Tacos are a perfect easy family meal; kids love ’em and so do Mom and Dad. You can mix it up with different meats, and choose between hard or soft shells or even serve on lettuce. If you really want to take your tacos to the next level, I suggest you whip up this quick taco sauce recipe.
Why Homemade Taco Sauce?
You may be wondering…why homemade? I get it. It seems easier to just toss a bottle of the pre-made stuff into your grocery cart the next time you’re planning taco night. But, have you have ever looked at store-bought taco sauce carefully?
One of the ingredients in bottled taco sauce is high fructose corn syrup. A lot of kids, especially those with ADHD or autism, react poorly to it. My oldest son is one of them, so when I couldn’t find any sauce in the store without HFCS, so I came up with my own taco sauce recipe.
I’m so glad I did too! Every time I make this, I get so many compliments from friends and family. You will too! 🙂
Now we can really enjoy taco night without worrying about any additives or ingredients that might not be good for your family.
Quick 5-Minute Taco Sauce
If you’re still not convinced, it’s okay. I’ll admit that, at first, I wasn’t thrilled to make one more thing from scratch. I love “homemade,” but I’m also very busy. I’m sure most of you can relate!
But this homemade taco sauce recipe surprised me with just how easy it is to make. It’s just as easy as my homemade taco seasoning recipe we’ve used for years now.
In fact, it takes less than 5 minutes to whip up this taco sauce recipe! You can make it with a mixer, by hand, or in a blender so it really couldn’t be any easier. Plus, it has a pretty decent shelf life which is always nice!
The Difference Between Salsa and Taco Sauce
I often get asked if salsa and taco sauce is the same thing. The quick answer is no.
It’s easy to understand how the two can be confused. After all, both are staple condiments for Mexican food, and both are tomato-based.
However, salsa is typically chunky and made with fresh vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos. On the other hand, taco sauce utilizes dried spices and vinegar to add flavor to tomato sauce.
What Does Taco Sauce Taste Like?
If you haven’t tried taco sauce before, you’re in for a real treat. It’s hard to describe the taste exactly, but the best way I can is it’s similar to ketchup but more vinegary than sweet. Plus, depending on how you make it, there’s more of a kick to it too.
What’s in the Taco Sauce Recipe?
This homemade taco sauce recipe is delicious. With a simple blend of spices, vinegar, tomato sauce, and a touch of honey for a little natural sweetness, my kids tell me it tastes just like the Ortega brand they love. And for kids, that’s a major compliment, you know!
The great thing is, none of these ingredients are hard to find or expensive. In fact, you likely already have all of these items at home already in your pantry!
It might take a little bit of experimentation to find the blend of spices your family likes best, but that’s what’s so fun about this taco sauce recipe. You can add a little more or less of something if the mood strikes you. That being said, I suggest you follow the recipe as provided below the first time you make it—it’s balanced perfectly in my opinion!
How to Serve This Taco Sauce Recipe
One of the surprising things about taco sauce is just how versatile it can be! Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy this tasty condiment:
- Add to your favorite tacos
- Make taco pizza
- Drizzle over taco muffins
- Use as a salad dressing (it’s fantastic mixed with ranch!)
- Layer it on your nachos
- Pour over meatloaf
- Bake it into a taco casserole
How Should I Store Homemade Taco Sauce?
I recommend using a mason jar to store your homemade taco sauce in the refrigerator. Not only will it look cute, but a lidded mason jar will keep your taco sauce fresh as long as possible.
How Long Will This Taco Sauce be Good For?
This taco sauce recipe has a surprisingly long shelf life! One batch will stay good for about two weeks. If the water separates on the top, just shake up the jar and your taco sauce will be as good as new.
Other Recipes to Try:
If you’re looking for more Mexican recipes to try, I have a few family favorites to share with you! Give these a try:
PrintHomemade Taco Sauce
With spices, vinegar, tomato sauce, and a touch of honey, this kid-approved Homemade Taco Sauce tastes just like the store bought stuff, but without high fructose corn syrup.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: about 20 oz 1x
Ingredients
- 1 13-14 oz can tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
- ½ Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne red pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Make sure to pin the recipe so it’s easier to find later!
Brandy says
This is super awesome. We make tacos quite often and I would love to try my hands at making my own taco sauce like this. Bookmarking this!
Mama to 5 BLessings says
We eat taco’s at least once a week. I so need to make this instead of buying. Sounds easy enough.
