Homemade Chili Seasoning Recipe
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Make the best homemade chili with this delicious chili seasoning mix. It’s easy to make in just 5 minutes and perfect for making slow cooker chili, stovetop chili, and more! Ditch the store-bought packet and make this easy recipe that’s gluten free, sugar free and keto friendly!
When you hear the word “chili seasoning”, you probably think of a big pot of chili. This spice mix makes one delicious batch of chili, but you can also use it in a variety of other recipes!
I love tossing sweet potatoes in chili seasoning, then adding them to this Sweet Potato Spinach Salad. I also love making an easy skillet turkey chili, then adding it to spaghetti squash.
When you make your own homemade spice blends, you know exactly what’s in it! This recipe combines 8 common spices that you probably already have in your spice cabinet. I like to buy the most common spices I use in my seasoning mixes in bulk.
You can do this by purchasing large containers of the spices on Amazon. You can also find them in stores like Costco or Smart and Final. Or you can head to the bulk spice aisle at your local grocery store. Fill up bags of your favorite spices at a fraction of the cost!
Key ingredients
Above I show you all of the ingredients for the recipe (because I’m a visual person and I find it helpful, hopefully you do too!), below I tell you about the main players in the recipe. The full list of ingredients with measurements can always be found in the recipe card.
- Chili powder – be sure to use chili powder, NOT chile powder! Chili powder is a blend of ground dried chili peppers with other spices. Chile powder is straight blended dried chiles and is much spicier than chili powder.
- Paprika – if you’d like to add a smoky flavor, feel free to use smoked paprika instead.
- Sea salt – I prefer either sea salt or kosher salt, over table salt, because of their coarse texture and superior flavor.
- Cayenne pepper – this adds most of the spice to the seasoning mix. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your spice preference.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, you have a flavorful chili seasoning blend, ready to spice up all your favorite chili recipes!
How to make homemade chili
- Cook ground beef. Add one pound of ground beef to a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Cook through until the beef is browned. Drain any grease from the skillet, then add the ground beef to a slow cooker.
- Add beans, tomatoes, and spices. Add a 15.5 ounce can of chili beans to the slow cooker. Add a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, and 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Finally, add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of the chili seasoning. Stir to combine everything.
- Slow cook the chili. Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Other ways to use the seasoning
Make a big batch of this homemade chili seasoning recipe and use it in each of these tasty chili recipes.
Whit’s tip: You can substitute chili seasoning for taco seasoning in a pinch. They use similar ingredients, but in different quantities. The chili seasoning will have a stronger chili flavor, as there is 4 times the amount of chili powder in chili seasoning than in taco seasoning.
Chili Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Notes
- This recipe makes 4 ounces of seasoning mix, which equals 8 tablespoons. Most packets of chili seasoning found at the grocery store contain 1 ounce, or 2 tablespoons.
- For a basic homemade chili recipe, made with this seasoning, refer to the blog post above.
- This chili seasoning is mild to medium in spice. If you want a seasoning that’s on the spicier side, simply add more cayenne pepper to taste. This recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, you can double or triple this for a spicy chili seasoning.
- This recipe makes 8 tablespoons of chili seasoning mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The chili seasoning will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. Label the chili seasoning with a date and use the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- This seasoning recipe is naturally gluten-free, sugar-free and whole30 approved.
Nutrition Facts
More homemade seasoning recipes
Stock your pantry with all of my homemade spice mixes to add flavor to every meal!
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6 Comments on “Homemade Chili Seasoning Recipe”
The best chili I’ve ever tasted! I think what made it so amazing was the ¼ teaspoon of Chipotle to it, it added debth to the flavor. For me the key ingredient. For those who don’t like spicy (neither do I) the ¼ teaspoon of it made my nose a little runny, but nothing burning the tongue. You you feel the warmth of this earthy flavor. A must add to your chili. Oh and I added cinnamon and honey.
The best chili I’ve ever tasted! I think what made it so amazing was the ¼ teaspoon of Chipotle to it, it added debth to the flavor. For me the key ingredient. For those who don’t like spicy (neitherdo I) the ¼ teaspoon of it made my nose a little runny, but nothing burning the tongue. You felt the warmth by a earlier flavor. A must add to your chili. Oh and I added cinnamon and honey.
I love making homemade seasoning mixes. This is my first time making homemade chili seasoning mix and I loved your recipe for it. My family thought it was delicious!
Love having this on hand! Especially for enchiladas.
This is such a great seasoning blend! It had amazing flavor!
I am amping up for some yummy, cold weather meals and I think this is going on my list! Thank you!!