Chili Seasoning

Make your own homemade Chili Seasoning in bulk to have on hand any time you want to whip up a quick pot of chili! Not only does it taste great, but since you control the ingredients, there are none of the icky preservatives that can be found in store-bought mix.

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If you enjoy chili recipes, you'll also love Crockpot White Bean Chicken Chili, Cook-Off Winning Texas Chili, Chili Mac, and Chili Cheese Dip!

One of my family's favorite meals -- year-round, actually -- is chili. Regardless of the season or the weather, it seems that we eat chili every month of the year. When it's cool, we prefer to enjoy it straight-up in a bowl, with assorted toppings and a side of hot, buttered cornbread. But we've also been known to enjoy chili dogs and Frito pies right on through the summer. So you can bet I always keep a jar of this homemade Chili Seasoning in my pantry to save time and effort!

Why Homemade Chili Seasoning?

That's right, friends...with all of that chili making and chili eating going on, it only makes sense that I would save myself a little bit of time by whipping up a homemade Chili Seasoning mix.

Now I know that everyone has seen and possibly purchased the chili mix packets in the grocery store. And most of those are all well and good until you examine the ingredients.

I try to avoid preservatives and artificial additives when possible, so when it comes to dry pantry staples, I like to take control over the ingredients that my family ingests by making my own mixes. From taco seasoning to to pancake mix to many more, I've got you covered. And like all of those others, my Chili Seasoning recipe is made with spices, herbs, and no icky ingredients.

Ingredients

So what ingredients does it include, exactly? Well, there are just FOUR of them!

• Chili powder.
• Cumin.
• Oregano.
• Salt.

And that's it for the mix!

Adjusting the Heat

When you make your pot 'o chili, you have the option to stir in some cayenne along with the Chili Seasoning, just in case you happen to like a little (or a lot of!) heat.

That being said, I prefer to make my batch of Chili Seasoning without cayenne so that I can tweak the heat each time I make chili, depending on how I plan on using it...or who's going to be eating it!

How to Make & Use Chili Seasoning

1. To make this Chili Seasoning recipe, simply whisk together the dry ingredients and then transfer your mix to an airtight jar or container.

2. And then to use your Chili Seasoning to make a pot of chili, first brown and drain some ground beef.
3. Over the cooked beef, sprinkle 2 ½ tablespoons of Chili Seasoning mix (per pound of ground beef) plus your desired amount of cayenne, if using (just be sure to add ⅛ teaspoon initially and then add more, to taste, if necessary). Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice, and either some beef broth or water. Stir well to combine, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding additional liquid if needed. Once the chili has cooked and thickened, taste it and adjust the salt and/or cayenne, if desired.

4. In a small bowl, stir masa into some water.
5. Pour the masa mixture into the chili and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes until thick and delicious.

More About the Masa

Stirring in a slurry of masa harina (AKA, corn flour) towards the end of the cooking time is not required when you make chili, but it's highly recommended. It really does contribute a depth of flavor that's otherwise lacking.

I typically order my masa online. However, if you can't find or don't have any on hand, cornmeal will give your chili the same ultimate flavor…it just has a coarser/grittier texture. So use finely ground cornmeal, if possible.

Beans or No Beans?

Finally, this Texas girl knows better than to add beans to chili around these parts! But feel free to toss in a can of pintos or black beans if it's not sacrilege to do so in your neck of the woods. 😉

A Time-Saving Shortcut

So save yourself some time on busy weeknights (and simultaneously feel good about what you're feeding your family) by stocking your pantry with a jar of this Chili Seasoning mix!

I know you are probably thinking to yourself, well gee, it doesn't take that long to measure out the spices to make chili!

But just think of how much faster it would be not to have to get out all of those little spice bottles and different sized measuring spoons!

There's a reason that all of those pre-made mix packets at the grocery store are so popular...every minute counts when you're trying to throw dinner together in a hurry while assisting one child with homework and helping another kid find a Lego, all with a screaming toddler clinging to your leg. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything... 🙂

And not only is this Chili Seasoning great for making, well, chili, but a sprinkle of it can also be used to season ground beef or turkey for a variety of other uses!

