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The best secret ingredient for chili is Homemade Chili Seasoning, a blend of herbs and spices that takes ordinary ground beef and beans to the next level.
Skip the packet and the expensive little jar of McCormick chili seasoning. As long as you have a batch of homemade chili mix in the pantry, your favorite chili recipe will always be perfectly seasoned and delicious. Not too spicy, but wonderfully rich and hearty.
Once chili season comes, your biggest problem might be deciding what kind of chili to make first. This homemade blend of spices is a natural fit for beans, venison, ground beef, ground turkey, or shredded chicken. Make a big pot of mouthwatering chili for your next potluck or Sunday supper; it couldn’t be easier when you have your own custom seasoning.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
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
- Chili powder: If you shop at an international food market and buy “chili powder,” sometimes this is just straight-up ground dried red chiles (cayenne pepper), not the Americanized chili powder blend you’re thinking of. You should be able to tell by the color of the powder.
- Chipotle chili powder. Adds smokiness and spice. If you don’t have it, try one or two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or some ancho chile powder (smokiness without the heat).
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, chipotle chili powder, thyme, and coriander. Stir to combine. Store covered for up to 6 months.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes ½ cup chili seasoning, enough to make 8 servings of chili from 2 pounds ground meat or sweet potatoes.
- Storage: Store in a dark, cool place for up to 6 months.
Recipe FAQs
They are the same thing; it’s really just a matter of naming conventions. “Chile” is the Spanish word for capsicums such as jalapeños, serranos, habañeros, poblanos, and so on. Americans sometimes spell it “chili” but now we are moving towards “chile” because “chili” is the stew with the meat.
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Homemade Chili Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chili powder (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, chipotle chili powder, thyme, and coriander. Stir to combine. Store covered for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Chili powder: If you shop at an international food market and buy “chili powder,” sometimes this is just straight-up ground dried red chiles (cayenne pepper), not the Americanized chili powder blend you’re thinking of. You should be able to tell by the color of the powder.
- Chipotle chili powder. Adds smokiness and spice. If you don’t have it, try one or two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or some ancho chile powder (smokiness without the heat).
- Yield: This recipe makes ½ cup chili seasoning, enough to make 8 servings of chili from 2 pounds ground meat or sweet potatoes.
- Storage: Store in a dark, cool place for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
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.
Made this chili recipe for today’s football game. Everyone loved it!!
So glad everyone enjoyed, thanks Diana! – Meggan
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup.of Chile powder plus cayenne powder. The notes say in that in the US Chili powder is often cayenne so what is the 1/4 cup made of ?
Hi Brian, chili powder in the US is a spice blend that typically has paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and can have a variety of dried chilis such as cayenne, New Mexico and Ancho Chilies. The blends vary by brand, and so just take a look at the label of the chili powder you will be using and try to avoid the kind that is primarily cayenne so it’s not too spicy and you get those other great flavors. Thanks for the question! – Meggan
I had never used a chili seasoning before this. I was making my chili and I just couldn’t figure it out because it was bland. I decided to throw this together because I have never had a Culinary Hill recipe fail me. BADA BING! It was the best chili I had ever made. I’ll just go to this recipe every time now. Thanks (again) Meggan!