I have been making my own homemade chili seasoning for over fifteen years now. I used to buy the packets from the grocery store, but as soon as I discovered this recipe I was hooked. The beauty of this is that it’s really just a flavor base to build off of. You make this homemade chili seasoning mix, then when cooking up your chili, feel free to doctor it however you please. Make it hotter, add some green pepper, maybe a secret ingredient passed down for generations, or just eat it like it is.
Homemade Chili Seasoning
The homemade chili seasoning recipe I’m giving you below is for ONE pound of ground beef. I always double it due to the size of our family. This is one of our favorite dinner ideas using ground beef.
I’m also going to show you how to make several batches of this chili seasoning so that you won’t have to pull out the measuring spoons every time you make a pot of chili. I usually make 5 or 6 batches of my homemade chili seasoning to store in the cabinet.
MAKE A JARFUL
You can also multiply this seasoning recipe by 10 (or more, whatever fits in your jar) and store it in a large jar in the pantry. When you need to make chili, measure out 4 tablespoons of the homemade chili seasoning for one pound of ground beef (or chicken or turkey).
- First, set out one bowl for each batch you plan to make.
- Measure the ingredients into each bowl.
- Stir the ingredients in each bowl with a fork.
Individual Baggies
Instead of pouring it all into a jar and measuring it out each time you make chili, you can make your own “packets” by using ordinary sandwich bags.
You will need one zipper sandwich bag for each batch of mix. Put each mixture into its own baggie. Squeeze out the excess air, close the bag and roll it up. Wrap the baggie in foil and mark it as chili seasoning. I do this because I also make my own taco seasoning and store them in the same cabinet.
Wrapping them in foil keeps the seasoning from being exposed to light, which can dull the flavor of some herbs and spices. This has a shelf life of about a year, just like your other dried herbs. Mine never lasts that long.
There are affiliate links in this post. That means if you buy something from that link, I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you anything additional.
Giving it as a gift
It’s usually only at Christmas that people think of giving edible gifts. But for those that love chili all the time, this is a great gift any time of the year. Make it festive and fun by adding cute little chalkboard labels to the jars and attaching a mini spoon for decoration.
Recipes using chili seasoning:
- Chili and Cornbread Stuffed Peppers
- 3-Bean Chili
- Chili Mac
- This one pot chili can be made with my seasoning too!
More ground beef recipes
Looking for more ways to use ground beef? I have lots of ground beef recipes here, or you can browse a few I’ve hand picked for you below. OR for another homemade seasoning recipe, be sure to check out our homemade popcorn seasonings in 7 different flavors or french fry seasoning!
- Taco Bell Enchirito Copycat
- Southwest Ground Beef Casserole
- Salisbury Steaks
- The Best Meatloaf Recipe Ever
Make Your Own Chili Seasoning
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
Chili Seasoning
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp dried minced onion
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp dried minced garlic
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground cumin
For the Chili
- 1 recipe Amanda's Chili Seasoning Mix
- 1 pound ground beef
- 15 oz can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes run them through a blender if you don't like the chunks
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
For the Chili Seasoning
- Measure all ingredients into the same bowl and mix together with a fork.
- Store in zipper sandwich bags that have been wrapped in foil to keep light out.
- Label foil packages. Keeps for 6-9 months in a cool dry cabinet.
To Make the Chili:
- Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain off fat from ground beef and return beef to pan.
- Add seasoning mix, water, beans and tomatoes and stir to combine. At this point you can add in anything else that you want to personalize the recipe.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on this blog on Feb 11, 2010
Amanda Davis
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Mary says
Hi Amanda,
I was out of the packets and didn’t want to run to the store. so i did a search and found your recipe. I just tried it and love it I did leave out the flour because i cant have gluten it was still great.
Thanks
Elizabeth
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome Elizabeth! The flour is just for thickening so yes, gluten free too! :)
Homestead Mommy says
Or I guess, a better question does a single batch yield? Thanks again =)
Amanda Formaro says
Hi there! One batch yields enough for one pound of beef. If you would like to make it in bulk, I suggest making one then measuring it out so you can see how many tablespoons are in a batch. :)
Homestead Mommy says
Out of curiosity — how many Tablespoons would you use per pound of meat? I don’t particularly care to keep them baggies. I like to display mine in mason jars on my counter. Maybe 2 1/2 T per pound? Thanks in advance and looking forward to giving this one a try.
