8 Store-Bought Taco Seasonings, Ranked Worst To Best

Nothing brings the family or friends together quite like taco night. Whether it's a Tuesday or the weekend, there's something satisfying about gathering around the table and building a scrumptious Tex-Mex feast. We may not know exactly where the taco originated, but we're certainly glad it exists. And we all certainly enjoy working to create the perfect bite, stacked with lettuce, tomato, tons of sauces, and more. 

The base of every good taco is the protein, and the key ingredient here, of course, is taco seasoning. While you can make your own — the most common ingredients for taco seasoning are paprika, chili, and even oregano, among others — sometimes you just don't feel like it. That's where store-bought taco seasonings come in. There are several varieties on grocery store shelves at your disposal. And some are better than others.

We hit our local grocery store to see what was available. We included a mix of tried-and-true names along with some you may not have heard of before. We looked at how well they coated the meat (super important — no one wants taco meat that is partially seasoned), the heat level, and the overall flavor. The goal was to find something that really stood out in all of the best ways. Full disclosure, the heat level was pretty low with all of the taco seasonings we tried, but that doesn't mean they were bad. Sometimes you want something a little milder as your base, so you can build up the heat level with your salsa and other ingredients. Read on to find our ranking of eight different taco seasonings.

The first taco seasoning on our list — McCormick 30% Less Sodium Taco Seasoning — should be familiar to most of us. And it might be surprising to find it at the bottom of our ranking. McCormick has been selling spices since the late 1880s, building up trust over more than a century. Maybe it was the lower sodium, or maybe it was something else, but as someone who uses a lot of McCormick, I was disappointed with this product.

The ingredient list includes a lot of what you would expect in a taco seasoning — chili pepper, paprika, cumin, salt, onion, and garlic. While cooking, it did a good job of fully coating the meat and made a nice sauce that wasn't greasy or overwhelming. You could also see the red chili pepper flakes, which had me thinking it would carry a nice heat to it. Disappointment there.

For a seasoning that boasted 30% less sodium, the overwhelming flavor was the salt, followed by a very slight hint of the chili pepper. There wasn't much heat or spiciness to the seasoning, nor could you really pick up on any of the other spices used. Overall, the flavor was bland and easily forgettable. Now, that said, it wasn't horrible. If you're looking for a very basic option that allows the other flavors in your taco to stand out, this could be a good base. It could also be a healthier option. However, those are the only reasons I would entertain using this seasoning again, especially since there were a number of standouts later on in the list.

Personally, I'm a fan of Walmart's Great Value brand. It's usually the cheapest option at the store, and I haven't had many complaints with its products. I opted for the original flavor for this taste test, aiming to keep things even across the board. And, well, if I hadn't tried all the other brands on this list, I probably would have used this taco seasoning again; however, I definitely would have opened up my spice cabinet and added some extras — maybe cayenne pepper or more red chili pepper flakes.

Bland is the biggest note on these lower-ranked seasonings. Again, Great Value was not horrible. But it didn't stand out, and that's something you want with a taco seasoning. You want a good blend of heat and spices that could pair nicely with a frosty, citrusy beer on taco night.

Great Value Original Taco Seasoning had all the same ingredients as McCormick's. It also created a thicker sauce while cooking, which I felt was a good sign. However, like McCormick, the overwhelming flavor here was salt, and it was a bit too much for me. You could get hints of the garlic, but it wasn't enough. There was no heat to it, and while I'm okay with my taco seasoning being on the lighter spice side, I do want some kick to it. I'm curious to see if Great Value's hot version is better in this area. However, for original, unless you want a salty, garlicy taco, I would pass.

Dan-O's is a seasoning brand that I was unfamiliar with until I discovered it while meandering the spice section in my local grocery store. It's a relatively new brand that started in 2015 in Kentucky and focuses mostly on grill seasonings. I was eager to try the Tac-O Seasoning, especially after reading the ingredient list. Of course, we have the usual suspects, but this one spices things up with green chili, dried lemon peel, rosemary, cilantro, and ground cayenne.

It's definitely a dry seasoning and didn't create much in the way of a sauce; however, it wasn't that hard to get the ground beef evenly coated. It had a nice aroma as I was cooking, which got me even more excited. I accidentally put a bit more of this seasoning on than the others (you can blame my dogs), but it kind of needed it.

It does have a nice blend of flavors. The lemon and cumin come into play with the salt and garlic. I was expecting more heat to it, especially with the various peppers used (and considering that I accidentally over-seasoned). It's a good blend to build on, especially if you want to branch outside the usual and go for a different style of taco. I do think this would work better on a chicken or even possibly a shrimp taco. It didn't have enough flavor heft to build over the ground beef that I used. Again, it's not bad, but there were better options.

Taco Bell has the taco market locked down, so it's no surprise that it offers a line of taco seasonings, including the original flavor (which I tried for this taste test) and mild. You can usually find them next to rows of Taco Bell sauces in any grocery store. I'm pretty sure my love and nostalgia for the chain's food played a role in ranking its seasoning this high, though it did have a better flavor than the other two below it.

The only departure on the ingredient list from the others is sugar, though no worries, it doesn't make your taco meat overly sweet. In fact, I couldn't really detect it. And the seasoning does create a very nice sauce that really covers the meat well.

There wasn't a lot of heat to the seasoning. And while overall, it was a decent flavor (and tasted pretty much like what you get at the restaurant), it still felt a bit too basic. It could be because I didn't add cocoa, one of Taco Bell's signature ingredients for its ground beef that isn't listed among the store-bought seasoning's ingredients. You get a hint of the garlic and chili peppers. Not too much salt. But it left me wanting a bit more. With this seasoning, you'll definitely want to add a good hot sauce or salsa to your taco if you need more spice and heat, though that could be intentional. You might end up grabbing a bottle of Taco Bell Fire sauce at the store to amp things up.

