Homemade Chili Powder

Chili powder is so ubiquitous in American kitchens that it’s difficult to conceive of cooking meals without it. Even people with only a tin or two of spices are likely to have it around. But did you know it’s actually a blend of spices, not just ground-up chiles?

There are all sorts of reasons to make your own chili powder. The most obvious is that you ran out and need some for a recipe. The other reason is customization and freshness. I’ve made my own chili powder for both of the scenarios above, and I like it so much I can’t imagine going back. It gives my marinades, fajitas, casseroles, and (of course) chili an extra layer of liveliness. It still hits all the familiar notes that everyone has come to expect in a well-balanced chili powder.

Whether you're sticking to common pantry spices or showcasing chiles that you grew, dried, and ground yourself, this chili powder formula is one you can come back to again and again.

The Origins of Chili Powder

Chili powder was created to make chili accessible. The blend of spices is a convenience product that was first popularized by William Gebhardt in 1896. Gebhardt, a German immigrant who ran a café in the back of a saloon in New Braunfels, Texas, was what we’d now call a major foodie. In his spare time, he traveled around sampling the regional cuisine. He decided to grind whole dried chiles and combine them with the other standard chili spices, neither of which were easy to come by in other parts of the U.S.

Gebhardt’s Eagle Brand Chili Powder made these previously unfamiliar seasonings widely available, and eventually, chili became an iconic American food with a zillion variations, including Cincinnati chili and Kansas City chili, which can be enriched with barbecue meat.  

The Elements of Chili Powder

There are as many ways to make chili powder as there are blends of garam masala or five spice. The main rule is that the predominant ingredient is always dried ground chiles with optional additions popping up here and there:

• Ground chiles: I’ll tell you more about these below. Regardless of the chili powder recipe, ground dried chiles make up the majority of the blend.
• Cumin: Ground cumin adds an earthy element, but no heat. After ground chiles, it’s the most important flavor element in chili powder. Without it, chili tastes incomplete.  
• Garlic powder: Even though most chili recipes call for fresh garlic, garlic powder adds its own character that’s mellower than fresh garlic.
• Onion powder: Ditto the above, though many chili powder recipes don’t call for onion powder.
• Dried oregano: The solitary dried herb in chili powder, oregano has a pungent, almost medicinal flavor that complements the other strong spices. Mexican oregano is preferable, but your standard Italian oregano will do nicely.  
• Coriander: Another optional ingredient, ground coriander seed adds some floral notes for a hint of contrast. 
• Allspice: Ground allspice berries lend a slightly peppery and earthy note. I like it in my chili powder blends for that certain something.  
• Clove: I’d say that clove is very, very optional. Simultaneously bitter and sweet, it adds complexity to dishes that are rich with meat. A little goes a long way. 
• Salt: Some commercial chili powders contain a little salt, but I don’t add any to mine. A salt-free chili powder makes it easier to add exactly as much chili powder as I want without making the recipe too salty.

Dried Chile Choices

Chili powder is not called chili powder for nothin’. Since it’s mostly made of ground dried chiles, the type you use has a lot of bearing on the overall flavor. Here are just a few of your options. What chiles do I use? It depends what ground chiles I have around.

• Paprika is familiar and works just fine. Did you know that the paprika you buy in grocery stores is actually a blend of dried peppers, predominantly the paprika pepper? Your typical paprika is commonplace, earthy, and adds only negligible heat, making a solid all-purpose chili powder. Smoked paprika makes a chili powder that’s sweeter and yes, slightly smoky.
• New Mexico chiles are fruity, with a heat that’s palpable yet nuanced. They make my favorite chili powder. 
• Cayenne is hecka hot. Use it in small amounts to supplement your other dried chiles and add a laser-like element of one-dimensional yet powerful heat.
• Ancho chiles are what William Gebhardt used in his original chili powder bend. Their heat is mild, and their flavor is lightly smoky and fruity. 
• Dried chipotles add deep, smoky heat. Use sparingly.

Toasting and Grinding Whole Chiles

You can buy many types of whole dried chiles, allowing for a simultaneously dazzling and overwhelming range of possibilities. I’d suggest mixing a small batch of chili powder if you’re trying a dried chile (or a combination of dried chiles) for the first time.

Toasting the dried chiles first helps wake up their flavor. You can find a tutorial in steps 1 and 2 of this recipe. Let the toasted chiles cool completely before you grind them, as they become more brittle and grind better at room temperature. 

Ways To Use Chili Powder

Chili, obviously. I use my homemade chili powder the exact same way I use the stuff from the store. This includes tossing with sweet potato fries before I put them in the oven and sprinkling some in a batch of macaroni and cheese to make it punchier. And I always add it to my mom’s famous creamed tacos.

Homemade Chili Powder Recipe

Recipe note: For a finer texture, I prefer to use ground dried oregano, especially because dried Mexican oregano is broken into coarse pieces. I pulverize mine in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, you can use a spice grinder or simply crush the oregano between your fingers.

I double the recipe since it makes about 1/4 cup, which is about how much chili powder I add to a typical batch of chili. 

If you’d like to toast and grind whole dried chiles, you can find more detailed instructions above.