Some don’t realize, but chili powder is, in fact, a seasoning mix made from many ingredients, including cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. It’s one of the reasons chili powder typically doesn’t pack too much punch in the spicy department. The other reason: Store bought chili powders often use lesser-heat peppers, like poblano pepper, as the hot pepper base. So store-bought chili powders are typically mild. But any true spicy food fan won’t settle with simmer, so why not make a batch of spicy homemade chili powder for yourself?
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Earthy and warm from cumin and oregano, with a sweet pepper base and a cayenne kick. |
| Primary heat source | 1 teaspoon of cayenne. 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. |
| Heat level | Medium, and hotter than most store-bought chili powder. |
| Texture | A fine, brick-red powder. Whole oregano leaves stay as small flakes unless you crumble them. |
| Best uses | Chili, taco meat, beans, rubs for chicken or pork, and roasted vegetables. |
| Customization ideas | Hot or smoked paprika, more cayenne, or a little ground ancho for a deeper chili flavor. |
| Before you start | About 5 minutes, and you likely have everything in your spice rack already. Check that your spices still smell strong, since old ones make a flat blend. |
Flavor notes
The blend is balanced for a little extra oomph, mixing paprika with cayenne pepper powder to stoke the flames. Sweet paprika keeps the base mellow, so nearly all of the heat comes from the cayenne, which runs 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units. You can raise the ante even more with hot paprika instead of a mild variety, and Is Paprika Spicy? covers how hot the different kinds run.
Cumin and oregano bring the flavor most people think of as chili. Many chili powder recipes call for Mexican oregano, but regular dried oregano works fine too, so use whichever one is already in your pantry and skip a special trip to the store.
Garlic and onion powder tend to clump in the jar. So whisk the blend for a good minute, or push it through a fine-mesh strainer, until the color looks even and you can’t see any pale specks left in it.
Freshness matters more than exact measurements. Ground spices fade with time, and a blend made from an old jar of cumin or paprika will taste dusty. If a spice has lost most of its smell, replace it before you mix.
Start with a tablespoon or two in a pot of chili, then taste once it has simmered for a while. Because this blend is hotter than most store-bought chili powder, a straight swap in an old recipe can push the heat further than you expect.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these change the heat or deepen the chili flavor.
- Want more heat? Use hot paprika, or raise the cayenne to 1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons.
- Want it milder? Cut the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon and stick with sweet paprika.
- Want it smoky? Swap half of the paprika for smoked paprika.
- Want a deeper chili flavor? Replace a tablespoon of the paprika with ground ancho, which is a dried poblano.
- Want it salted? Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of fine salt, and cut back on the salt in whatever you’re cooking.
Serving ideas
Use it anywhere a recipe calls for chili powder.
- In chili. A tablespoon or two per pot, stirred in with the onions so it cooks in the oil for a minute.
- On taco meat. Mixed in with a little salt and a splash of water as the meat browns.
- As a rub. Rubbed onto chicken thighs or pork chops with salt and oil before roasting or grilling.
- On vegetables and beans. Tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, corn or black beans.
Storage notes
Keep it in a small airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard, away from the stove. It won’t spoil, but the cumin and paprika lose their punch over time, so make a batch you’ll use up within a few months.
Give the jar a shake before each use, since the blend can settle. And label it, because it looks a lot like plain paprika or store-bought chili powder and is quite a bit hotter than either.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Smoked Chili Powder: A deep, smoky blend built on dried anchos and smoked paprika.
- Homemade Green Chili Powder: A bright, grassy powder made from dried green chilies.
- Sweet And Spicy Chili: A hearty pot of chili that calls for a quarter cup of chili powder.
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Spicy Homemade Chili Powder
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons paprika sweet, or hot for more heat
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano Mexican oregano if you have it
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- If your oregano is in whole leaves, crumble it between your fingers or grind it so it mixes in evenly.
- Add everything to a small bowl and whisk for about a minute, until the color is even and there are no clumps of garlic or onion powder.
- Use it right away, or spoon it into a small airtight jar and keep it in a cool, dark cupboard.
