reset to default # of servings
teaspoons (3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon)
! see scaling note !
ingredients
Item
Quantity
Flavor Profile
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ingredients
Core Mix
Item
Quantity
Flavor Profile
| smoked paprika | 2 | teaspoons |
distinct smokiness with mild sweetness and complexity. If using regular paprika – mild and sweet with a gentle touch of pepperiness |
| chili powder | 2 | teaspoons |
mild heat, subtle earthiness, a touch of tanginess or smokiness (depending on the blend) |
| ground coriander | 1 | teaspoon |
bright, citrusy, slightly sweet and floral, with warm aromatic notes |
| granulated garlic powder | 1 | teaspoon |
savory, pungent, with deep garlicky umami notes |
| onion powder | 1 | teaspoon |
sweet, savory, and slightly sulfury |
| dried Mexican oregano | 1 | teaspoon |
herbaceous, slightly bitter, earthy, and aromatic |
| kosher salt (Morton) | ½ | teaspoon |
pure saltiness, enhances other flavors |
| freshly ground black pepper | ½ | teaspoon |
sharp, pungent, woody, with subtle heat |
Add In a Little Heat
Item
Quantity
Flavor Profile
| cayenne pepper (optional) | ½ | teaspoon |
sharp, clean heat, a touch of fruitiness |
| ancho chile powder (optional) | ½ | teaspoon |
mild, smoky, slightly sweet, dried-fruit undertones |
| chipotle powder (optional) | ½ | teaspoon |
spicy, very smoky, with earthy undertones |
Flavor Enhancers
Item
Quantity
Flavor Profile
| granulated (white) or brown sugar (optional) | ½ | teaspoon |
gentle sweetness, slight molasses depth (if using brown sugar) |
| cumin (optional) | 2 | teaspoons |
earthy, warm, savory, subtle citrus, with a slight bitterness |
| allspice (optional) | ½ | teaspoon |
warm, sweet-spicy, hints of clove and cinnamon |
| ground cinnamon (optional) | ½ | teaspoon |
warm, sweet, aromatic, with woody undertones |
process
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1.
Mix the seasoning. Mix the following ingredients in a mixing bowl (the base mix): 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Taste and adjust – add more of any base spice, or dial in heat, depth, or sweetness with the optional add-ins.
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2.
Use or store. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 12 months in a cool, dry place.
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if you have the thyme...
Here's where extra "thyme" pays off – layer in technique or ingredients to take this from "really good" to "wait, did you make this?" Pick one, stack a few, or save for next time.
- Build the lime right in. Fajita and taco blends usually lean on a fresh squeeze of lime at the end for brightness – you can fold that acidity straight into the mix instead. Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried lime zest or ground dried lime so every shake carries a citrusy lift with no fresh lime required. Look for culinary lime powder or dried lime in the spice aisle (ground dried limes, sometimes sold as Persian or black lime / loomi) – not the garden or hydrated lime sold as a soil product, which is not food. Prefer a cleaner, sharper tang without the citrus flavor? A pinch of citric acid (often labeled "sour salt," in the spice or kosher-foods aisle) does the same job – start with ¼ teaspoon per batch and adjust.
notes
Serving Suggestions
Of course this blend shines on fajitas – but it's endlessly versatile. A few of our favorite ways to put it to work:
- Fajitas: the go-to. Use it on chicken, shrimp, steak, or a veggie mix of mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and onions.
- As a marinade: turn the dry blend into a liquid marinade by combining 3 tablespoons with ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and 1 tablespoon water. Marinate fish or shellfish for no more than 30 minutes, chicken for 30 minutes to 8 hours, and beef for at least 2 hours.
- Enchiladas and burritos: season the fillings or stir into the sauce.
- Mexican rice and beans: add 2 teaspoons to the aromatics.
- Chili and Mexican-inspired soups: start with 2 to 3 tablespoons and adjust as you go.
- Tacos: use interchangeably with taco seasoning for fish tacos or ground meat.
- Roasted chicken or veggies: to help it stick, spray with oil before and after sprinkling, or make a paste with a little olive oil and rub it on.
- Corn on the cob: mix into soft butter with parmesan, grill or roast, then squeeze lime over the top.
