Do you ever find yourself in the middle of cooking dinner and realize that you’re out of a key ingredient? This happened to me about three years ago when I was in the middle of making a huge pot of chili. After searching my pantry for a nonexistent envelope of chili seasoning, I had to improvise. Turns out this moment of annoyance created a spice cabinet must have.
After a quick visit to Google, I realized that I could make my own chili seasoning and it worked out beautifully. I was able to control the level of heat and the salt content from making my own spice mix and my chili wound up being incredibly flavorful. This homemade chili seasoning recipe wound up being so good, I ended up making a large batch of it and storing it in my spice cabinet.
This simple chili seasoning turned into a multipurpose spice blend that now flavors most of my Mexican inspired dishes. Everything from homemade tacos to roasted potatoes can be enhanced with this easy to make homemade seasoning blend. Moral of the story? Sometimes a kitchen conundrum can turn into something quite splendid.
Stay tuned later in the week for my favorite chili recipe, trust me, it’s delicious and will be the perfect last minute addition to your Super Bowl Spread!
Homemade Taco and Chili Seasoning
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sea salt
4 teaspoons black pepperDirections:
In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper. Store in an air tight container at room temperature.
Notes:
- Stored in an airtight container, this spice blend will keep for up to a year.
- When making chili or tacos using one pound of ground beef, start with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the seasoning blend and adjust according to your tastes.
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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
sounds and looks good. i’m going to give it a try tonight! thursdays taco night
With the cold sparing none in the country..this is a perfect way to get things cosied up. Love the recipe. Bookmarked!
What a great idea! This has definitely happened to me… I think I have a certain spice and I don’t or if I do, it’s gone bad. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh, I was just thinking the other day that I should really make my own chili powder mixture. Now I will! Thanks for this;-)
OH! I love this! I’m going to have to keep this on hand! Chili would be PERFECT for this crazy we are having in Houston! Too bad I didn’t prepare for it earlier this week.
Oh…And I can’t wait for the chili recipe!
I love this! I have forgotten taco seasoning so many times!
Thanks!
This is such a great recipe to have at hand… why buy the packaged stuff when you can put together something so much better?!
This is the same recipe I use and it has literally changed my life. We love tacos and I used to feel so tied to those spice packets. No more! Such a great recipe to know about and keep on hand!
Yum! I love to make homemade taco and chili seasonings. Can’t wait to try this one.
I realised in a similar manner how lovely it is to make home-made spice mixes. It actually does end up tasting so much more flavourful! I made some Mexican food the other day and since I didn’t have the good ol’ El Paso spice mix, I made my own with stuff from my spice rack. My bf loved it! The cumin definitely makes it.
My husband always makes our own taco seasoning. I would never dare to buy a package at the store. I like yours a lot and will safe it. Thanks.
Oh, by the way, “WE” won “Best Taste” in my friends cupcake contest with your recipe for the chocolate cupcakes with the caramel filling and the salted caramel. I made a vanilla cream cheese frosting and used a chocolate cake recipe that works fantastically in this altitude. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Kirsten
P.S: The salted caramel (like you had mentioned) was very soft and melted away. The Baker judge told me to use less cream to fix the problem. I’ll give it a try next time. The taste was great.
Thank you! I’ve been thinking about making my own taco seasoning since I use it in my chili, and I hated how tied down I was to the ingredients in a store bought taco seasoning. I’m definitely going to make this. (It’s geeky, but I’m excited. lol)
What a great idea!
I like the idea of making your own chili and taco seasoning, you never know what unwanted ingredients are in those seasoning packet in the store.
I didn’t realize how easy this was. Thanks!
I have done the very same thing! This looks delish! And I love the idea of having a big jar JUST WAITING quietly and innocently for me to dig into!
This is the perfect idea that I never think to do. And your photograph is gorgeous. Who ever thought a ground spice mix could look so beautiful?
It’s always such a good way to save money by making your own spice blends–I’m a huge fan! Thanks for the recipe!
Just made this, and it’s perfect! But REALLY spicy, even without the cayenne pepper. FYI, in case you’re thinking of making it for kids.
