Tex-Mex chili powder

Name: Tex-Mex chili powder
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 30 g dried whole chillies, about 3 ancho and 2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; dry-roast until pliable and fragrant; 8 g cumin seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker; 3 g dried oregano, dried Mexican oregano, lightly roast 20 seconds; 4 g garlic powder, raw; 6 g paprika, raw; 1–3 g cayenne / chilli powder, raw, optional extra heat

Vegetarian

Toasted ancho and guajillo chiles ground with roasted cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, paprika and a little cayenne. Earthy, mildly hot and fruity, it is the seasoning for chili con carne and Tex-Mex enchilada sauces — not the same as pure chilli powder.

Tex-Mex chili powder is a Tex-Mex condiment from United States, ready in about 25 minutes and made with dried whole chillies and cumin seeds. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Top view of fresh red chili peppers, crushed chili flakes, and powder in bowls. — Photo: Jana Ohajdova / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 5 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 16
Level: Easy
Calories: 10

Ingredients

16 teaspoons (about 3 g each)

30 g Dried whole chillies (opens in a new tab), about 3 ancho and 2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; dry-roast until pliable and fragrant
8 g Cumin seeds (opens in a new tab), dry-roast until a shade darker
3 g Dried oregano (opens in a new tab), dried Mexican oregano, lightly roast 20 seconds
4 g Garlic powder (opens in a new tab), raw
6 g Paprika (opens in a new tab), raw
1–3 g Cayenne / chilli powder (opens in a new tab), raw, optional extra heat

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Snip the chiles open with scissors, shake out the seeds and tear into flat pieces.
- 3 min
- Kitchen scissors (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Wear gloves or wash your hands well after handling chillies, and keep them away from your eyes.
2
Step 2
Toast the chile pieces in a dry pan over medium heat, pressing flat with a spatula, for 15–30 seconds per side until they blister, darken slightly and smell like raisins. Tip onto a plate; they crisp as they cool.
- 2 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Roasting chillies gives off pungent fumes; ventilate the kitchen and keep your face back from the pan.
3
Step 3
Roast the cumin over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes until a shade darker, adding the oregano (opens in a new tab) for the last 20 seconds.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Tip the spices onto a cold plate and let them cool completely, about 10 minutes, before grinding — warm spices release oil and turn pasty in the grinder. The chiles must snap, not bend; if still leathery, dry them 5 minutes in a low oven (100 °C).
- 10 min
5
Step 5
Grind the chiles, cumin and oregano (opens in a new tab) to a fine powder in batches, sift, and mix in the garlic powder (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab) and cayenne.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
6
Step 6
Store airtight.
- 1 min
- Spice jar (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Texas, United States · Well documentedBlended chili powder was commercialised in Texas in the 1890s (Gebhardt and others) so that chili con carne could be made without grinding whole chiles. This home version follows the classic components.More food from United States
Dish: Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method: Toasted
Taste: earthy, spicy (chilli heat), smoky, fruity
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Dried whole chillies · Cumin seeds · Dried oregano · Garlic powder · Paprika · Cayenne / chilli powder
Techniques: Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

10 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 3 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

Protein 14%
Carbohydrate 61%
Fat 24%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	10 kcal	311 kcal
Protein	0.4 g	13.8 g
Carbohydrate	1.7 g	55.5 g
Net carbohydrate	1 g	32.9 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.7 g	22.6 g
Fat	0.3 g	10.7 g
Saturated fat	0 g	1.2 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	2 mg	68 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 69 mg
Calcium: 10 mg
Iron: 0.7 mg
Magnesium: 5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 30 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 2 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Add a chipotle or two for smoke, or a pasilla for darker, bitter-chocolate depth.

Common mistakes

Scorching the chiles — burnt chile powder tastes acrid and ruins a pot of chili.

Serve with

Chili con carne, three-bean chili, enchilada sauce, Tex-Mex rice, fajita seasoning and esquites/elote.

Food safety

Store in a clean, completely dry, airtight jar away from light and heat; always use a dry spoon. Ground blends lose aroma steadily after the first month.

Storage

Airtight jar, cool and dark, up to 3 months; the freezer keeps the colour longer.

Variations

Chile colorado powder: Use only New Mexico red chiles and skip the other spices for a pure red-chile powder.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

About this masala

Type: Dry spice blend
Texture: Fine powder
One batch makes: about 50 g
Keeps: about 3 months
Store: Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe: Traditional

Texas, United States. Makes Chili powder (blend), the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Chili con carne2 tbsp · 13 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Elote1 tsp · 2.1 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Kansas City-style barbecue sauce1 tsp · 2.1 g for 20 servings (about 2 tbsp each)Make enough
Three-Bean Vegetable Chili1 tbsp · 6.4 g for 6 servingsMake enough

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Dried whole chillies, about 3 ancho and 2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; dry-roast until pliable and fragrant30 g
Cumin seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker8 g
Dried oregano, dried Mexican oregano, lightly roast 20 seconds3 g
Garlic powder, raw4 g
Paprika, raw6 g
Cayenne / chilli powder, raw, optional extra heat1 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

Chili con carne
Tex-Mex · 1 h 30 min · 434 kcal
Three-Bean Vegetable Chili
International · 55 min · 266 kcal · Vegetarian
Elote
Mexican · 17 min · 199 kcal · Contains egg
Kansas City-style barbecue sauce
American · 35 min · 50 kcal