Old El Paso is another one of those tried-and-true taco night staples. It sells everything from seasoning to taco shells, and chances are, most of us have had this brand at one point in our lives. It even has meal kits to make taco night easier, though you could always use muffin tins to cut down on the mess. For more than 80 years, Old El Paso has been creating Tex-Mex flavors.

There is nothing surprising about the ingredient list, but somehow, this seasoning works better than others. Old El Paso was definitely a true middle flavor. It was good, yes, and it was better than the first three flavors. But it didn't stand out in the same way that the top three seasonings did.

The Old El Paso seasoning creates a decent sauce that is slightly greasy, but not bad. What makes it better than the earlier options on the list is that it has a better heat to it. Again, not super spicy, but it is there. It takes a minute for it to kick in. I like the blend of garlic and chili pepper, with the slight saltiness to it. It's a very solid option if you want to go with a flavor that you and your family know. If you're looking for a flavor that really stands out and gets your attention, though, you'll want to pass on this one.

A bit of a disclosure here — I may have wanted to buy this seasoning for the packaging alone. That said, Spanglish Asadero Taco Seasoning is worth the beautiful design. Spanglish Asadero began in 2017 as a catering company focused on barbecue and grilling and then began to bottle and sell rubs and seasonings. I'm so glad it did. The brand aims to share the traditional flavors that its Mexican-American founders grew up with.

This is very much a dry seasoning that doesn't create much of a sauce, though you don't need it. You could use this on everything from ground beef to chicken, turkey, and even oysters, according to the packaging (I'm definitely noting that down). It has the basics — sea salt, garlic, onion, and chili pepper — but there is something in its other spices that makes it stand out.

It has the right amount of heat. Just enough to stand out, but not so much that your taste buds are burning. It lingers a bit on your tongue and builds with every bite. You get the chili pepper and garlic, then something else that is purely Spanglish Asadero (seriously, I want to know what it is). This is a seasoning that will elevate your taco game — you won't want to use hard shells with this one — and can also be used on other dishes. After the first bite of just meat, I got giddy about building a taco around this flavor.

Kinder's is a brand I see everywhere, though primarily for barbecue. It's been around since 1946 and prides itself on putting together delicious flavorings for everything from ribs to wings. I was curious when I saw the brand also made a taco seasoning. I wasn't sure what I would get with The Taco Blend Mexican Seasoning.

After looking at the ingredients, I noted that the only thing that stood out as different was the lime juice, though the seasoning also had chili pepper, salt, onion, garlic, paprika, and other spices. The first thing I noticed while cooking was that it had a hint of a smoky, barbecue aroma. And for this seasoning, a little bit goes a long way. I didn't have to use a ton of seasoning to get a good coating, sauce, or flavor.

The seasoning has a really good kick to it. There's a subtle heat that warms your belly. That smoky scent also comes through in the flavor, which I love on a taco. It definitely differs from what you might expect with a regular seasoning, but I found that to be a very good thing. You still get hints of garlic and chili pepper but also something that is distinctly Kinder's. If you're looking to try out tacos with skirt or flank steak — whether making carne asada or not — this would be a good seasoning to use.

The top seasoning on our list also happened to be the last one I tasted, but boy, did I inadvertently save the best for last. Street Tacos Pollo Rojo Grill Seasoning by Riega Foods was not one that I had heard of before. I almost missed it on the shelf, and that would have been an utter travesty. Riega Foods is one of the largest spice importers in the U.S., according to its website, and has been in the game since 2008. The Street Tacos line has a variety of seasonings that can spice up any taco Tuesday.

This Pollo Rojo seasoning carries some heavy hitters — pasilla chili, chipotle, and clove – ingredients that I don't believe any of the other seasonings had. It also has sea salt, paprika, garlic, onion, cumin, and black pepper. The seasoning creates a good, thick sauce, fully coating every bit of ground beef with an explosion of flavor.

Pollo Rojo had a good heat to it, though it still wasn't super strong. It coated your mouth in a pleasantly warm way that you expect from good Tex-Mex. The flavor blend was perfect. You could taste the peppers, garlic, and black pepper, though one didn't overpower the other. I'm sure this was meant to be used on chicken, but I loved it on ground beef. The thing about Pollo Rojo is that it stood out on its own. I didn't need to add any salsa, extra sauce, or other seasonings. All you needed was your usual taco ingredients (cheese, lettuce, tomato, some sour cream) — and maybe swap out the tortilla for something new — and you have a mouth-watering taco to dive into.

Let's get down into the nitty gritty of this ranking. How did I choose which of these taco seasonings was the best and which one was the worst? I started with a trip to my local grocery store to see what brands and types of taco seasoning it had. I then selected eight different brands to try, sticking to the "original" flavor if there were a few to choose from. I intentionally chose a mix of well-known and lesser known brands.

Next, it was time to taste. I cooked up eight portions of ground beef, each one featuring a different seasoning, although I tried to use the same amount of seasoning on each. I tried the meat by itself and in a taco to get a full range of the flavor. Let's be real — it's unlikely that you'll sit down and eat an entire bowl of taco meat by itself (though no judgment if you do). Additionally, when determining the best seasoning, I focused on scoring in three main areas: sauce, heat, and overall flavor.

I was looking for a seasoning that had a good, robust flavor and packed a good amount of heat and spice. With the sauce, a good taco seasoning evenly coats the meat and doesn't dry it out. You want something that is slathered in the spice but at the same time not super greasy. I then rated each brand on a 1 to 5 scale in the three categories. The seasoning with the highest score became my No. 1 pick, and I worked down the score sheet from there to build the list.