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!
Table of contents
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! Just like in these recipes for homemade taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, pork chop seasoning and fajita seasoning.
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. Or find them in stores like Costco or Smart and Final. You can also head to the bulk spices aisle at your local grocery store. Fill up bags of your favorite spices at a fraction of the cost!
Ingredients
For the ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- 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 – while I use traditional paprika to make this homemade chili seasoning, if you’d like to add a little smokiness to the flavor, feel free to use smoked paprika instead.
- Garlic powder (or granulated garlic) – the only difference between granulated garlic and garlic powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated garlic. I prefer to use granulated garlic because it’s less likely to clump over time, than garlic powder.
- Onion powder (or granulated onion) – the only difference between granulated onion and onion powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated onion. I prefer to use granulated onion because it’s less likely to clump over time, than onion powder.
- Sea salt (or kosher salt) – both sea salt and kosher salt can be used interchangeably when cooking. I prefer either kosher or sea salt, over table salt, in this seasoning mix because of their coarse texture and superior flavor.
- Ground cumin – cumin pairs perfectly with the chili powder and cayenne pepper in this seasoning mix. It boosts the natural spicy flavor of these dried chili powders. And it adds a rich, earthy, and nutty element to the spice blend.
- Cayenne pepper – this adds most of the spice to the seasoning mix. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your spice preference.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – these add a bit more spice to the chili seasoning, but can be left out if you want a chili with less spice.
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, in 5 minutes or less, you have a flavorful chili seasoning blend, ready to spice up all your favorite chili recipes!
Recipe tips
- 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 in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card 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.
Frequently asked questions
- Is chili powder the same thing as chili seasoning? No. Chili powder is made with ground chilis and sometimes the addition of paprika, cumin and Mexican Oregano. Chili seasoning is a combination of 8 spices used to make chili or other recipes that call for chili seasoning.
- Can I use cayenne pepper instead of chili powder? Not unless you want an extremely spicy seasoning blend! Ground cayenne pepper is exactly what it says it is. It’s ground red cayenne peppers with no added ingredients. It is much spicier than chili powder.
- Can I substitute chili seasoning for taco seasoning? Chili seasoning and taco seasoning use similar ingredients, but in different quantities. You can substitute chili seasoning for taco seasoning in a pinch. The chili seasoning will have a stronger chili flavor. There is 4 times the amount of chili powder in chili seasoning than in taco seasoning.
- How much seasoning does this recipe make? This recipe makes 8 tablespoons, which equals 4 ounces of chili seasoning. Most chili seasoning packets you’ll find at the grocery store are approximately 1 ounce. This equals 2 tablespoons of this homemade seasoning mix.
How to make homemade chili
- Add 1 pound 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 a 15.5 oz can of chili beans to the slow cooker. Add a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and 10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Finally, add an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of the chili seasoning. Stir to combine everything.
- Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Other ways to use it
Make a big batch of this homemade chili seasoning and use it in each of these 5 tasty chili recipes.
The best secret ingredient for chili
Over the years, I’ve tried adding several different ingredients, from beer to cinnamon, to add a little something extra to my chili! If you’re looking for a secret ingredient to try in your next chili recipe, check out these additions.
- Cocoa powder – add one teaspoon cocoa powder to add a rich, earthy flavor to chili.
- Ground cinnamon – add 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon to enhance the flavor of your chili.
- Cornmeal – to thicken your chili, add one tablespoon cornmeal.
- Honey – for a natural added sweetener, add one tablespoon honey to your chili. The combination of sweet and spicy in a chili is absolutely delicious!
- Chipotle peppers – for a spicy, smoky flavor, add 1-2 chopped chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. To really kick your chili up a notch, add a teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can.
- Stout beer – with both a malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness, stout beer adds delicious flavor to chili!
- Lime juice – for a bright, citrus flavor, juice 1-2 limes into your chili.
- Hot sauce – for a simple, spicy addition, add one tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce to your chili. We love Pico Pica at our house!
More homemade seasoning recipes
Stock your pantry with all of my homemade spice mixes to add flavor to every meal!
Homemade Chili Seasoning
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
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7 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!
I am adding this to my warm weather meal menu, it looks delicious with such great flavors!!
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!!