With winter in full swing, it’s chili season around here — time for our favorite cold-weather dish. But after recently running out of chili powder, we decided to make our own, and I’m so glad we did.
This homemade chili powder takes just 15 minutes to make when using whole dried chiles, and just 5 minutes to make if using pre-ground chiles. And we must say, it’s so fresh and much better than store-bought, so there’s no going back! Let us show you how it’s done!
Origin of Chili Powder
Chili powder (also sometimes labeled “chili powder blend”) is a combination of dried chiles and other complementary spices. Its exact origin is debated, but it’s believed this spice mix was invented in Texas. The key ingredients, chiles, are native to Mesoamerica (a region that includes parts of Mexico and Central America).
Chili Powder Ingredients
The primary ingredient in chili powder is dried chiles. It’s best to use ones that are smoky, flavorful, and not too spicy. We recommend guajillo, ancho, or New Mexico varieties (pictured above, in that order from top to bottom).
Cumin and smoked paprika add more smokiness, while garlic powder adds a savory element. Oregano and coriander provide earthiness. And cayenne adds heat and is adjustable depending on your preference for spice.
Cinnamon adds a hint of sweetness, and cocoa powder is a secret and optional ingredient for deeper flavor (similar to what we recommend in our Easy 1-Pot Black Bean Soup).
How to Make Chili Powder
Chili is only as good as your chili powder. So if you’re looking to win a best chili contest or just love really delicious food, it’s worth making a batch to have around! It’s super simple to make (5-15 minutes) and lasts a long time (6-12 months).
For maximizing flavor, it’s best to use whole dried chiles and to toast and grind them yourself. They’re readily available at most grocery stores. Simply toast them in a dry skillet, let them cool a little, and blend up with the other spices (cumin, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon, and optional cacao). It’s that easy!
But if you want to make it even simpler, you can buy a pre-ground mild red chile powder (such as ancho) and mix all the spices up in a bowl or jar.
We hope you LOVE this homemade chili powder! It’s:
Smoky
Earthy
Spicy
Hearty
Customizable
& SO delicious!
It’s perfect for making chili, BBQ sweet potato croutons, chili fries, vegan taco meat, chickpea kale salad, fish tacos, pumpkin black bean soup, burrito bowls, and beyond! It goes well in any recipes that call for chili powder.
More DIY Spice Mixes
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Homemade Chili Powder
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried mild red chiles, such as ancho, guajillo, or New Mexico (or sub 1/4 cup ground mild red chile powder as original recipe is written // adjust amount as needed)
- 2 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cayenne (optional for heat)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder (optional // Dutch processed for deeper flavor)
Instructions
- If using whole dried chiles, remove the stems and seeds and discard. If using ground chili powder, skip to step 4.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add dried chilies and toast for 1-2 minutes per side, or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn, reducing the heat if needed. Remove peppers from heat and let cool slightly.
- IF USING WHOLE CHILES: Once cool, transfer toasted chiles to a small blender (or use a spice grinder and work in batches). Blend into a powder. Then add cumin, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon, and cocoa powder (optional) and pulse to combine.
- IF USING GROUND CHILES: Add chile powder to a small bowl or jar along with cumin, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon, and cocoa powder (optional) and stir or shake to combine.
- Perfect for making chili, BBQ sweet potato croutons, chili fries, vegan taco meat, chickpea kale salad, fish tacos, pumpkin black bean soup, and burrito bowls.
- Leftovers will keep in a sealed container for 6 months at room temperature. Or, refrigerate or freeze to keep fresh even longer (up to 1 year).
Notes
*Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.
Lori says
Just to make sure I understand – it’s only the cayenne that adds heat? Not the ground ancho Chile powder, too? I am a spice wimp. Lol So I just want to be sure I adjust accordingly. Thank you! I love homemade spice blends and am excited to try this one.
Hi Lori, ground ancho chili is usually pretty mild. However, if you are sensitive to spice, its a good idea to taste the ground ancho chili powder before you add it to the spice blend to make sure you like the heat level. Hope this helps!