- Breakfast: not just for dinner – sprinkle into southern-style scrambled eggs, breakfast tacos, or omelet fillings as they cook.
- Unexpected favorites: try it on bloody marys, buttered popcorn, roasted chickpeas, toasted nuts, or in a compound butter.
Make It Ahead
This blend makes a single skillet's worth as written, but it scales up cleanly – multiply the batch and keep a jar on hand so it's ready whenever you are. Store it in an airtight container (a glass jar is ideal), somewhere cool and dark, away from the stove's heat and direct sunlight – both dull spices over time. Kept that way, it stays fresh for up to a year.
Troubleshooting
Clumping: Use dry measuring spoons and keep the blend away from steam or moisture – that's usually all it takes to keep it loose.
Long-term storage: For a blend you'll keep for months, an optional pinch of cornstarch (¼ to ½ teaspoon) keeps it free-flowing, helps it cling to proteins and veggies, and thickens a marinade once stirred into liquid. Unlike a store packet – where the anti-caking filler comes standard and you pay for it – here it's entirely your call.
scaling
Scaling a recipe up or down significantly? The recipe ingredients, process, cost, and nutrition scale (notes and faqs do not). Check yourself before you wreck yourself:
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Tiny amounts get tricky. Very small quantities of yeast, baking powder, baking soda, and spices are easier to measure by volume (teaspoons) than by weight – your average kitchen scale can't reliably read tenths of an ounce.
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Check your equipment. Make sure your bowls, pans, and mixer can handle the scaled volume. Dough typically needs 2 to 3 times its starting volume of space to rise comfortably.
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Cook times don't always scale. Some steps – like cooking pieces one at a time in a skillet – take proportionally longer with a bigger batch. Others, like oven baking, usually stay about the same.
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Hydration can drift. Flour absorbency varies, so very small or very large batches may need a splash more or less water than the math suggests.
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faqs
Is this spicy?
Mild to medium. The chili powder adds warmth rather than heat. For extra spice, add cayenne, ancho, or chipotle.
What if I don't have Mexican oregano?
Mexican oregano adds a citrusy, earthy note that complements Latin-inspired dishes and it is cheaper when you buy it from the Mexican/Latin food aisle in the grocery store compared to the "regular" version in the baking/spice aisle. In case you couldn't tell...there is a strong argument for using Mexican oregano, but your typical spice aisle oregano works fine.
How much should I use per pound of meat?
Start with 1 tablespoon per pound of protein, then adjust to taste. A full skillet – a pound of protein plus two peppers and an onion – takes the whole batch (3 tablespoons). For marinades, mix the blend with oil and acid like lime juice or vinegar.
Can I use this as a dry rub?
Yes, it's balanced enough to use directly on meat or tofu before grilling, roasting, or air frying.
Can I make it salt-free?
Definitely. Omit the kosher salt and add it separately to taste when cooking.
Why isn't there any cumin?
Most store-bought Mexican and taco blends lean hard on cumin, and if you're not a fan (I'm not), it can take over the whole dish. This blend leaves it out of the base so the smoked paprika, chili powder, and Mexican oregano come through brighter. If you do love it, cumin's right there in the optional add-ins – start with a teaspoon.
cost
9 teaspoons (3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon)
| Ingredient | Per Serving | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| smoked paprika | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.15 | |
| chili powder | 0.02 | 0.16 | |||
| ground coriander | 0.01 | 0.07 | |||
| granulated garlic | 0.01 | 0.06 | |||
| onion powder | 0.01 | 0.07 | |||
| mexican oregano | 0.02 | 0.17 | |||
| salt | 0.00 | 0.01 | |||
| black pepper | 0.01 | 0.05 | |||
| cayenne pepper | 0.00 | 0.03 | |||
| ancho chile powder | 0.02 | 0.19 | |||
| chipotle powder | 0.01 | 0.05 | |||
| granulated (white) sugar | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| cumin | 0.01 | 0.13 | |||
| allspice | 0.01 | 0.08 | |||
| ground cinnamon | 0.00 | 0.04 | |||
| Total | $ | 0.14 | $ | 1.25 |
Here's the honest math: a full skillet's worth of this blend runs about $1.25 – roughly $0.14 a teaspoon – from spices you probably already have in the cabinet. A packet runs anywhere from about a dollar for a store brand to closer to two for a name brand, all seasoning about the same pound of meat. So you come in even with the cheapest option and well under the rest – but price isn't really the point. What you're paying for in any of those packets is partly filler: a good share of the weight is cornstarch, anti-caking agents, and salt that add bulk and nothing else. This is all spice, which is why a little goes further (≈3 tablespoons seasons a skillet of a pound of protein plus a couple of peppers and an onion), why you set the salt instead of the factory, and why it tastes brighter than a blend that's been bagged on a shelf for months.
