So I was standing in the spice aisle—again—and grabbed one of those taco seasoning packets without thinking. Then flipped it over. Big mistake. I swear I’ve looked before, but this time I really looked, and—ugh. Half the stuff in there I didn’t recognize. One thing literally just said “natural flavors.” What does that even mean? At that point, I was like, yeah, no thanks.
I already had like, ten random spices sitting at home that I barely used. So that night, I pulled them all out and started throwing stuff into a bowl. Not gracefully. Not in any kind of planned way. But it smelled good, and that was enough.
Ended up with three blends that I’ve actually been using, which… honestly surprised me. Taco seasoning, a dry onion soup thing, and this ranch mix that might’ve turned me into someone who eats raw carrots on purpose. Put them in old mason jars I found in the back of the cabinet (they still had bits of glitter from some failed DIY project but whatever—washed them out).
Anyway, here’s what I threw together. If you’re someone who hates the weirdness of pre-mixed packets and wants to feel slightly more in control of their seasoning situation, this is for you.
Taco Seasoning (aka the one I actually use weekly)
So, this is the first one I tried because I was making tacos and didn’t want to go back to the store. It ended up being… really good? Like better than the packet stuff, but less salty and not weirdly sweet.
Here’s what I used:
½ cup chili powder
¼ cup onion powder
⅛ cup ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp sea salt
I dumped it all in a mason jar (a clean one), shook it like crazy, and called it done.
To use it? I just toss about 2 tablespoons in per pound of meat. Sometimes more. Depends how much I’m paying attention.
Side note: I don’t like spicy stuff much, so I leave out cayenne. But you do you.
Dry Onion Soup Mix
This one’s weirdly versatile. I originally made it for a soup recipe and now I’ve used it in dips, casseroles, even on roasted potatoes. Also, it smells way better than anything from a packet.
What I used (pretty sure I wrote this down right):
⅔ cup dried minced onion
3 tsp parsley flakes
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp black pepper
Same deal—dumped it all into a jar, gave it a shake. That’s it. No special tools or anything.
I use about 4 tablespoons when a recipe calls for a “packet” of dry onion soup. Which is often more than you’d expect. Also works as a dip—just stir it into some sour cream. Better after a few hours in the fridge, I swear.
Ranch Seasoning
Okay. So ranch. People are weird about ranch. I wasn’t even that into it growing up, but now I kinda get it. Especially once I figured out you could make it from scratch and it didn’t have to taste like bottled sadness.
This one’s simple:
5 tbsp dried minced onion
7 tsp parsley flakes
4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
Shake it up in a jar (by this point I had a system—one jar for each mix, taped a label on with old washi tape I found in a drawer).
How I use it:
For dressing? Mix 2 tbsp of the ranch mix with 1 cup mayo + 1 cup buttermilk (or sour cream if that’s all you have).
For dip? Just double the mix and use it with straight sour cream.
Let it sit in the fridge a bit. Tastes better. If you like it tangy, a tiny splash of lemon juice works.
Storage (aka: don’t store these next to the stove)
So yeah—these mixes last a while. Months, easy. Unless you keep them next to the oven like I did, and they get weird and clumpy. Not great.
Put them in dry, cool places. I use mason jars because that’s what I had. Anything with a tight lid works. Write the name on the jar or you’ll mix them up. I mixed up ranch and taco seasoning once—never again.
Anyway, that’s it. If you’ve got some random spices sitting around and you’re tired of reading the back of tiny envelopes full of mystery powder, this is your sign to throw some things in a jar and see what happens. I kind of wish I’d started doing this earlier.
Also, shaking up a fresh spice mix? Weirdly satisfying. Almost therapeutic. Try it.
