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    You are here: Home / Recipes

    Taco Sauce Recipe

    BY: Courtney PUBLISHED: Apr 17, 2019 10 Comments UPDATED ON: Jul 16, 2020

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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    JUMP TO RECIPE
    Homemade Taco Sauce Recipe for your favorite Mexican recipes

    This Taco Sauce recipe is a must-make! Add more flavor with our homemade recipe that tastes better than Taco Bell Sauce packets.

    taco sauce in a mason jar with cut tomatoes sliced and halved on counter

    Storebought taco sauce can contain corn syrup, modified ingredients, citric acid, and other ingredients that you don’t really need. This is a quick and easy recipe that you can feel good about serving to your family and friends.

    What is taco sauce used for?

    You can use it top tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, drizzling over nachos or salads, it’s even a great sauce for your favorite breakfast.

    Is this taco sauce recipe mild or spicy?

    This is a mild sauce recipe, you can add some heat by adding in some cayenne pepper to taste.

    homemade taco sauce recipe in ball mason jar with sliced tomatoes on the sides

    What is the difference between salsa and taco sauce?

    Salsa is made up blended and cooked tomatoes, onions and spices. Whereas this recipe is something we like to refer to as Mexican ketchup. It’s the perfect topping for all your favorite Mexican recipes. There’s also Pico De Gallo which is a staple Mexican Food. You’ll notice that most Mexican restaurants serve fresh pico or salsa with tortilla chips as you are seated. 

    What’s in taco sauce?

    Our sauce base is strained tomatoes mixed with water, vinegar, and spices. The spices we use are salt, paprika, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. If you like it sweeter you can add in your favorite sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, or cane sugar.
     
    The reason we use strained tomatoes instead of tomato sauce is we want a thicker sauce, this way it’s not too runny and stays put on the taco a bit better. Strained tomato sauce is a bit drier than regular tomato sauce.

    How long does it take to cook taco sauce?

    This taco sauce recipe takes about 20 minutes to make and you can make a regular batch or easily double it. We like to make a big batch on the weekend and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.

    taco sauce in a glass jar with fresh tomatoes sliced on counter

    How to make Taco Sauce

    In a skillet combine the strained tomatoes and seasonings and cook on high heat until boiling.

    tomato sauce with seasonings in a skillet with whisk

    Once the mixture is boiling reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes for a thinner sauce. We go for a thicker sauce simmer for 20 minutes.

    Let the sauce cool before serving and store any leftovers in a container in the refrigerator.

    taco sauce in a skillet

    We like storing in a mason jar and using it whenever we need it. We have used up to a week without any issues, but we typically use it up within 4-5 days.

    You can serve warm or chilled, we prefer making it ahead of time and storing in the refrigerator so it’s cold.

    how to use taco sauce

    We use this recipe for tacos, over breakfast hash browns, burritos, as a salad dressing, as a dip, drizzled over nachos, and even burrito bowls. Try it with these delicious recipes!

    • Roasted Peppers and Onions
    • Mexican Black Beans
    • Scrambled Eggs (have you tried Just Egg yet?)
    • Vegan Chorizo Burrito Bowl

    tips for the best taco sauce recipe

    We suggest using homemade tomato sauce or tomato sauce that is in a glass bottle for the best taste. Tomato sauce in cans can have a tin taste, but if you know a brand without that tin taste go ahead and use your preferred brand. We use Bionature Strained Tomatoes, it’s organic and packaged in glass bottles.

    taco sauce in a mason jar with cut tomatoes sliced and halved on counter

    Taco Sauce Recipe

    Author: Courtney
    This Taco Sauce recipe is a must make! Add more flavor with our homemade taco sauce that tastes better than Taco Bell Sauce packets.
    5 from 7 votes

    (click stars to vote)

    Print Pin SaveSaved!
    Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes minutes
    Servings: 15
    Calories: 12kcal
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: taco sauce
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups strained tomatoes (tomato sauce)
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 2 tablespoons vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 pinch salt optional

    Instructions

    • Combine the strained tomatoes and seasonings in a saucepan or skillet and cook on high heat until boiling.
    • Once the sauce is boiling reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes for a thin sauce or 20 minutes for a thicker sauce.
    • Allow the sauce cool before serving and store any leftovers in a container in the refrigerator.

    Tried this recipe?

    We’d love to know what you think! Please leave a rating and comment to share your thoughts on this recipe. Your feedback helps us continue sharing free, high-quality recipes with you. Thank you so much!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Taco Sauce Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    12
    % Daily Value*
    Sodium
     
    11
    mg
    0
    %
    Potassium
     
    117
    mg
    3
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    2
    g
    1
    %
    Sugar
     
    1
    g
    1
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    185
    IU
    4
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    2.8
    mg
    3
    %
    Calcium
     
    6
    mg
    1
    %
    Iron
     
    0.6
    mg
    3
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    full nutrition disclaimer

    The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.

    Did you make this recipe?Tag us on social media using @knowyourproduce and or use #knowyourproduce!
     

    POSTED IN: Recipes Sauces & Dips Vegan Recipes tomatoes

    About Courtney

    Fruit and Veggie lover. I love making produce fun and delicious, not to mention taking tons of pictures in the process! :-)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie Menghini

      April 21, 2019 at 9:01 pm

      I’ve made a lot of my own spice mixes but not my own taco sauce recipe. This is brilliant and I can’t wait to try it slathered over my favorite enchiladas!

      Reply
      • Mary Lee

        July 20, 2024 at 5:10 pm

        Second time making this! Love it. Easy and fast

        Reply
        • Courtney

          July 26, 2024 at 6:47 am

          We’re so glad you enjoyed!! Happy cooking 😀

    2. Daniela

      April 22, 2019 at 10:37 am

      This taco sauce looks delicious! I would probably add some habaneros to mine to make it super spicy; just the way I like it. I love that is so versatile too; you could even use it to top eggs or nachos.

      Reply
    3. Dana

      April 22, 2019 at 11:10 am

      This is such a great recipe! I love the flavor and the sauce worked really well with my Instant Pot ground turkey taco recipe. I swapped the salsa for this good stuff and it was awesome. I can’t say it enough: homemade is always better. And when it’s this easy, it’s silly to opt for store bought!

      Reply
    4. Sean

      April 24, 2019 at 2:57 pm

      Hooray for this, and boo to sauce packets! Growing up we didn’t eat a lot of authentically Mexican food, but we did have a go-to taco recipe. It was decidedly Tex-Mex, but there was nothing but whole spices in it, and I’m still glad for that. Packaged spice mixes never really compare, and a scratch-made taco sauce like this is an awesome way to get into good Mexican cooking. I make a lot of blender-based Mexican sauces now starting with whole tomatoes, tomatillos, spices, etc., and I can’t imagine going to a powdered mix or a sauce packet. Love the recipe – thanks for posting it!

      Reply
    5. Ginny

      April 01, 2021 at 1:41 pm

      How long does it last in the fridge? could this also be canned if I upped the recipe?

      Reply
      • Courtney

        April 17, 2021 at 7:46 am

        We like to make a big batch on the weekend and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. We’re not experienced with canning and cannot advise on this, sorry for the inconvenience. But you can definitely freeze if it’s too much! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Chris

      July 16, 2021 at 3:47 am

      I used fresh tomatoes that I ran through a victorio strainer but other than that I followed the recipe. This is an excellent taco sauce and can be adjusted to any taste

      Reply
      • Courtney

        July 27, 2021 at 10:09 am

        So glad you enjoyed it and glad to hear it works well with fresh too! 😀

        Reply
    5 from 7 votes (1 rating without comment)

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