Taco seasoning calories come to 18 for 2 tsp (5.7 g) and 322 per 100 g. The calories barely register at that scale. Sodium is a different story: those same 2 tsp carry 411 mg, 18% of the daily value, and a 1 oz portion (28 g) reaches 2,017 mg, or 88%.
18kcal
1 2 teaspoons · 5 g, dry mix, original
7%protein
0.3 gProtein
3 gCarbs
0 gFat
How to burn off 18 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
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Nutrition facts
Dry mix, original · per 5 g
Calories
18 kcal
Protein
0.3 g
Carbohydrate
3.3 g
Fat
0 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
411 mg
Potassium
57 mg
Iron
0.4 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Taco seasoning: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
2 tsp (5.7 g)
18
0.3 g
3.3 g
0 g
411 mg
1%
1 oz portion (28 g)
90
1.3 g
16.2 g
0 g
2,017 mg
5%
100 g
322
4.5 g
58 g
0 g
7,203 mg
16%
3 × 2 tsp (5.7 g)
55
0.8 g
1,232 mg
5 × 2 tsp (5.7 g)
92
1.3 g
2,053 mg
Two teaspoons are 18 calories, a full ounce is 90
The default serving is 2 tsp (5.7 g). It lands at 18 calories with 0.3 g of protein, 3.3 g of carbs and 0 g of fat. That is 1% of the daily value for calories, which makes it one of the lightest things you will log all day.
Recipes rarely stop at 2 tsp, though. Double it and you are at 37 calories in 11 g. Triple it and you reach 55 calories in 17 g. Five servings, or 29 g, come to 92 calories, close to the 90 calories listed for a 1 oz portion (28 g). Even a heavy hand adds less than a single taco shell's worth of energy to the whole pan.
Spread that across a pan of meat and several tacos, and each plate picks up only a few calories from the seasoning. The real calorie load sits in the meat, cheese, sour cream and shells. If you track closely, log the amount you actually stirred into the pan rather than the label serving, then divide by how many portions the recipe made.
Nearly every calorie comes from carbs
Carbs supply 93% of the calories in taco seasoning, protein supplies 7%, and fat supplies 0%. Per 100 g the mix holds 58 g of carbs, 4.5 g of protein and 0 g of fat, with 0 g of saturated fat and 0 mg of cholesterol. It is a dry, fat-free blend, so there is nothing here that adds hidden richness.
A good share of those carbs is fiber: 13.3 g per 100 g, or 0.8 g in a 2 tsp serving. Sugars run 10.8 g per 100 g, which works out to 0.6 g in 2 tsp and 3 g in a 1 oz portion. Those numbers look large on the 100 g row, but nobody eats seasoning by the cup.
At realistic amounts the macro story is simple. A 1 oz portion gives 16.2 g of carbs, 3.7 g of fiber and 1.3 g of protein. That will not shift your daily carb total much, and it will not help your protein goal either. Treat it as flavor, not as a source of nutrients.
Sodium is the row to watch
Per 100 g, taco seasoning carries 7,203 mg of sodium, 313% of the daily value. That is the number that makes this mix worth tracking. Calories stay tiny while sodium climbs fast with every extra spoonful.
The servings show it plainly. Two teaspoons add 411 mg, 18% of the daily value. Two servings bring 821 mg, three bring 1,232 mg, and five servings land at 2,053 mg. A 1 oz portion holds 2,017 mg, or 88% of the daily value, in a single pan of taco meat. Split that pan four ways and each eater still takes on a solid chunk of the day's sodium before the cheese and shells add their own.
If you watch sodium, you have a few easy levers. Use less of the mix and boost flavor with extra cumin, chili or garlic from your spice rack. Look for a reduced-sodium version such as Ortega's lower-sodium mix, or blend your own and salt to taste. The mix does carry potassium too, 1,000 mg per 100 g, but at serving sizes that amount is small next to the sodium.
Budget the plate, not the seasoning
Because 2 tsp cost only 18 calories, the seasoning itself almost never decides whether a taco night fits your day. The choices around it do. Lean ground meat, chicken or beans as the filling, plenty of lettuce, tomato and salsa, and a measured amount of cheese keep the total in check without losing the flavor the mix provides.
The shell is where calories add up quietly. A taco shell is 61 calories each, so three shells outweigh a whole 1 oz portion of seasoning. Bowls over greens or rice paper wraps are options if you want to cut that part down.
Brands like McCormick, Lawry's and Adolph's all sell mixes that sit in this same pattern of low calories and high sodium, so check the label for sodium first. BodyPal can log taco night from a photo, which makes it easier to see where the calories on the plate actually come from.
How does taco seasoning compare?
Here is taco seasoning next to taco shell and rice paper, compared per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: Gram for gram, taco seasoning at 322 calories per 100 g is level with rice paper at 323 and well below the taco shell at 476, but you eat so little of it that the shell's 61 calories per shell moves your total far more. For calories, watch the shells; for sodium, watch the seasoning, whose 7,203 mg per 100 g dwarfs the shell's 324 mg.
Most popular taco seasoning brands in the United States
6McCormick Hot Taco Seasoning Mix2 tsp · 4.5 g333 kcal
Labels are rounded on a 4 to 6 g serving, so brand figures per 100 g spread from 300 to 375 while describing the same dry mix. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Taco seasoning FAQs
How many calories are in taco seasoning?
Two teaspoons (5.7 g) have 18 calories and a 1 oz portion (28 g) has 90. The dry mix is 322 calories per 100 g.
Is taco seasoning good for weight loss?
A 2 tsp serving adds 18 calories and 0 g fat, so it barely moves a daily total. The sodium is the bigger number at 411 mg per serving.
Taco seasoning vs taco shell: which is higher in calories?
Per 100 g the dry mix is 322 calories and a taco shell is 476, but a normal 2 tsp of seasoning is only 18 calories.
How many carbs are in taco seasoning?
Taco seasoning has 58 g of carbs per 100 g, including 13.3 g fiber and 10.8 g sugars. Two teaspoons work out to 3.3 g carbs.
Does taco seasoning have calories?
Yes, but very few: 18 calories in 2 tsp (5.7 g) and 90 calories in a 1 oz portion (28 g). Almost all of them come from carbs, since the mix has 0 g of fat.
How much sodium is in taco seasoning?
Two teaspoons contain 411 mg of sodium, 18% of the daily value. A 1 oz portion holds 2,017 mg, or 88%, and 100 g reaches 7,203 mg. Sodium matters far more than calories with this mix.
What does USDA FoodData Central list for taco seasoning?
The USDA row "Seasoning mix, dry, taco, original" (FDC 172243) lists 322 calories, 58 g carbs, 4.5 g protein, 0 g fat and 7,203 mg sodium per 100 g. Those are the values used on this page.
Is there fat or sugar in taco seasoning?
There is 0 g of fat and 0 g of saturated fat. Sugars are 0.6 g in 2 tsp and 10.8 g per 100 g, alongside 0.8 g of fiber per 2 tsp serving.
How many calories does a whole pan of taco meat get from the seasoning?
A 1 oz portion (28 g) of seasoning adds 90 calories to the whole pan. Split across several servings, each plate gets only a small share, so the meat, cheese and shells drive the total.
