Are you looking for a great Chili Powder Recipe that doesn’t use a lot of fancy ingredients? I’ve got one for you right here.
Here’s how to make your own Homemade Spice Blends, have super fresh taste, and save money as well.
Today I’m sharing one of our favorite recipes–a fantastic Basic Homemade Chili Powder Recipe.
I love making my own homemade seasonings. In fact, if it’s a seasoning blend, you had better be sure that I will try to make it–I just have a thing about “DIY”s and saving money, and all of the good things that go along with it.
Chili powder is no exception.
For the past year or so I’ve been on the hunt for a great chili recipe.
We’re tried tons of recipes, and so you can imagine I’ve gone through a ton of chili powder.
(Well-maybe about 2 pounds is more like it :).)
I’ve always made my own Homemade Chili Powder and the recipe has served us well, but this week I decided to experiment with a bunch of recipes and do some taste tests so I could recommend a recipe for you all.
The chili powder recipe that we were using called for a base of chili peppers. And while we like it a lot, the chilis are a little hard to come by, and they are a little pricey, so I wanted to find a recipe with a base of paprika–a spice that is in almost everyone’s kitchen.
I hope to share my original at some point, but for now, this one should keep you pretty happy.
One other chili powder came in a close second, but it needs a bit more work before I share that one.
After literally making and trying about 15 different recipes, we have a winner (and I now have a bunch of “non winners” that I’ll blend together to put in a corporate chili powder container so nothing goes to waste.)
First of all, just to share a bit about me if you haven’t been around my blog for a long time, I LOVE making my own just-about-everything.
Partially because I am cheap frugal, but also because I think it’s a fun challenge.
I also do it to avoid icky ingredients in things.
Why Make Your Own Seasoning Blends
I have a whole post written on homemade seasoning blends, but here’s a brief synopsis:
1. Save Money – It’s a lot cheaper to make your own seasoning blends–you’re basically paying “the other guy” to do the measuring and blending.
2. Adaptable for Taste – You can play around with the ingredients to find a mixture that you like best.
3. Adaptable for Special Diets – You can adapt to special diets easily. (Some spice mixes have gluten, dairy, or other ingredients in them that folks with those allergies need to avoid.
4. Avoid Toxins – Many spice blends have chemical nasties in them (like silicon dioxide) to make them free flowing. Personally, I’d rather break up a few lumps in my spices than eat silicon dioxide, thank you very much.
5. Enjoyment – It’s fun to experiment in the kitchen :)!
How to Use this Homemade Chili Powder
1. Chili – Of course, use it in chili. (I’m pretty clever, huh?)
2. Sides – Sprinkle it on rice and beans, or even on veggies.
3. Salads – Sprinkle on salads with a drizzle of olive oil and salt for a makeshift dressing.
4. Eggs – Sprinkle on eggs.
5. Pepper Substitute – As a substitute for pepper in a recipe. Just add a bit more chili powder than pepper.
6. Desserts – On Desserts – really? Yes, it’s true. Try some on chocolate ice cream, in brownies, etc.
7. On Fruit – try sprinkling chili powder on fruit for a fun twist.
I hope you like this as much as we do.
Chili Powder is very similar to other seasoning blends, like taco seasoning and fajita seasoning, but these blends have obvious differences. Chili powder is made mostly of chilis, and taco seasoning often has chili powder as one of its ingredients. Since they are similar, they are interchangeable to a point, but each has its special flavor.
It’s great on so many things — we taste-tested these mixtures on popcorn and brown rice, veggies, and salads. While we were working on finding “the winner”, my boys and my husband had a great time sampling the options while we were moving a “new to us” trundle bed into our boys’ room.
It went like this — move mattress in–taste rice–move bed piece in–taste rice. You get the picture.
You should have seen my kitchen after doing all of these taste tests –little containers of rice with chili powder on top and popcorn is just about everywhere :). I had my sons help me with the blending and measuring so things are a bit more messy than usual.
It’s hard not to have a mess in a whole food kitchen, isn’t it?
