This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This homemade fajita seasoning is an easy way to boost the flavors in your favorite Mexican recipes! Make it with 7 ingredients you already have in the spice rack, and keep it in the pantry for months.
Use your fresh seasoning to spice up your next batch of sizzling steak fajitas or chicken fajita bowls for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner!
Say it with me: No more buying fajita, taco, or whatever-else-seasoning packets from the store! It’s so much better when you make it at home! This homemade fajita seasoning doesn’t need fancy ingredients. Just mix a handful of zesty, earthy spices, and voila! Plus, it’s a million times fresher and more flavorful than anything I’ve had from a jar or packet. Sorry, Old El Paso, it’s nothing personal.
Why You’ll Love This Fajitas Seasoning Recipe
- Better than store-bought. All it took was a glance at the ingredients list on my favorite store-bought fajita seasoning to know that I could do better. Making it at home means fresher spices and no funny additives or fillers. I also have Jamaican jerk seasoning and chicken seasoning recipes for the same reason!
- Easy ingredients. I’ll bet you have most of them in the spice rack already. And if you don’t, the seasoning ingredients are easy to find in just about any grocery store or supermarket.
- Versatile. I’ll turn chicken, salad, and just about anything into a Tex-Mex meal. This fajita seasoning helps me do it. Use it on fajitas and tacos, and add it to soups, fajita bowls, casseroles, and more.
What’s In Fajita Seasoning?
Fajita seasoning is a blend of spices you’ll find in Mexican cooking, including:
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper
The key to making the best-tasting seasonings is to use the freshest spices you can find. Check the labels and make sure they’re not past their best-before date. For the complete recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card below the post.
Fajita Seasoning vs. Taco Seasoning
Fajita seasoning and taco seasoning have a lot in common, ingredients-wise. The difference is mostly in the heat levels. Since most fajita recipes make the meat and vegetables the star of the show, fajita seasoning tends to be bold but not fiery.
Taco seasoning, on the other hand, is made to bring out the flavors of slow-cooked meats like beef birria and chicken tinga. So, the seasoning is heavier on the spice and is made with extra chili powder, cayenne pepper, and chili flakes.
I personally find both seasonings to be pretty interchangeable in most recipes! And the best part is, when you make them at home, you can adjust all these flavors to taste.
Ways to Use Fajitas Seasoning Mix
Obviously, you can use your seasoning on fajita recipes, like shrimp fajitas, vegetarian mushroom fajitas, and sheet pan fajitas. But there are plenty of ways to use this seasoning that go beyond the obvious:
- Tacos. Spice up the meat in chicken tacos, pork carnitas tacos, and more.
- Crock pot recipes. Use this to season your favorite slow cooker recipes, from crock pot fajitas to salsa verde chicken and pulled chicken.
- Meal bowls. Boost the flavors in fajita bowls, taco bowls, and burrito bowls, and use fajita seasoning to spice up the protein in your favorite rice bowls.
- Casseroles. Use fajita seasoning as a stand-in for taco seasoning in recipes like this taco casserole and tamale pie.
- Soups, stews, and chili. Amp up the flavor of enchilada soup and taco soup, or add this seasoning to a crock pot of beef chili.
- Tex-Mex. Season the filling for beef and chicken enchiladas or spice the chicken for a Southwest chicken salad.
How to Store It
Keep this fajita seasoning sealed inside a glass jar or container and store it in the pantry for up to 3 months.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Fajitas Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Stir to combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Equipment
Notes
- This makes about 2 Tablespoons seasoning, enough for 1.5 to 2 pounds of meat or chicken. Scale the recipe as needed.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Fajitas Seasoning
Making fajita seasoning is as easy as combining the spices and stirring them together. That’s it! This recipe makes about 2 tablespoons of seasoning, enough to season 1½-2 pounds of chicken.
I like to scale up the recipe and store the seasoning in mason jars to keep in the pantry. It stays fresh for months! See the section earlier for storage tips and more ways to use it.
More Tex-Mex Recipes
Where is the recipe???
The recipe card is just above the comments box. You can also click on “jump to recipe” at the very top of the post and that will scroll down your page to the recipe card.
Would you recommend the sea salt be coarse or fine grained? I prefer things are not too salty, so thought I’d go with coarse, but would appreciate any feedback. Thank you!
I use coarse sea salt.
The BEST fajita seasoning blend I have ever used!
Excellent, cheaper than the packs and no hidden additives or preservatives 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This was so good. Now I make it all the time! The peppers and rice are so tasty with this dish. Thank you so much. It’s my favorite meal!!!
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Thank you over the last year or 2 I have used this recipe tonnes of times it’s really nice and the fact that I am mixing it up myself means I can put less chilli powder in so my daughter who doesn’t like things spicy hot can eat it too. I use about half of the chili powder. I shared it with my mum my brother and a FB group of friends just sharing the link to your page and many of us are now making it. I usually multiply it by about 6 and mix up a fair bit at once so I have it to hand. It saves time and works better when I’m tired and brains gone to bed. I use thinly sliced chicken breast, peppers, onions and recently started adding tomatoes which are so nice in it. I put it all in a big oven dish drizzle with about 2 tbsp of oil for 4 of us and mix that then add 2 tbsp of this spice blend and mix before putting in the oven for 35 – 40 mins stirring half way through. I don’t even have to stand and cook it then once the prep is done.
Where is the recipe on how to cook it, at what temperature etc
How to cook a seasoning mix? There’s no cooking involved; you just combine all the seasonings/spices together and store it in a bag or jar until you’re ready to use it.
If you’re looking for the Steak Fajitas recipe, click here 👉 https://diethood.com/steak-fajitas/
I hope this helps.
I, too, make all my own seasoning blends and sauces, and I’m always on the prowl to up the seasoning game. I have a question about the chili powder ingredient. When I make chili, I make my own chili powder with paprika, cayenne, cumin, garlic, onion, oregano, cloves… Do you mean the chili powder blend from the supermarket? Thanks!
Hi!
Yes, I use the chili powder blend sold at the supermarket or on Amazon 😊 https://amzn.to/3kvqK9j