{"id":110408,"title":"Chili Powder","modified":"2025-10-29T17:07:15+01:00","plain":"What is chili powder?\n\n\n\nChili powder is that little something that adds a spicy kick to your recipes. It's a flavorful blend of several spices you probably already know.\n\n\n\nIt's called \"chili powder\" because the blend is often used to season chili con carne. Visually, it looks like a red powder. It contains a bit of cayenne pepper for heat, and other spices for flavor\u2014mainly cumin and garlic powder, along with oregano, paprika, and sometimes salt.\n\n\n\nThe different types of chili powder\n\n\n\nIn this article, I'm talking specifically about chili powder, not to be confused with chile powder. Be careful\u2014the terms in English recipes are very similar!\n\n\n\nChili powder is really just a mix of several spices, including, among others, certain chili powders like cayenne or paprika. But a true chili powder always includes the other spices I mentioned, which tone down the heat in the blend (like garlic, cumin, etc.).\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGenerally, chili powder contains one part cayenne pepper powder to seven parts other spices. That means, for the same amount, cayenne pepper powder is eight times hotter than chili powder!\n\n\n\nNo surprise there\u2014cayenne pepper powder is made from dried hot peppers. Similarly, paprika is also a pure chili powder (made from a very mild pepper), but always without any other spices mixed in.\n\n\n\nSo be careful! If you swap chili powder for pure chile powder in your recipe, your dish will be fiery hot and will lack the complexity that chili powder\u2019s other spices bring.\n\n\n\nWhat does chili powder taste like?\n\n\n\nThat flavor you\u2019re after when you use chili powder is what\u2019s known as \u201cTex-Mex.\u201d It combines the tastes of cumin, garlic, and oregano, with the mild to moderate heat from the chili powder. Sometimes, the blend contains salt\u2014which is always good to know for the rest of your recipe!\n\n\n\nHow to cook with chili powder\n\n\n\nChili powder can be used to season both meat and vegetables. In general, remember this: the best time to add the spice blend is when the other ingredients are mixed together and just starting to cook.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe classic use, of course, is in chili con carne\u2014you saw that coming. You can also add it to other Latin American dishes like enchiladas or tacos. For meat lovers, you can rub your cuts of meat with chili powder just before grilling. But maybe you didn\u2019t know you can use it in less \u201cmeaty\u201d dishes too, like soups or even cooked beans.\n\n\n\nIf you want to get fancy, chili powder is also great for upgrading homemade snacks, like roasted chickpeas or crispy tortilla chips.\n\n\n\nSubstituting chili powder\n\n\n\nNo chili powder in your spice drawer? As always, don\u2019t worry. The best chili powder is the one you make yourself. And here, it\u2019s easy, because you probably already have all the necessary spices on hand. I\u2019ll explain how to make your own chili powder in the next section.\n\n\n\nUse it in my Mexican shredded beef\n\n\n\nIf you don\u2019t want to or can\u2019t make your own chili powder blend, that\u2019s fine too! You can use a similar mix, like taco seasoning from the store.\n\n\n\nYou might be tempted to use pure chile powder, but remember the difference! You\u2019ll only get the heat, not the flavor. If you do go this route, use one-eighth the amount, or you\u2019ll be breathing fire in no time.\n\n\n\nHow to make your own chili powder\n\n\n\nMaking your own chili powder couldn\u2019t be easier. Just mix the spices in the right proportions. The two most important ingredients are cumin and garlic powder. Cayenne pepper adds the heat. Here\u2019s a ratio you can adjust to your taste:\n\n\n\n\n\n\tHomemade Chili Powder\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t1.5 tablespoons ground cumin1.5 tablespoons garlic powder0.5 tablespoon cayenne pepper2 tablespoons dried oregano2 tablespoons paprika0.75 tablespoon onion powder\t\n\t\n\t\tCombine all ingredients.\t\n\t\n\t\tStore in an airtight jar for up to six months\n\t\n\t\n\t\tMexicaine\t\n\n\n\n\n\nHow to store chili powder\n\n\n\nIf you have leftover homemade chili powder, store it in an airtight container. Just like store-bought chili powder, keep it in a cool, dry place away from light.\n\n\n\nShelf life varies. I suggest using your homemade blend within six months. Store-bought powder can last up to three years. In both cases, don\u2019t push it too far\u2014the flavor fades over time.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110408"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110595,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110408\/revisions\/110595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}