Ready in only 10 minutes, this homemade chili powder is simple, quick, and incredibly flavorful. Made from whole dried guajillo chilies and a few other simple seasonings, you won’t miss the store-bought version. It’s perfect for using in chilis, tacos, salsas, sauces, sides, and pretty much anything you can think of!
Chili powder is an ingredient I use in so many of my recipes, so it doesn’t take long before I run out. One of those days happened recently, and I thought to myself, what if I just made my own chili powder from scratch?
That’s how this recipe was born.
This stuff is so good that I now make a double or triple batch of this and store it in old spice jars. It’s seriously the best!
Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It tastes better. Store-bought chili powder can be kind of bland, but this homemade version is bursting with flavor from toasted whole dried chiles and a variety of spices for extra depth.
- No preservatives or weird ingredients. Store-bought seasonings can be full of preservatives and additives to keep them shelf-stable. You can avoid all of that by using this homemade recipe made with only natural dried chiles and spices.
- It’s easy and user-friendly. The spice grinder or blender does all the work in this recipe. Just toast the chiles, grind or blend them, and then mix in the other seasonings.
What Is Homemade Chili Powder?
Homemade chili powder features toasted and ground dried guajillo chiles with a mix of other pantry staple spices like garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. It’s a quick and easy way to make a fresher and more flavorful version of this store-bought staple pantry spice.
Ingredients in Homemade Chili Powder
- Dried chiles: I used dried guajillo chiles for this homemade blend. They’re fairly mild, have a slightly fruity taste, and give the chili powder its signature red hue. See the Tips section below on how to use other dried chiles.
- Cumin, oregano, coriander, and garlic powder: These seasonings add a staple Mexican flavor profile and some savoriness to the chili powder mix.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: This adds some depth to the chili powder and a hint of earthy and lightly sweet flavor.
- Ground cinnamon: A hint of ground cinnamon helps round out the savory and earthy flavors of the dried chilies and other seasonings with some warmth and spice.
How to Make Homemade Chili Powder
Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure to flip them consistently so they don’t burn, which can happen very quickly if you’re not careful. The chiles will become fragrant, puff up, and get blackened marks on the skin. Let them in a bowl or plate for about 5 minutes. They will harden and crisp up as they cool, making it easier to grind or blend into a fine powder.
Grind the toasted chiles in a spice grinder or blender. You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your appliance. Transfer the ground chili powder to a small bowl or container.
Add the rest of the seasonings with the ground chili powder and stir until fully combined.
Use immediately or store the chili powder in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months or in the fridge for up to 1 year.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Cool the toasted peppers completely before grinding them. They crisp up as they cool, making it easier to grind into a powder.
- Remove the seeds. Make sure to remove all the seeds from the dried chilies to keep it at a mild heat. Once the seeds are ground into a powder it’s hard to mellow out the heat.
- Batch it. This chili powder recipe can last up to 6 months at room temperature when sealed, and up to a year if refrigerated, making it great for batching.
- Make ancho chili powder. You can easily make ancho chili powder by using dried ancho chiles instead of guajillos.
- Make it smoky. Add or substitute dried morita peppers for a smoky flavor. These are the same types of chiles that are used to make chipotles in adobo sauce!
- Add some spice. Leave in a few of the guajillo seeds and grind with the dried chiles to add some heat. You can also add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne as well.
- Use the right cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder has an earthy and darker flavor compared to natural cocoa powder, which, in general, is sweeter. I don’t recommend substituting natural cocoa powder, so this ingredient can be left out if you don’t have it.
How to Use Homemade Chili Powder
You can use this homemade chili powder in any recipe that uses chili powder in equal ratios. It has a fresher and bolder flavor compared to most store-bought versions. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Use it to make other homemade Mexican staple recipes like easy enchilada sauce, Mexican chorizo, carnitas, barbacoa, or this Mexican chicken marinade.
- Add more flavor to esquites, Mexican roasted potatoes, chicken fajitas, sofritas, or carne asada.
Storage
Homemade chili powder can be stored in an airtight container or glass jar at room temperature for up to 6 months or in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.
More Homemade Mexican Recipes
If you tried this Homemade Chili Powder Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Homemade Chili Powder
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the guajillo chiles for 1-2 minutes until toasted and fragrant, flipping them every 30 seconds so they don’t burn. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Blend the toasted chiles in batches in a spice grinder or small blender until it’s a fine powder. Transfer the chili powder to a bowl.
- Add the garlic powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, cocoa powder, and ground cinnamon into the chili powder bowl and mix together until fully combined.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Remove the seeds. Make sure to remove all the seeds from the dried chilies to keep it at a mild heat. Once the seeds are ground into a powder it’s hard to mellow out the heat.
- Use the right cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder has an earthy and darker flavor compared to natural cocoa powder, which in general is more sweet. I don’t recommend substituting natural cocoa powder, so this ingredient can be left out if you don’t have it.
- Batch it. This chili powder recipe can last up to 6 months at room temperature when sealed, and up to a year if refrigerated, making it great for batching.
- Cool the toasted peppers completely before grinding them. They crisp up as they cool, making it easier to grind into a powder.
- Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker.
Nutrition Information
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
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