Audrey says
Amanda, I just wanted to let ya know that I found your recipe for chili seasoning a couple weeks back and we really like it. It’s my new way to make chili. I add more seasonings as it simmers. This is a great base to begin with. So thanks for piston this. It’s being used in Mississippi.:-)
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Audrey! I love hearing when the recipes I post are helpful! :) :)
Pam says
Is the garlic in your mix garlic powder, or is it actually minced cloves of garlic?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi pam! It’s dried minced garlic. I’ll adjust the recipe to avoid confusion. Thanks!
Alexandra says
Amanda,
How many servings does the recipe make? I’m wanting to know if the recipe you have is for 1 serving and would be the equivalent of using a store-bought 1.25 oz chili seasoning package. Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Alexandra. I would say 4-6 servings. The answer is yes, this is equivalent to one store bought seasoning packet :)
lisa says
Also I used brown sugar instead of white sugar…its great!! And my daughter reminded me that we use to use baked beans too….so we added some of them and green peppers and onion to our burger when we cooked it!!! But it couldn’t have been chili without the spices…..thanks again
lisa says
At this time of year you con get snack size zip lock baggies on clearance after Halloween is over. They would be the perfect fit to store these spices in! Thank you for the help you gave me today! Ive lost some memory after a herific motorcycle accident. A car didn’t stop at a stop sign and ran me over…I was life flighted and on life support for a period of time….but God spared my life and He continues to put people such as yourself in my path helping me along the way as I continue to recover! Again thank you for helping me make chili for my husbands supper!!!! Ment so much!
Amanda Formaro says
Oh my gosh Lisa, what an awful ordeal to go through! Thanks heavens you are still with us, and thank you for such a nice comment. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the chili! :)
Joe Pearson says
I was wondering about nit adding the flour. I often cook for folks who don’t / can’t eat flour.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Joe! The flour is just for thickening. I’m sure you could omit it or use some cornstarch instead. And this link http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreecookingtips/qt/Corn-Starch-Tips.htm will tell you how to substitute it! :)
Amy says
I was wondering about flour myself. I would just leave it out. It wouldn’t change anything. We love our chili here in Texas. This is a great recipe. I am sharing it on Facebook along with your taco seasoning recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks for the share Amy! :)
Vicki @ Grams Made It says
I mixed up a single recipe of this tonight and made chili for dinner. I followed your recipe exactly then, when I made the chili, I added a tablespoon of diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It was delicious. My husband thought it was delicious.
Amanda Formaro says
Oh I love the idea of the chipotle addition! So glad you guys enjoyed it Vicki!
Courtney B says
Hi! Question. For the chili seasoning do you use minced garlic? The minced garlic I have is moist and your seasoning looks dry? Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
Dried minced garlic is what you want to use for this recipe :)
Theresa says
Thanks, Amanda. I planned for chili in my weekly menu, then forgot to buy the chili packet. Didn’t realize I had all the ingredients on hand! You saved the day! :)
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome! I was a convert as soon as I tried it too :)
Heather @ Beyond the Aisle says
We tried this recipe tonight because the Chili-O packet apparently fell out of our shopping cart before we got to the register. Loved it! Thanks so much for sharing.
Amanda Formaro says
That’s great Heather, so glad you liked it!
Diane says
I just made a batch of chili and I used this recipe. I don’t buy the packets in the store anymore. This is really good and I also make the homemade taco seasoning too. I put it in little baby food jars/baby food plastic containers that I saved from taking care of my grandson who is now 8. Delicious!!!
Beth says
This is the best chili recipe I’ve ever tasted! I use ground turkey to make it a little more healthy. :) Delicious!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Amanda says
I’m so glad you liked it Beth! My favorite part is how customizable it is. :)
Jim says
Like your spice recipe w/o the sugar. I add one can of petite diced tomatoes, one diced pepper, one diced onion instead of the minced onion, and one halopino. Sometimes I will throw in some white or black beans for contrast. Thanks for the spice mix.
Amanda says
So glad you were able to adapt it to fit your tastes Jim! :)
doreen says
just what i was looking for on this blustery morning.
Charlisa says
Try adding some cocoa powder to this for depth. I know it sounds strange, but the Aztecs made their “chocolatl” with red chiles. My favorite store-bought brand has cocoa in it and it is soooo yummy!
Amanda Formaro says
Actually it sounds good, not strange. Chocolate and savories go well together, great suggestion!
Diane says
I made the chili this morning using your ingredients and it was bland. So I doubled the seasoning and it was still bland. Probably going to look for another chili seasoning recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry it wasn’t to your liking Diane. Hope you find one that suits you!
Kathy says
Thanks, Amanda, great chili seasoning for family. I will use it from now own, great little gift idea too.