And in case you are wondering where I buy my spices, right now I buy a lot from this company in bulk (I think the have superior flavor and fragrance) but check my Resources Page for more options.
So now you have another great homemade seasoning blend to add to your frugal pantry arsenal.
And now I get to go back to working on a really great chili recipe to share with you all.
Other Homemade Seasoning Blends:
– Taco Seasoning
– The “Best” Cinnamon Sugar – Made Healthier
– Mild Curry Powder
– Vegetable Broth Mix | All-Purpose Seasoning
– Celery Salt and How to Use It
– Pumpkin Pie Spice
Recipe Notes
I recommend toasting cumin seeds first and then adding the ground seeds to this recipe. One of my readers said that it makes this recipe extra special!
The "Best" Basic Chili Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (omit or increase to taste)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a bowl.
- Blend thoroughly.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Paprika is a pepper and should be refrigerated for maximum shelf life and potency.
Notes
The images in this post were updated in 2020. Following is one of the previous images for your reference.
Do you make your own seasonings?
How would you use this Homemade Chili Powder Recipe?
Thank you so much for a great chile powder recipe. I don’t like the ready made chile powder, it tastes sour to me. Your recipe is wonderful though. It tastes like I think, chile powder should taste. I followed your recipe but used half smoked paprika and half Hungarian paprika. I was out of the cayenne so I substituted chipotle powder. Thank you again!
Instead of cayenne pepper, I use Peppers I have grown. Which are smaller and rounder than cayenne peppers are and they are called Habanero Peppers, which I grow, then when they turn Orange I pick them, dehydrate them and then crush and run through a spice mill to turn them to dust. And I use almost the same Ingredient list, but when it comes to the Pepper, I put in 2 TBSP
Hi Adrienne, I am going to my kitchen right now to make this. So happy to have stumbled onto your website. I’m with Kara about store bought chili powder tasting bad. To me it tastes bitter. Have to laugh at the word nazis, used to be one so I am entitled. Besides, you use the old reliable,cayenne. I’m lucky to live in California and have access to all the Mexican herbs and spices in our local market. I’ll make it as is and then maybe tinker with it just for fun.
Hi Adrienne, I made your chili powder tonight and it was fantastic. I used it as part of a recipe for spiced roasted brussels sprouts and they were perfect. I have been looking for a chili powder for years that did not taste dry and burnt (weird I know, but that is what commercial powders taste like to me) and your recipe will now be my go-to. I read some of the comments and I have to say that whatever you call it and however you use it, this spice is super good. Thanks for sharing the recipe and all the best to you.
So glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the encouraging comment! 🙂
I make chili using this recipe for the chili powder and love it.
Since I like to tinker, I add a little bit of fennel seeds, a dash of white pepper.
The next time I make it, I’m going to try anise instead of fennel and perhaps smoked paprika in place of paprika.
Sorry you have to read the unnecessary negative comments. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks!
It’s OK – goes w/ the territory I guess. There have been many many worse. 🙁
Don’t use recipes much, but came across one that called for “chili powder” so wondered what that was. Once I looked up the ingredients (similar on many sites) I don’t understand why this is necessary. If you’re making a pot of chili con frijoles or carne, it usually includes a large amount of minced onion, garlic and a variety of peppers depending on taste and availability, usually jalapeno, serrano, habenero, cayenne etc. And of course you would add cumin. So the powders just seem unnecessary. And paprika? I thought that was Hungarian. Like for goulash. I can see where a few dried or smoked chile peppers might add to the flavor but otherwise am still unclear on the need for “chili powder” .
Hi Wini. Thanks for reading. I can only say that if you make chili without it, it doesn’t taste good. Paprika is a kind of pepper. Paprika is originally from Mexico despite the fact that it’s typically associated with goulash. Hope that helps.
Paprika is a very mild pepper. It generally adds coloring to the the pot to obtain that red coloring we associate with Mexican foods and chili.
Seriously? Your recipe for “The Best Basic Chili Powder” has no chiles in it? Serioiusly? Call it Southwest Seasoning or Albuquerque Stardust or whatever you want, but not “The Best Basic Chili Powder”.