★★★★★
Lindsey G. says
I see recipes like this and think they have to be so complex and take so much time… but you proved me wrong! This sounds delish and like something I can easily make and feel good about serving to my kids. Yum!
★★★★★
Susan says
We use taco sauce for so many things, it seems like I am always picking some up at the supermarket! I will have to make this with your recipe, it would be such a money saver!
diane says
I have made taco seasoning but never taco SAUCE. This looks really good. I have a few casseroles this would go really good in.
William Sweeney says
I love the idea fo making your own taco sauce!! It really is crazy how hard it can be to find things with a specific ingredient.
Ross B says
Way too sweet for my tastes!
★
Erika says
This is a copycat version of the Ortega brand, without yucky ingredients like corn syrup. If it’s too sweet, you can cut out the honey.
Becca L says
Is it a copy cat version of the mild? Just asking as I usually buy the Hot, and that seems like way too little cayenne.
Erika says
Hi Becca, yes this is a mild version. Feel free to increase the cayenne to your taste. 🙂
Sarah Morrison says
Very good, thank you
★★★★★
Jerilyn says
Made this for the Whole 30 and my husband even agreed that it was better than store-bought! This sauce is going to make the Whole 30 a whole lot easier!
Laura says
Thanks for this recipe! We were going to have taco’s tonight and discovered there was NO SAUCE!!!! The drama!!!! This was quick and easy, and my husband said it is even better than store bought sauce. It had too much cumin for my taste so I upped some of the other ingredients. I also added some dried oregano, then whizzed it all in the cuisinart. I strained it before serving to get out the larger bits of oregano and the tomato seeds (I used home canned tomatoes). This is a fast, easy, and delicious recipe that I will keep using!
★★★★★
Laura says
Thanks for this recipe! We were going to have taco’s tonight and discovered there was NO SAUCE!!!! The drama!!!! This was quick and easy, and my husband said it is even better than store bought sauce. It had too much cumin for my taste so I upped some of the other ingredients. I also added some dried oregano, then whizzed it all in the cuisinart. I strained it before serving to get out the larger bits of oregano and the tomato seeds (I used home canned tomatoes). This is a fast, easy, and delicious recipe that I will keep using!
★★★★★
Michael says
This is a fantastic base recipe! I used apple cider vinager, stock instead of water and added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce for depth and a richer flavor. Smoked paprika really helped round out the flavor in addition to the other spices. Thanks!
Tirtza says
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe.
Came out very nice.
Living abroad, I could not get taco sauce, but Ortega was the brand I bought while in the States.
From what I remember, this tastes similar, but better.
I increased the cayenne to double but my pipul harif (red hot pepper spice), may be a little less strong than what we got in the States, but if one likes medium hot I’d say increase.
To avoid the corn syrup (which also is not available here, no big loss 🙂 ), I used Agave Syrup.
It has a less pronounced flavor than honey and, perhaps is a little less sweet.
Maybe some who like less sweet would prefer that,or a dash more vinegar.
★★★★★
Crysti says
I am on a very restrictive diet for IBS and can’t have any form of onions or garlic. This recipe, minus the garlic salt and onion powder with the addition of celery salt instead made me feel much less deprived. It was very easy and quite delicious. Do you think I can freeze it?
★★★★★
Erika says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Crysti. I haven’t tried freezing it but I have a feeling it might separate. You could try it?
Annaleigh says
This recipe is awesome it is so easy my kids can make it so and tasted awesome
★★★★★
Sam says
I can’t believe how easy and simple this taco sauce was. My whole family loved it! Great recipe
★★★★★
Rosy says
Thanks for This awesome recipe. This taco sauce is so yummy!
★★★★★
Arpita Patel says
I always forget which brand of packaged seasoning it is that I don’t like at the store…thank you for an excellent solution!
★★★★★
Erika says
You’re welcome! 🙂
Courtney says
I’ve had this bookmarked for some time, and just made it today. It is so much better than store-bought! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Erika says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Courtney. Thanks for the great feedback!
Darlene Herzog says
Have you tried canning this sauce?
I make burritos for my son and friends once a week. The taco sauce prices are getting crazy expensive.
Erika says
Hi Darlene, I’ve never tried canning this..or anything lol. You could google and see what others have done?
Danielle says
This was fantastic! The whole family loved it. Super easy to make. Thank you!
★★★★★