Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix

There’s no need to buy those chili seasoning packets because it’s really just as easy to make your own chili seasoning spice blend from scratch. The little packets do have a certain convenience I suppose, but I think you’ll find that this homemade version is super quick to make, has no fillers like flour or non-caking agents, and gives you control over how much or little you want to add to a batch of chili.

How To Make Your Own Chili Seasoning

This homemade chili seasoning blend uses six familiar pantry spices. Chances are you have all six of these hanging around in your cupboard already!

And once again I’m using my favorite strategy of only using one measuring tool to make my spice blend. All the measurements are in teaspoon quantities so you can just keep your one-teaspoon measuring spoon in your hand and use it for each of the bottles you’ll be measuring from. For our chili blend we’ll be using the following quantities:

6 tsp Chili Powder
5 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Garlic Salt
1 tsp Onion Powder

I also like to make my homemade spice blends in quantities that fit nicely into recycled spice bottles. I especially like to save any little spice jars I empty out that are glass and then re-use them for my own blends. This chili blend makes a total of 18 teaspoons of mix which is a perfect size for refilling a recycled glass spice jar.

Using Your Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix

So how do you use your homemade chili seasoning mix to replace once of those little packets from the store? A good rule of thumb is that about 2 tablespoons (equal to 6 teaspoons) of this blend will replace a packet. Your total batch of 18 teaspoons will be enough to replace about 3 packets. Here’s a couple of examples of how I’ve been using my blend.

In my crockpot I combine a 15 oz can of chili mix beans, a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, and a 1/2 pound of browned ground beef (that has been browned with some diced green pepper and diced onion and then drained of any excess grease). Then I add about 1-1/2 tablespoons of my homemade chili seasoning and cook it on low for 6 to 7 hours.

I’ve also used this above strategy with a whole pound of ground beef and a little bit more of the spice blend. I’ve also made this recipe but used ground venison instead. It’s a recipe with some flexibility!

Another way I’ve used this chili mix blend is in my Crockpot Veggie Chili. I usually only make a half size batch of this recipe now and instead of the original spices I used in this recipe, I now use 1 tablespoon of my chili mix blend for a half sized batch.

I think you’ll be able to find creative ways to use your homemade chili seasoning spice blend too and in amounts that fit your favorite level of spiciness. You can make it just the way you like it best when you make your own!

A bowl of homemade chili seasoning spice mix

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