Where the cost actually lives is the chili powder and smoked paprika – your two biggest measures, carrying flavor and price both; the garlic, onion, oregano, salt, and pepper are pennies. Mix one jar and you're seasoning skillet after skillet for less than a name-brand packet and without the fillers – dinner handled before DoorDash even picks up the order.
nutrition information
serving size: 1 teaspoon
| calories | 11 |
% daily value*
| total fat | 0.4 g | 0% |
| saturated fat | 0.1 g | 0% |
| trans fat | 0.0 g | - |
| polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g | - |
| monounsaturated fat | 0.1 g | - |
| cholesterol | 0.0 mg | 0% |
| sodium | 123.2 mg | 5% |
| total carbohydrates | 2.2 g | 1% |
| dietary fiber | 0.9 g | 3% |
| sugars | 0.4 g | - |
| protein | 0.4 g | 1% |
micronutrients
| vitamin a | 4.4 mcg | 0% |
| vitamin c | 0.4 mg | 0% |
| calcium | 14.9 mg | 1% |
| iron | 0.5 mg | 3% |
| vitamin d | 0.0 mcg | 0% |
| magnesium | 6.1 mg | 1% |
| potassium | 52.4 mg | 1% |
| zinc | 0.1 mg | 1% |
| phosphorus | 9.9 mg | 1% |
| thiamin (b1) | 0.0 mg | 1% |
| riboflavin (b2) | 0.0 mg | 1% |
| niacin (b3) | 0.1 mg | 1% |
| vitamin b6 | 0.0 mg | 1% |
| folic acid (b9) | 1.4 mcg | 0% |
| vitamin b12 | 0.0 mcg | 0% |
| vitamin e | 0.3 mg | 2% |
| vitamin k | 2.4 mcg | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet; your needs may differ.
Nutrition information is estimated using USDA databases and may vary based on ingredient brands and preparation methods.
The 2,000-calorie reference is used as a general guide. Individual calorie needs typically range from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for adult men, depending on age, activity level, and other factors.
This is a seasoning, so the nutrition panel is mostly a formality – a teaspoon barely registers: a handful of calories, a trace of carbs and fat, nothing you need to budget for. The one line worth a glance is sodium, and that's entirely in your hands – the blend keeps the salt light to begin with, and if you're watching it you can cut it back or leave it out altogether and season your food directly. You'll also pick up a little iron and potassium from the chiles and paprika, but treat this as flavor first; the nutrition is a rounding-error bonus. And since a real plate usually takes a couple of teaspoons, double what you see in the panel for a truer read on your portion.
Cooked the Mexican Seasoning Blend?
Tell me about it. The good, the weird, the “Finally a Mexican blend that doesn't taste like straight cumin.” Comments help me figure out which recipes are landing, give other home cooks a real sense of what to expect, and – not gonna lie – they make my whole day. It helps a lot.
MAKE IT A MEAL
See this in action...
KITCHENARY
Learn the lingo...
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the flavor base – garlic, herbs, alliums, spices
Aromatics
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warming spices in oil to wake them up
Bloom (Spices)
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the fragrant outer citrus peel
Zest
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capsaicin heat, not a taste
Spicy
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a flavor bath for your food
Marinate
vegan · vegetarian · keto · gluten-free · lactose-free · dairy-free · kid-friendly · <30 minutes · easy · make-ahead · no-cook · minimal hands-on · weeknight · year-round · spice blend · mexican
Edits to the Site (just in case you want to know)
June 1, 2026 – Added notes and updated FAQs – nothing to change the actual recipe.
July 25, 2025 – Original publication.
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