Hi Steve. Sorry this upsets you. I mentioned in the post that this was at attempt to give a chili powder flavor without having to buy chilis which are more difficult to come by typically. Perhaps you didn’t read that explanation. Thanks.
Ancho chile powder is so widely available these days you could say it’s ubiquitous. Supermarkets, food specialty stores, Latino food stores, on line … chiles are everywhere and ancho chile powder has become, according to many people, a pantry essential just as certainly as are the other ingredients in this recipe. As I said, call it Southwest Seasoning, but not chile powder and certainly not “The Best”. For a delicious chile powder, cut the paprika back to a teaspoon or two (try using smoked paprika instead of sweet) and add 2-3 TBS of ground ancho chile.
So would you say that this is a recent development? This recipe was published back in 2013.
I personally was not a spice connoisseur at the time, and I am not one now. I will say that while Ancho is maybe more popular now, there are several popular spice resources online where it is not available. One is Frontier. You have to buy the Anchos whole. Then there is Bulk Herb Store (not as popular as the others). No anchos at all. Monterey Spice is a 3rd. So I will stand by what I said that Ancho isn’t as readily available (though you are right that it is becoming more popular) and that was the point of my post. To make a DIY “chili” powder recipe that almost anyone could easily do. I love anchos and wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on their lovely flavor but I have made chili with this recipe numerous times and gotten compliments on the flavor.
Thanks again and I hope that further clarifies.
I LOVE your recipes! I am allergic to milk, wheat/gluten and CORN, the worst. Finding your website online has saved me from boring suppers and brought back the SPICE in life! I agree that Frontera is hands down the best ORGANIC bulk spices! I made your chili powder recipe above and found I added ground chipotle peppers from sister company Simply Organic each time I used the first batch. The second batch, I just added ground chipotle peppers…Which can be found at Whole Foods to try out. I also added anchor Chile powder my local Health Food Store carries, Organic, and found I liked your recipe best as it is most versatile…So my last batch (4cups worth) is your basic recipe with the ground chipotle peppers next to it in spice cabinet!
As you clearly stated, it’s the Best Basic Recipe! You show us how to combine ingredients, tell us how to tweeking them by using family as ‘helpers’ and let us modify as we choose!
Thank you for the bulk reference… I asked my local Health Food Store about them…And that is where they order and then divide their spices! I was so happy, I placed a huge order that day and haven’t looked back!
As a cautionary note: SMOKED PAPRIKA MAY CONTAIN A CORN DERIVATIVE. I haven’t found an organic one that doesn’t, so I add ground chipotle for depth. Keeping it ORGANIC ONLY, ONE INGREDIENT is the best way to avoid allergies…AND YOUR RECIPES ARE HARDCORE AWESOME FANTASTIC ?
You are so kind! Wow. Made my day! I’ve spent loads of time today w/ a sick kid and cleaning up broken links on my site. Kind of boring! Thank you! And great tip on the Smoked Paprika. I had no idea. What is in it?
Some smoked paprika contains “natural wood flavors” which are made using corn byproducts. Other non organic smoked paprika contains irradiated chiles that are grown with heavy use of pesticides that remain in the foods. Organic Smoked Paprika can be purchased through Simply Organic brand or a store that carries it. It is made with Organic chillies smoked over oak wood for 15 days and then ground into powder.