Thankyou for this recipe, its very useful and tasty
. I was in a rush for a chili seasoning recipe and you’re was first on google lol. Grats~
I have never left a comment on a blog before so here goes… WHAT! My family and I have been using the “envelope method” for chili for AGES! I just made a pot of chili with this seasoning recipe and I have never made a beter pot of chili. Unbelievable! (I added some brown sugar because I can’t resist the sweet/spicy combo). Can’t wait to make the homemade vanilla!
Jeanine-
Ha! I am so glad you liked the recipe – brown sugar sounds awesome. Now that you’ve officially left your first blog comment, I’m hoping to see more from you! Have a great week!
-Jamie
I have everything in my pantry but the ground cumin! Going to definitely get some and make a batch of this. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Everything I’ve tried from your blog has been fabulous. This spice combination was no exception–it was great! I made a big batch of chili this weekend and it was a hit! I will never buy the stuff in the packet again.
Great recipe! Was also looking for your chili recipe as I’m always trying different ones. Can’t seem to find it? When I click on the link, it takes me to a Buick website.
Kendra-
Thanks for the comment! Weird about the link – I have no idea why that would be occurring. Here is my fave chili recipe: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/hearty-chili/
-Jamie
I made this seasoning blend this week and we loved it! I made two changes to it to suite our family better and it came out so yummy. Thanks for the great recipe for this blend. I did a blog post about it and linked back to you.
http://createbellacreate.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/homemade-taco-seasoning/
Yum. I used your recipe as a base and made some changes… doubled the oregano, halved the cumin, omitted the black pepper, added a teaspoon of ground coriander.
I also left out the garlic and onion powder, and just sauteed fresh onion and garlic instead.
So, last night I am laying in bed unable to sleep…so my crazy mind goes to how about making my own chili and taco seasoning? Here I am on your site this morning, exactly one year to the day you posted it!.. Coincidence? I think not! Thanks for the recipe! Cannot wait to make it!
I’m the founder/moderator for Punk Domestics (www.punkdomestics.com), a community site for those of use obsessed with, er, interested in DIY food. It’s sort of like Tastespotting, but specific to the niche. I’d love for you to submit this to the site. Good stuff!
It makes great sweet potatoe fries seasoning… yum
Great recipe.
My issue with over the counter chili mixes is that the first ingredient is often salt. The more of the mix you add the salt goes in first.
Nice idea and great site.
Everett De Morier
BangZingPow.com
I used this in place of chili packets in my regular chili recipe and it turned out great! Just wondering if you add any moisture to your taco meat in order to help the seasoning mix bind? (The liquid in the canned tomatoes helped with that in the chili)
Lisa-
Hi! I typically add about 1/4 cup of water to add a little moisture to the beef mixture. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
I love, love this blend. I found it while searching for a good, gluten-free alternative to McCormick’s packet and I’ll never go back.
Apa-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the spice blend – thanks so much for coming back and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Just raided my spice cabinet and realized I had everything except paprika so I tried it out and I love it! So much better than the packet that I didn’t want to have to buy, though I left out the salt for now so I can add it to taste later. Love this!
Shayna-
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and giving us your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
I loved it! 1lb of browned ground beef onions, peppers, dusted with 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 3-4 tablespoons of mix. 1 can each if diced tomatoes, chili beans and blac beans. 1-2 cups water. Delicious!
Amanda-
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
This is no big revelation. How, exactly, do people think chili was originally made?? Seriously, think outside the store packages, people!
This is the best homemade chili seasoning I’ve ever tried! It’s not too hot for my family at all, and the oregano really adds to it. I just made up my second batch, and though I should thank you for such a great, simple recipe!:)
I made this as a gift! You can see here: http://imake2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/diy-chili-and-taco-seasoning.html
Thanks!!
Just made up a batch! Can’t wait to try it in my chili tonight.
Thanks so much.
cant wait to do this..going to add some heat to it..chilli tonight with my lady..oooooooooo this will be wicked good
Made Fajitas with this, added some freshly squeezed lime juice. Delicious!
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