Daniel Cooper says
Absolutely worth the effort. I followed the recipe exactly with excellent results. Thank you!
We’re so glad to hear it, Daniel. Thank you for sharing! xo
Anon says
Just commenting to say the amazon link to chilli powder is actually ground cardamom, (I have yet to make the recipe) :)
Hi Anon, thanks for letting us know! We’re not finding a link to cardamom – would you mind sharing where in the post you’re seeing that?
Anon says
This link on this bullet point in the ingredients list :). Thanks for relying so quickly BTW.
1 ounce dried mild red chiles, such as ancho, guajillo, or New Mexico (or sub 1/4 cup ground mild red chile powder as original recipe is written // adjust amount as needed)
How strange! That link is going to ground ancho chili on our end. Have you tried using a different browser or device?
Anon says
I have just tried three different browsers on both my laptop and phone and they all link to “gourmet spice company ground cardamom”. I just noticed it’s the UK amazon site (.co.uk instead of .com) – could me not being in America make a difference? I’ve never had this problem before – I use American recipes a lot and click amazon links to compare with what I can get
Ah, yes! That could definitely be the issue. It could be that the product isn’t available from the UK Amazon site? The link should go to Spicely Organic Chili Ancho Ground.
Anonymous says
Ok thank you! :)
Greg Dokus says
I like the omission of salt. Commercial chili powder blends seem to have way too much sodium.
Jocelyn Allen says
Perfect deep smoky chili blend I’ve always wanted.
Yay! Thanks so much, Jocelyn!
Dani says
This chili powder is fantastic! I adjusted the ingredients to my taste and what I had on hand. I used it to make my tofu chili and it was soooo good! Thanks, friend!
Great! Love that, Dani! Thank you for sharing! xo
Loni Gofran says
I am making this now, with dried chili peppers and I took as many seeds out I could get out, and then heated the pan and cooked them just a minute or so, while stirring them around. The air is now burning our throats! I probably shouldn’t have sniffed to see if it was fragrant, but my husband was having problems too, from the living room! I had to turn on the air purifier and open windows. Apparently cooking chilies even slightly puts Capsaicin into the air and I essentially pepper sprayed myself and my husband. I was so thrown off by it that I moved it to a burner that was off, but didn’t take them out of the pan and they continued to cook and I think I burnt them :(
I may try to salvage some once cool and still make the chili powder- I need it for tomorrow’s church chili cookoff and I can’t have store bought chili powder because I’m allergic to garlic.
Oh no! Sorry that happened, Loni. We’ve never had that experience! What type of chilis were you using?
Loni Gofran says
I’m not even sure what kind, thankfully still had the package- Arbol chiles. They were fairly old, my husband grabbed them quite a while ago. The package was in spanish so I didn’t even know what kind until I looked it up!
But when it happened, I did look it up and see and it’s apparently a thing that happens when cooking chilies- idk if it depends on the type or not.
That being said, it was SO SPICY, even with making your chili with half the chili powder called for!
Hi Loni, arbol chiles are very spicy and have more capsaicin, so that’s the issue! This recipe calls for using dried mild chiles such as ancho, guajillo, or New Mexico. Hope that helps for next time!
Kristina says
Will be trying this out as soon as I can find where to find the chili peppers in Austria…Have recently done Moroccan and Curry blends from whole spices, am excited to try this as well (including using freshly toasted whole cumin and coriander). Will rate as soon as I do it!
Yay! Enjoy =)
Michele M. says
I made this spice mix (with ground guajillo) and used it in your red lentil / black bean chili recipe….delicious! Such depth of flavour.
Thanks so much for all the recipes you so generously share!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Michele!
Christian Houmann says
I can almost smell this jut by reading the ingredients ;-) I’ll try it as soon as possible…
xo!
JR says
Is it an ounce of ground chili too?
Yes, 1/4 cup or ~ 1 oz.
CP Fullington says
What’s this recipe based on? The ingredients are different from the recipes I’m familiar with from New Mexico and California.
Nicol says
Can I use regular ground chili powder vs mild?
That should work, yes!