Today we’re sharing our homemade taco sauce recipe. It’s easy and it holds several advantages over store-bought sauce. And if taco sauce is your thing, you might also want to check out our fish taco sauce recipe.

Anyone else obsessed with taco sauce? We’ve started using it in quantities similar to our ketchup usage. It all began with taco night during which we found out our kids really like it. They started demanding it in large quantities. We like that they enjoy taco sauce and we’re hoping it leads to them liking more of our healthier chili and taco recipes.
But, anytime your kids start demanding food in high quantities you want to be sure you know what you are giving them. And the only way to be sure of that is by going homemade. So today we’re sharing a homemade taco sauce recipe. Read on for an ingredient list you’ll be able to pronounce (bye-bye high fructose corn syrup).
The Advantages of a Homemade Taco Sauce Recipe
- quick and easy to make so you’re never more than a few minutes from a fresh batch
- ingredients you can pronounce and feel good about serving your kids
- customize to your liking with your favorite spices and fresh ingredients
- It lasts a few weeks so you can make it once and enjoy it for many meals
- Your kids will like it. Our kids never even noticed when we made the switch (Shhh!), they just kept asking for more

Our homemade taco sauce recipe is super easy to throw together. That’s important in a busy household when time is short and meal prep is a big challenge. But this is just a tomato puree base with water, white vinegar, honey or agave and then some of our favorite spices.
We tend to not go too spicy with our taco sauce because our kids are still slowly venturing into spicier foods, but that’s another great thing about making your own taco sauce. Your sauce, your way. Kick it up a notch or dial it back as needed.
The Many Uses of Taco Sauce
- Duh, use it on tacos
- As a dressing. We love it on this Quinoa Taco Salad
- On nachos. Our kids now demand lots of taco sauce whenever we make nachos
- It’s great on chili
- Goes great in a layered dip
- Eggs. Yup, eggs are great with taco sauce (or salsa or hot sauce)
- With fries as the new ketchup? No? Well then tell us your creative uses for taco sauce.
Putting this homemade taco sauce recipe together is as easy as owning a whisk. Just whisk it! You could also just use a fork, of course. We tried a version where we heated on the stove and simmered to see if it enhanced the flavor. Fortunately, we didn’t see a difference. So, skip the extra step and just whisk it together and serve!
We like to store the leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge and it should last for a couple of weeks–or make an extra-large batch and freeze some of it. Enjoy!
The easy homemade taco sauce recipe:

Homemade Taco Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 oz tomato puree
- 1/4-1/2 c water
- 1/4 c white vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey or agave
- 2 tsp salt
- pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic granules or garlic salt
- 2 tsp onion salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together.
- This is mild taco sauce, if looking for spicier, add your favorite hot sauce to your level of spiciness.
28 Comments
Mountaingrrrl
March 28, 2017 at 10:15 pmMade the sauce todsy for vegan tacos.awesome will sure do it again.thanks for posting .
mywifecancook
March 29, 2017 at 6:44 amYou’re welcome! I’m so happy it worked out for you! We go through it quickly!
La lau
July 20, 2018 at 3:12 amWhat does 1 T mean? E.g 1 T cumin
mywifecancook
September 10, 2018 at 11:14 am1 Tablespoon. We have tried to update our recipes with Tbsp, but I have clearly I haven’t found all of them yet.
Gloria
September 20, 2018 at 3:37 pmHomemade sauces are best. We are having a Mexican themed dinner here for a birthday celebration this weekend. Tacos are on the list. Perhaps I should make some of this to go along with them.
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:13 amYou should!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
September 21, 2018 at 9:07 amI’ve never made taco sauce before (and if I’m to admit it, I don’t think I’ve ever had it). We usually just put salsa on our tacos, but you’ve really intrigued me with this tangy, spiced blend and since tacos are a mainstay in our house, this will be a great change from our standard “Old El Paso”. Brilliant idea!
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:14 amOur kids weren’t into the “clumps” in salsa, so we resorted to taco sauce. The bottled kind has some strange ingredients in it, so we like the homemade version!
Carmy
September 21, 2018 at 7:23 pmI love a good homemade sauce! I’ll have to give this taco sauce recipe a try – usually I grab a jar because taco nights are our lazy nights but this sauce looks too good to not try! I’d definitely add hot sauce to mine.
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:15 amWe definitely grab the jarred kind occassionally, but it is really easy to make!
Tina - Monday is Meatloaf
September 21, 2018 at 7:29 pmHomemade sauces are the bomb! I have a friend with a corn allergy, so I can wait to share this with him. He has so few options, and is always having to read the labels to avoid corn. Wonderful idea!
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:15 amYeah, they put a lot of strange ingredients in the bottled kind. Better to make homemade if you have allergies!
Sarah
September 21, 2018 at 7:39 pmUm.. I’ve never heard of taco sauce before! Except for the taco bell packets hehe. I love this idea though– we’re big hot sauce fans, and this seems like a milder version. I want to put it on all the things!!!
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:16 amWe can go through a lot of this sauce!
debra
September 23, 2018 at 2:43 pmI’m with you all the way on trying to find healthier options of everything. This is a great version of taco sauce….and I totally agree that it will go well on EVERYTHING. We love tacos and enchilada bowls and all similar things so this is going to be great. Thank you.
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:17 amYou’re welcome! We definitely use it all the time!
Dana
September 24, 2018 at 1:41 pmTaco Tuesday is a weekly thing at our house, so this is perfect! There’s no denying how much better homespun condiments like this are. I can’t wait to make a batch of this. I have a feeling I’ll be putting it on everything. Won’t last a few weeks here 😉
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:04 pmIt doesn’t last long in our house!
Marisa Franca
September 24, 2018 at 2:19 pmYou can’t beat homemade sauces!! They just taste so much better and I can think of so many ways to use this taco sauce — and not just on the taco. Fish and chicken would benefit from the taste as well as pork. I’m making up a batch.
mywifecancook
September 24, 2018 at 8:04 pmThanks, enjoy!
Amanda
September 27, 2018 at 6:08 amYou know, I’ve never made homemade taco sauce and it’s such a good idea! It sounds so simple to make and I love that it means that I can adjust the spices to my own (heat lightweight) tolerance. Can’t wait to make this for our next Taco Tuesday night!
mywifecancook
October 20, 2018 at 1:41 pmI hope you enjoy it!
Corrina Greene
August 26, 2019 at 9:35 pmHi
Can this be canned?
mywifecancook
August 30, 2019 at 10:07 amI have not really done much canning, so I am not sure.
Greg Handevidt
May 6, 2023 at 7:12 amWe can a lot, and “YES” this can be canned like any other sauce or soup!
Martha Blocker
May 26, 2020 at 9:14 pmHaven’t tried it but planning on it. I want it to last for a while so how can i do that? Put it in a bottle? Or your suggestion? Most recipes i have read only good for a week? Help Pease Reply
mywifecancook
August 17, 2020 at 6:46 amI usually keep a small container of it in the fridge for about a week, the rest I freeze for another time.
Greg Handevidt
May 6, 2023 at 7:09 amThis is so good. We couldn’t stop taking little “tastes” of it!