So do a little bit of measuring and mixing of Chili Seasoning now to make future meal prep faster and easier! Because who wouldn't appreciate that???

To Make One Batch

If you would like to test this recipe (to enure that you like the way it tastes before making six batches of Chili Seasoning!), a single batch of dry ingredients (to season 1 pound of ground beef) would call for:

• 5 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt

The above will yield one batch, or a little over 2 ½ tablespoons, of Chili Seasoning. Simply stir these ingredients together in a small bowl and then make a pot of chili using the remaining ingredients listed in the recipe card (under TO MAKE A BATCH OF CHILI) and the directions under TO USE CHILI SEASONING MIX.

Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment

• A pot of chili made with 1 pound of ground beef will yield about four average-sized servings.
• To feed a larger or hungrier family, cook 2 pounds of ground beef seasoned with 5 tablespoons of Chili Seasoning, and double all of the other ingredients.
• Feel free to substitute your favorite type of chili meat for the ground beef. Ground turkey will work, as will beef stew meat, etc.
• If you prefer more sauce in your chili, add a bit more liquid before the last 10 minutes of simmering time. If you prefer drier chili, leave the lid off the pot during the last 10 minutes of simmering.
• Nutritional info at the bottom of the recipe card was calculated for one serving from one pot of chili, made as directed using 1 pound of ground beef, with one pot of chili yielding four servings.

More Homemade Mixes

• Lemon Pepper Seasoning
• Chocolate Cake Mix
• Ranch Dressing Mix
• Pumpkin Pie Spice

Chili Seasoning

Make your own Chili Seasoning in bulk to have on hand any time you want to whip up a quick pot of chili! Not only does it taste great, but since you control the ingredients, there are none of the icky preservatives that can be found in store-bought mix.

By Samantha Skaggs

Course: Pantry Staples

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 1 batch of Chili Mix will season 6 pots of chili (using 1 pound ground beef each)

Calories: 220kcal

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Ingredients

FOR CHILI SEASONING MIX:

• ⅔ cup chili powder
• ¼ cup cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt

TO MAKE A BATCH OF CHILI:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ½ tablespoons Chili Seasoning Mix
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, optional
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
• ½ cup water, OR low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons masa harina (Mexican corn flour), OR fine cornmeal may be substituted
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

TO MAKE CHILI SEASONING MIX:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Store in an airtight jar.

TO USE CHILI SEASONING MIX:

• In a large pot set over medium heat, brown ground beef and garlic; drain fat. Stir in 2 ½ tablespoons of Chili Seasoning Mix (per pound of ground beef), cayenne (if using), tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice, and water or beef broth. Reduce heat to low and place lid on pot. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding additional tomato sauce, beef broth, or water, if chili becomes too dry.
• After 45 minutes, taste chili and adjust salt and/or cayenne, if desired. Stir masa into ¼ cup water. Pour masa mixture into chili and mix well. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Notes

• A pot of chili made with 1 pound of ground beef will yield about four average-sized servings.
• To feed a larger or hungrier family, cook 2 pounds of ground beef seasoned with 5 tablespoons of Chili Seasoning Mix, and double all of the other ingredients.
• Feel free to substitute your favorite type of chili meat for the ground beef. Ground turkey will work, as will beef stew meat, etc.
• If you can't find masa harina (corn flour), finely ground cornmeal will give your chili the same ultimate flavor...it just has a coarser/grittier texture.
• If you prefer more sauce in your chili, add a bit more liquid before the last 10 minutes of simmering time. If you prefer drier chili, leave the lid off the pot during the last 10 minutes of simmering.
• NUTRITION CALCULATIONS are for one serving from one pot of chili (made as directed using 1 pound of ground beef, with one pot of chili yielding 4 servings).

***If you want to cook one small batch of this chili to ensure that you like the way it tastes before making a whole jar of Chili Seasoning Mix, the individual measurements for 1 pound of ground beef are approximately equivalent to 5 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt.***

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 908mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1146IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 6mg

Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Inspired by Wick Fowler chili seasoning.
Post originally published on February 5, 2014, and updated on May 20, 2021, and October 26, 2022.