- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 servings
Make the most delicious homemade taco sauce that tastes like your favorite fast food or taco kits! It's made with just 8 pantry ingredients with options for mild, spicy, and creamy versions. Serve it with tacos, bowls, quesadillas, tostadas, and more.
Ingredient:
- Tomato sauce: This is the main ingredient in taco sauce. Make sure to choose canned tomato puree that is only made with tomatoes, it shouldn’t have any seasonings or condiments. You could also blend canned diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes, but it won’t be as thick. For a stronger tomato flavor, add some tomato paste as well.
- Vinegar: For that tangy flavor, you need to add vinegar. White vinegar is typically used, but you could swap in apple cider vinegar. You could also use lime juice, but it won’t have that same classic flavor.
- Cumin: Cumin adds smokiness to the sauce. Swap in a chipotle pepper for more smoke and spice.
- Garlic and onion powder: Dried spices are normally used in taco sauce. Swap in freshly minced garlic or onions for a stronger garlic or onion flavor. Frozen garlic cubes would also be perfect.
- Paprika: Paprika adds some sweetness. If you prefer smokier flavors, use smoked paprika.
- Chili powder: For a traditional flavor, use regular chili powder. For more smoke and heat, swap in ancho chili powder. Adjust the amount to your preference.
- Cayenne pepper: This ingredient provides most of the heat. Adjust the amount to suit your taste.
- Sugar: Most restaurant and store-bought taco sauces contain corn syrup. I prefer using white or brown sugar, but you could also use honey, maple syrup, or agave.
- Optional herbs: Traditional taco sauce doesn’t contain herbs, but you could add some dried oregano or coriander for more flavor.