Thanks. I have only bought organic spices for several years not. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t know why, but I am compelled to get in on this debate, even though it started years ago. I am a chef. I trained in France and have been at executive level for 15 years. I peruse food blogs and cookbooks as a way to relax, and just see what’s trending and what people are in to at any given time. Yes, this recipe is called Chilli Powder, but really, who cares what it’s called or what people will use it for. There are many things that get my culinary hackles up, but this isn’t one of them. I think anything that inspires home cooks to explore their passion for food and cooking is wonderful, and unless it’s going to be served in a Michelin starred restaurant there’s really no reason to be so pedantic. Unlike baking, which is an exact science and relies on precision of ingredients, what’s called “hot food” in the trade is so much more forgiving and allows unlimited room for creative expression. In saying that, there are lots of ways to ruin things! I am very “old school” in my food beliefs and approach- I love the classics, don’t take shortcuts, don’t use packets, don’t like abbreviated versions of classic recipes and am skeptical of fusion, a fad I’m not a fan of, but whether or not people will use this simple seasoning mixture to actually make chili, or just make various things they cook taste better, who cares? Seasoning is something many people struggle with, so in my opinion I think encouraging homemade mixtures is a great way to learn to taste things, to hone your palate. I think the majority audience here will happily use this recipe as a chili base and all-purpose seasoning that’s “cheap and cheerful” as they say here in New Zealand, where by the way, there are no fresh chillies other than Thai bird occasionally, and no dried chillies other than standard red chilli flakes. Ancho chillies are certainly not ubiquitous here, and in fact, most people here have no idea what “real” chilli even is! It’s something that as an American I’m questioned about constantly. Dried chillies must be ordered from specialised online shops that charge a small fortune. Personally, I grow many things that don’t exist here, including chillies, and my own chilli recipe an authentic one that uses two varieties of chillies, but I certainly see the appeal of a recipe that can be assembled from basic pantry ingredients cheaply and easily. I have to laugh though, at the comment that there is no chilli in this chilli powder recipe. To clarify, cayenne peppers ARE chillies. They are related to the capsicum family, but are a bona fide hot chilli. For people who don’t know a lot about chillies and would never look for ancho or pasilla, or mulato, or guajillo chillies, etc, this recipe is a fine jumping off point. Adrienne, kudos to you on your approach of DIY. I am a fan 🙂
Thanks so much, Julie. Please do chime in anytime even if you disagree with me :). Thanks for educating us and I’m glad that those in NZ can use this if they so choose!
Thank you for this easy recipe! I used it as part of a “Tex-mex” spice blend for a casserole which I took to a party, and went home with an empty casserole dish–got lots of compliments.
Fabulous! I’m SO glad to hear it! If you have time I would love to know the casserole recipe – I’m at adrienne {at} wholenewmom {dot} com. Much appreciated!
First of all, the recipe DOES include cayenne pepper (which IS a type of chile pepper), so it DOES include chile peppers.
Secondly, it’s “chili powder,” not “powdered chili.” Word placement matters; it can turn a noun into an adjective. Thus, while “chili powder” COULD refer to a powder that contains chilis, that is not a requirement; it could just as well refer to a powder intended to be USED in CHILI, much as GUN POWDER is meant to be used in GUNS (yet no guns were ground up in the making of gun powder).
Thirdly, “best” is understood by most reasoning people to be a subjective term when it is not accompanied by defined qualifiers. When it comes to food recipes, it is almost always subjective. The author even alludes to this by putting quotation marks around the word in the title.
This recipe’s list of ingredients is very similar to that found in mixes marketed as “chili powder” on store shelves nationwide. As clearly stated in the article, this powder was intended to be used in place of those very chili powders. Furthermore, while many use powdered ancho chilies, there is absolutely nothing *wrong* with using some other type of chile (such as cayenne) in the mix. Both are CHILES (“chilis,” in gringo-ese), so this recipe is accurately termed, however you look at it.
Reading comprehension is a skill.
Good manners are appreciated — others are not.
Agree with you 100%. I am just surprised at how many people get angry over a chili powder recipe?
Oops, ignore the question mark?
So dramatic and unnecessary complains, I recently started exploring into other seasonings , I stumbled with this tried it and thought it was perfect ! There’s no reason for such negativity .
This recipe saved dinner tonight! I needed chili powder and was all out with dinner already cooking on the stove. Thankfully I had everything I needed for this recipe and the dish tasted even better than usual!
So thankful! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share! I used some just the other day to make a quick chicken lunch for a friend in need. Shredded chicken with this in the Instant Pot and some butter on top. YUM~
Thank you! My young husband had a heart attack recently and now we are re-inventing the diet in the house by finding low, fat and low, sodium versions online. He is a very picky eater and I’m hoping recreating his usual diet with healthier versions will help him adjust and be more compliant! I’ll let you know how it goes afterwards ?
