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Home » Recipes » Food

Published: Nov 1, 2022, By: Melissa, Updated: Oct 15, 2023

Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix

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Making your own homemade chili seasoning is so easy and so much better 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.

diy chili spice blend

Homemade Spice Mix For Chili

We make a lot of chili in our house from our Dutch Oven chili, and brisket 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 those packet blends. I am going to share our favorite chili seasoning blend with you along with tips to adjust the seasoning blend to your taste. Trust me, this will really elevate your chili game.

This chili seasoning recipe makes enough for one large pot of chili with one pound of ground beef.

What You Will Need

homemade chili seasoning
  • Chili powder. This gives a deep rich flavor. Chili powder (not chile powder with an "e").
  • Sweet paprika. This gives a wonderful sweet background.
  • Ground cumin. This is the classic chili flavor in chili.
  • Kosher salt.
  • Garlic powder. Make sure it is not garlic salt.
  • Onion powder.
  • Cayenne pepper. If you like your chili spicy, go ahead and add more.
  • Black Pepper

How To Make Homemade Chili Seasoning

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.

  • Add spices to a bowl
  • Mix well
  • Use right away or store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

This chili seasoning recipe makes enough for one pot of chili with one pound of ground beef which is perfect for my family of four. If you want to make more so you have extra for another night, you can easily double or triple the recipe.

How To Adjust The Spices

Chili seasoning spices in individual serving spoons with their names and the flavors that they add to chili. Garlic powder adds garlic flavor, onion powder adds onion flavor, cumin powder (aka coriander powder) adds a smokey rich flavor, sweet paprika adds sweetness and bitterness, chili powder adds a deep rich earthiness and a little spice and kosher salt accents all the flavors of the dish.

I wanted to write this section so that you can learn how to adjust the different spices in homemade chili seasoning to suit your taste. In addition to individual tastes, sometimes the tomatoes used in chili are more acidic or a little sweeter, depending on the year, season or who manufactures them.

This will impact the flavor of the chili causing you to need to add or take away spices. Here is what I have learned from making my own seasoning at home and balancing it out:

  • Chili powder and sweet paprika: These two spices should always be increased together. If your chili is missing that classic chili flavor, it probably needs more chili powder. Make sure to also add a little more paprika to balance out the bitterness of the chili powder.
  • Cumin (ground coriander): If your chili is tasting too tomatoey (if that is a word), try adding in a little more of this. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor and a classic chili taste.
  • Kosher salt: Tomatoes really absorb lots of salt, make sure to add enough to really wake up the flavors of the chili and the tomatoes.
  • Garlic powder and onion powder: I have almost never needed to adjust these two spices. Usually, when the chili tastes like it is missing something, it will be one of the spices listed above.

Flavor Variations

easy classic chili

Chili seasoning is only one way to add amazing flavor to chili. You can add so much depth of flavor to this classic dish by adding in some of these:

  • Add chocolate: I love adding a little dark chocolate or cocoa powder for depth of flavor.
  • Make it smokey: Try using smoked paprika instead of sweet for a smoky flavor.
  • Add herbs: A little oregano adds a delicious flavor to the chili.
  • Masa Harina. Masa is a natural thickener and great for making a thick chili. It also imparts an earthy flavor. If you need to thicken your chili and do not have this, you can also use a butter and flour thickener to thicken the chili.

Ways to use chili seasoning

There are of course other uses for this homemade seasoning blend if you want to double the recipe and have some on hand for another meal. Here are my favorite uses:

  • Stovetop chili recipe
  • To season hamburger patties
  • Seasoning Seared pork chops.
  • A little sprinkle over roasted cauliflower and potatoes.
  • Or anything else that needs a little boost of flavor.
diy chili spice blend

Storing

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

What gives chili its flavor?

Chili gets its flavor from ground chiles either in the form of chili powder or finely ground chile peppers.

What is chili mix made of?

Chili mix is made up of a variety of spices namely chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic. There are other spices that can be added or taken away but chili will always have chiles (powdered or fresh) and cumin.

How to add even more flavor to homemade chili?

If you really want to elevate the flavor of your homemade chili, adding a couple of ounces of dark chocolate will really make it amazing. You will not taste the chocolate but it will add a rich deep flavor to the chili.

How do you thicken chili?

There are a few things you can do to thicken chili. You can simmer it without a lid until it thickens. You can also add a few tablespoons of masa powder to the chili. If you do not have masa powder, you can tear up flour tortillas and add that to the chili and allow it to break down. The flour tortillas are made from masa and it will help thicken the chili.

diy chili spice blend
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix

A big on flavor and really easy homemade chili seasoning that is so much better than store bought.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Total Time5 minutes mins
Servings: 1 (seasoning for one pot of chili)
Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

Chili Seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Sweet Paprika
  • ½ tablespoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Add spices to a small bowl and mix well. I like to pre-mix my spices ahead of time.
    1 tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 tablespoon Sweet Paprika, ½ tablespoon Cumin, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder, ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • Use right away or store in an air tight container for up to 6 months.

Notes

This chili seasoning recipe makes enough for one large pot of chili that serves 6-8 people.

Nutrition

Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2470mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 6066IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition Values are estimates only.

See full nutrition disclaimer here

Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

Course :healthy dinner, Main Course

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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  1. Bridgette says

    November 01, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    5 stars
    I didn't have my normal chili seasoning that I buy so I decided to make my own and I am so glad I did! It really is so easy and we were able to tweak the spices to our own taste. We added a little more cayenne for heat and it was perfect.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      November 01, 2022 at 6:13 pm

      So happy you were able to try it out and enjoyed it.

      Reply
  2. Erika says

    November 01, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    5 stars
    I haven't bought chili seasoning since I began using this recipe. So good!

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      November 01, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      Love hearing that!

      Reply
  3. Danielle says

    November 01, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    5 stars
    This was exactly what I needed last night for chili I was making and it was perfect.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      November 01, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply

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I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website to share easy recipes that I have been cooking for years. I have written hundreds of easy recipes that are tested and perfected. Some of the recipes I learned during my years of working in restaurants, some from owning my own food company, and others from friends and traveling.

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