Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix

Making your own homemade chili seasoning is so easy and so much better for you than many of the store-bought pouches. It uses ground spices that you probably already have in your pantry and you can customize them to your taste. Once you make your own chili blend at home and see how delicious it is, you will never buy store-bought again.

We make a lot of chili in our house from our classic chili to our Texas chili (which uses real chile peppers) and we never get sick of it. For years I did buy those chili seasoning blends at the store because I did not know how easy it could be to make at home.

About 5 years ago, I began making my own homemade chili seasoning and it is so much better than anything I ever bought. I am going to share our favorite chili seasoning blend with you along with tips to add additional ingredients to really elevate your chili game.

This chili seasoning recipe makes enough for one large pot of chili.

Ingredients to make chili seasoning

• Chili powder. I use McCormick chili powder which is not spicy. Make sure you are using a non-spicy chili powder with this chili seasoning unless you like it hot!
• Sweet paprika. This gives a wonderful sweet background to the seasoning.
• Ground cumin. Cumin adds that little bit of deepness to the chili seasoning.
• Kosher salt.
• Garlic powder.
• Onion powder.
• Cayenne pepper. If you like your chili spicy, go ahead and add more.

Using fresh garlic and onion

Now often, what I will do at home is use some fresh spice ingredients if I have them, namely, onion and garlic. This really elevates the chili if you can do that.

You would use the same quantities of the other spices but use the following for the garlic and onion:

• Use 3 cloves of garlic finely minced instead of garlic powder.
• Use ½ of a yellow onion finely diced instead of the onion powder.

Using fresh ingredients is optional but I thought I would include what we do at home since it really does taste delicious AND so many people have onion and garlic in their pantry.

How to make homemade chili seasoning

For this chili seasoning recipe, just add all of the spices to a small bowl and mix well. This is so easy and has such big rewards in terms of flavor.

This chili seasoning recipe makes enough for one pot of chili for a family of four. If you want to make more so you have extra for another night, just double the recipe and store the chili seasoning in an air-tight container.

TIP: If you want to make a very thick chili, you can add a couple of tablespoons of masa powder to the chili to thicken it up. If you do not have masa, you can add a couple of torn-up flour tortillas to the chili and let it cook down.

How to use homemade chili seasoning:

This homemade chili seasoning makes enough to season one large pot of homemade classic chili which will serve about 6-8 people (depending on appetite).

The best way to use dry spices like in this homemade chili blend is to cook them a bit before you add any liquids. Here is what that looks like:

1. Brown your meat in a little oil over medium heat.
2. Once meat is cooked, add the chili spices to the meat, mix it in well and cook for about 2 minutes to help release the flavor of the dried spices. (This method of cooking the dried spices is great for any recipe).
3. Once the spices have cooked for a few minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and beans (if you are using them) and allow the chili to simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Other ways to use chili seasoning

There are of course other uses for this chili seasoning blend if you wanted to double the recipe and have some on hand for another meal. I love adding a little of this seasoning to:

• Classic chili recipe
• To hamburger patties
• Seared pork chops taste delicious with a little chili seasoning.
• A little sprinkle over roasted cauliflower and potatoes.
• Or anything else that needs a little boost of flavor.

How much chili seasoning to use

This homemade chili seasoning recipe makes enough for one batch of chili or equivalent to one packet of chili seasoning mix. Making your own chili seasoning at home is so easy that I just make it at the same time I am going to make chili.

Storing chili seasoning

If you would like to make a larger amount of this chili seasoning and store some for a later date, just make sure to store the chili seasoning in an air-tight container and keep it in the pantry.

Dried spices like this stay fresh for up to one year. After, you will start to lose some of the potency of the spices.

Faqs

More Homemade Spice Recipes You May Like

• Homemade Mesquite Seasoning