Hi there and welcome! I am so sorry about your husband. I have read some very interesting things about the causes of heart attacks – I can’t medically advise, of course, but there are places to find information about this on the internet. I hope to see you around again!
Thank you!
And yes, it’s hard to keep a whole food kitchen from getting messy…just ask my brother ;-D
I would also rather have a few lumps than silicon dioxide in my chili powder, that’s how I found you, I GOOGLE searched chili powder without silicon dioxide. I look forward to reading your other spice blends.
Thanks again! Much appreciation 🙂
You are so welcome and welcome here! Try the Chaat Masala! 🙂
I most definitely will and I’ll be consenting after I do.
Any Italian seasoning recipes?
Or Cajun seasoning like a Frontier’s (sans paprika)?
Many thanks
Not consenting* commenting ?
I haven’t done those yet but I did have a Cajun seasoning awhile ago. Will work on these – thanks for the recommendations!
Thank you so much for this simple and practical recipe 🙂 Our family is really enjoying the homemade chili powder! I love your site and look forward to trying lots of other recipes. Keep up the good work and thank you again.
God bless you,
Sofia
Thank you so much – I’m so glad you enjoy it!
Blessings to you as well.
– Adrienne
Seems like a stupid recipe to me – a chili powder without chilis. A non-chili chili powder? It’s like saying, chocolate is too expensive so I’ll just eat sugar. If you are indeed the creator of this nonsense recipe you have unfortunately confused many other people and websites because this recipe seems to be all over the web – UNFORTUNATELY. In the interest of edification, before publishing such nonsense, it would seem you should have published a REAL recipe for chili powder. All you have done here is propagate confusion and misinformation despite any disclaimer.
Sorry but your analogy is not accurate. Paprika is actually a chili – it’s just a less expensive and more readily available one. Paprika is a spice made from the air dried fruit of the chili pepper called capsicum annum. I hope that clarifies things.
Well, you’re half right. Paprika is made from pimientos, which are thick-walled, mild, and often bell-shaped peppers of the capsicum annum grossum family. These are not chilis (or chiles).
Chili peppers are members of the capsicum annum longum family — longish, tapered, thin-walled peppers with elevated levels of capsicum (providing their characteristic heat).
Your recipe does include chili peppers by way of the powdered cayenne, so you’re still good. 🙂 Besides, if it’s a powder meant to be used in chili (the dish), it’s perfectly acceptable to call it chili powder, whether it contains chili peppers or not.
What’s worse than a grammar Nazi? A grammar Nazi that doesn’t understand grammar.
Thanks for the encouragement :). You’re totally right on the cayenne issue.
Typo: chilis have elevated levels of *capsaicin* — not capsicum.
Bob, you got a fan in me
Mickey Maus, you’re an angry elf. You must be from the South Pole!! Adrienne, keep up the great work. You’re helping a lot people cope with a restricted diet. Thanks; I’ll be making my first salt-free chili tomorrow.
Enjoy it! Thanks for reading!
Adrienne, keep up the great work. You’re helping a lot people cope with a restricted diet. Thanks; I’ll be making my first salt-free chili tomorrow.
I have a chili recipe coming soon – stay tuned!
thanks for this recipe! we buy spices in bulk at a co-op and they rarely have any spice blends, just the basics. it’s so much cheaper/more flavorful to make your own than to buy pre-jarred anyway! i have found that most store-bought ‘chili powders’ have quite a similar list of ingredients as this, for all the folks saying that this is missing ingredients. recipes calling for chili powder assume that there’s no salt or black pepper and have ingredients listed accordingly. this is my fave recipe that i’ve tried so far — thanks again!
Thank you so much! Glad you like it!
No salt and pepper?
Hi there. Salt isn’t typically included in a chili pepper. You would simply add it to the dish. There are loads of peppers – just not black pepper. Hope you like it!
Hi: My daughter has become highly allergic to garlic in any form. It has become almost impossible to eat at restaurants because garlic is almost in everything and at times difficult to even cook at home because it is because it is not listed as an ingredient. For example, we cannot use chili powder because most likely it contains garlic. Can grinded red pepper flakes be used in place of bought chili powder? Also, what can be substituted in place of garlic in seasoning mixes? All recommendations very appreciated!
