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Fajita Seasoning

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Skip the store-bought packets and make your own homemade Fajita Seasoning! It’s incredibly simple and can be mixed together in minutes (and you can reduce or omit the salt and the sugar if you want to).

A plate of homemade fajita seasoning.


 

Recipe ingredients

Labeled spices for fajita seasoning.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Paprika: Both sweet and smoked paprika work here.
  • Sugar: Leave this out if you want to.
  • Cayenne pepper: Add more if you like spicy food, omit entirely if you don’t.

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store in an airtight container.
A bowl of homemade fajita seasoning.

Should I use a spice grinder?

I HIGHLY recommend using a spice grinder if you want the freshest flavors for your spice blends. They’re not too expensive and make a tremendous difference in your cooking! The KRUPS Fast Touch Electric Grinder is my favorite one because it’s powerful and easy to clean. You can get it at Walmart for $34.96 but I recommend a few others in my best spice grinder roundup!

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes ¼ cup fajita seasoning which is enough to season 4 pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp.
  • Storage: Store this spice blend covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
  • Making chicken fajitas:
    1. In a plastic bag, add 2 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs), ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning. Mash until evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
    2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until crispy and browned on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet).
    3. Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add 3 bell peppers (sliced) and 1 red onion (sliced) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced chicken back to skillet for serving. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).
Chicken and steak fajitas on two serving platters.

Have a Fajita Fiesta

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A plate of homemade fajita seasoning.

Fajita Seasoning

Skip the store-bought packets and make your own homemade Fajita Seasoning! It's incredibly simple and can be mixed together in minutes (and you can reduce or omit the salt and the sugar if you want to).
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 tablespoons
Course Pantry
Cuisine Mexican
Calories 24
5 from 395 votes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Paprika: Both sweet and smoked paprika work here.
  2. Sugar: Leave this out if you want to.
  3. Cayenne pepper: Add more if you like spicy food, omit entirely if you don’t.
  4. Yield: This recipe makes ¼ cup fajita seasoning which is enough to season 4 pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp.
  5. Storage: Store this spice blend covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
  6. Making chicken fajitas:
    1. In a plastic bag, add 2 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs), ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning. Mash until evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
    2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until crispy and browned on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet).
    3. Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add 3 bell peppers (sliced) and 1 red onion (sliced) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced chicken back to skillet for serving. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).

Nutrition

Serving: 2teaspoonsCalories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 36mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1098IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

    1. Hi Love Cooking, thank you for your question. If the chicken is marinated with fresh citrus juices too long, the meat can become stringy and mushy. Please let me know if you have any more questions. Take care! – Meggan

  1. This is a great recipe. I followed it pretty closely although I did half regular paprika and half smoked paprika and half regular chili powder and half smoked ancho chili powder. I also substituted half of the cumin for roasted cumin. I believe it’s important to add a little bit of sugar to any fajitas mix as it acts as a glaze further melds the spices together and compliments the flavors of the meat. I do not like to use white sugar so I substituted it for light brown sugar, which gives it a much more deeper flavor and adds a molasses taste, which goes great with the spice mixture.5 stars

    1. Hi Revuts, thank you for sharing! I’m happy this recipe was a great starting point to make the seasoning just the way you like it. – Meggan

    1. I’m so happy you loved it, Mark! It’s great that you already had everything on hand. – Meggan

    1. Hi Lesley, you can use some onion flakes, or cautiously use onion salt. I would just make sure to adjust it to taste so the mix doesn’t come out too salty. Thank you for your question! – Meggan

    1. Hi Karen, thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad you loved it! – Meggan

  2. Not only does this look so pretty in the bowl, it smells amazing! I used this to make chicken and steak fajitas. They were a hit!!! Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge! You’re a life saver ❤…5 stars

  3. I use this recipe often! My entire family loves it. I do have a question though. If I am out of onion powder, what is a good replacement for that?5 stars

    1. Hi Kimberlie, I’m so happy your family loves this! I would use some onion flakes, or I would cautiously use onion salt. I would just make sure to adjust it to taste so the mix doesn’t come out too salty. Take care! – Meggan

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