Chili powder is a blend of many spices and not just ground pepper. Red pepper flakes are chili peppers so if you grind them you can use them as one component of your chili powder. Onion would be the best sub for garlic. How did you know she was allergic? I know how terrible that is!
Hi!
Onions may not be your best substitute for garlic. Someone allergic to garlic may be allergic to anything in the allium genus of plants. Allergy testing will be able to tell you if you are allergic to the whole family of plants or just sensitive to some.
We use a spice from India called asafoetida to replace garlic and onions. Asafoetida is a resin that has a very pungent smell that when used in cooking gives the dish a flavor like onions and garlic. You can purchase asafoetida, often called Hing, in powdered form. The resin is very expensive so it is often combined with flour made from rice, garbanzo bean or wheat. We can’t have gluten so we check all labels for fillers. I buy Nature ‘n’ Me brand organic pure Hing powder from my local Indian grocery. You can also buy it on Amazon. It is expensive, but a small bottle will last a long time. A pinch or less will flavor a whole dish!
Yes, I am familiar with asafoetida and have used it before. Thanks for sharing! I should get some more.
You just saved dinner for me. This will work! I forgot to buy a new jar of chili powder when I went grocery shopping last week, and the nearest grocery store to where I live is a 20 minute walk down the road… and I’m too busy today to bother. Thanks!
Yay!!! Hope it was delish!
Hey! Is this recipe enough to flavour a pound of ground meat? Is it a single serving or multiple use?
Hi Cath.
I just updated the recipe to show using 1 – 2 T of chili powder for a pound of meat. Thanks for asking!
I have trying to make this recipe and didn’t turn out correct… Have two pounds of meat 4 cans of kidney beans two cans of tomato sauce and it still taste like just meat and beans? I even double your recipe! How much do I need to increase all the ingredients for the amount I’m making?
Hi there. You need 1 – 2 T per pound of meat and then more for the beans. You can see in this post about beans that it’s about 1 pound dry beans for each pound of beef. Hope that helps! https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/all-about-beans-frugal-tips-recipes-and-cooking-tips/ (I think you could need up to 7T or more for your recipe).
LOL.
Ummm. I think your “chili powder” recipe is missing a key ingredient.
You know…CHILIS
Hi Brad. Thanks for reading and for commenting. Yes, you are right. That was the point of the post – to offer a less expensive option that would also make it easier for folks to obtain the ingredients. It’s good as well :). Hope to see you around again.
OMGUSH Thank you so much for replying fast 😀 your website is definitely a life saver, i had run out of my store bought ones 😉
You are so welcome!! Loads more spice mixes here: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/homemade-spice-mixes/ That should keep you busy :).
Hai:) Idk if ur still active in replying comments but i hope you still do D: How much should i times the recipe for a whole bottle like in the picture above?:D thanks – spices lover((^^
Hi there. It all depends on the size of your container. Just measure it and then adjust the recipe accordingly. Enjoy!
Hi, SpiceLover. If you haven’t figured it out, yet, this recipe will make about 2 fluid ounces of mix. So, if you have a pint-sized (16 ounces) jar you want to fill, just multiply all the ingredients by eight. If you use a LOT of chili powder and want to make a quart (32 ounces) just multiply all by 16. Just remember that 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons = 1 ounce, and 8 ounces = 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons. (Therefore, 1/8 c = 1 oz, 1/4 c = 2 oz, 1/2 c = 4 oz, 1/3 c = 16 teaspoons (or 2 oz + 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp)… Who said math isn’t fun? 🙂 )
If you are careful with your math and measurements but find that the jar isn’t as full as you expected after you mix them thoroughly, don’t fret. The finer powders in the mix will take up space between larger particles of other powders, causing the blend to settle into a smaller space.
Make sure you’re using fresh spices; if *any* of them start losing a substantial amount of flavor before you use the whole jar, you might not be happy with what remains.