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Chili Mix Recipe

October 15, 2012 By Gwen Brown 6 Comments


A homemade Chili Mix recipe is something I put together every fall…I’ve been doing this for years, and not only does it save us a good bit of money from buying the premixed pouches, BUT I know exactly what’s in it, AND I can also tweak our mix to fit our spice preference.  Win-win-win.

This blend is also really easy to make gluten free!  This year, I subbed corn starch as the base thickener instead of flour, and it worked beautifully.  You can alternatively use corn flour-a more pronounced corn flavor-for a very Tex-Mex chili mix blend.

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This is what I use for our mix this year:

Chili Mix Ingredients

cumin, salt, garlic powder, dehydrated onion flakes, chili powder, a whole ancho chili, cornstarch, and just a touch of sugar (which is optional).

A good chili mix recipe will do three things.
1. Thicken your chili.  We’re going for “stick to your ribs”, and not watery soupy chili here.
2. It adds loads of flavor…the cumin, chili powder and spices turn a rather bland meat and bean dish into a robustly flavored meal.
3. Turn up the heat!  You can really customize this aspect with your own blend, by playing with the types, flavors, and heat levels of different chilis.

Since I have young ones at my table, my chili pepper of choice this year was the mild Ancho.  My spicy lovin’ man has to kick it up to full strength heat with his habenaro sauce.

Basically, I dumped everything into my blender…

…except for the spices that I wanted to remain chunky in the final chili.  I did not blenderize the dehydrated onion flakes with the rest of the mix, but chose to just stir them in last.  If you enjoy heat, chunkier chili pepper flakes are also great left whole in your final dish.

I blended all of the ingredients to a nice, fine powder, and then add the chunky ingredients to the jar and shook to blend everything.  Next time, I’m just going to skip the blender step for this mix.  Most of these ingredients are already powders. Duhr.

I transferred the chili mix recipe to my spice jar with a canning funnel, and I’m set for fast and easy fall meals.  That’s it…you’re ready to cook up 6-8 pots of delicious homemade chili!

A jar of this mix, with a cute label, a wooden spoon, and a good chili-making stockpot would be a super nice wedding gift in the fall.

basic chili recipe

I’m super excited that I have finally found a simpler way to offer y’all printable recipes now!  Here is my chili mix recipe with a “test” sized batch, and then a large size batch that lasts my family through the winter.  Plus, directions for making your own super-yummy pot of homemade chili, with your custom chili mix recipe!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Chili Mix Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Total time
5 mins
 
Homemade chili mix is the ultimate convenience food for your fall pantry. I'll save your money, and be kind to your tummy, since you can totally customize the ingredients. Plus, it's as easy as shake & bake to make your own mixes.
Author: Gwen Brown
Recipe type: Condiments & Spice Mixes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
One Pot Chili Mix Recipe
  • I recommend that you start out with this scaled back, one pot chili mix recipe, and adjust the seasonings to your family's taste before making a big jar.
  • 2 Tablespoons flour -may also use corn starch or corn flour for a gluten free chili mix!
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½-1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ t. garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • 1½ Tablespoons minced, dried onions
Bulk Chili Mix Recipe
  • 1⅛ cup flour (may also use corn starch or corn flour for a gluten free chili mix!)
  • ⅓ cup chili powder
  • 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2-3 Tablespoons salt
  • 1½ Tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
  • 1 T. crushed chilli pepper flakes (more or less to taste), or use one dried ancho chili for milder flavor
  • ¾ cup minced, dried onions
Instructions
One Pot Chili Mix Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into your pot of chili (Homemade Chili Recipe below), and stir to blend.
  2. Make a small batch first, and adjust the measurements and flavors to your liking before adapting them to the big batch.
Bulk Chili Mix Instructions
  1. Place flour, chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and sugar in a blender jar.
  2. Blend into a fine powder. (Or just skip the blender and dump all into your jar)
  3. Pour into a clean and dry glass jar.
  4. Add chili pepper flakes and dried onions to the mix and shake to blend.
  5. Label "Chili Mix", and note the recipe for making homemade chili below.
  6. I also like to stick on a label with the bulk mix recipe, for easier refills...and shove a little coffee scoop in there if you've got an extra one.
One Pot of Homemade Chili
  1. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup of your dry spice mix to one pound of browned and drained ground beef.
  2. Stir well, and add in one 15 ounce can of plain tomato sauce, ¼ c. water and a 15 oz. can of undrained chili or kidney beans.
  3. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. I would love it if you would rate this recipe, or tell me your favorite tweaks! Just go to: https://gwens-nest.com/family-favorite-recipes/chili-mix-recipe
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
3.1.09

Oh, and now, you can RATE the recipes here on Gwen’s Nest!  I’m SO excited about that little tweak, and looking forward to your ratings and comments for how you tweak your homemade chili seasoning mix.

Happy fall, y’all!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: coconut free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, ground beef recipes, nut free, spice mix recipes

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Comments

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  1. Brooke says

    February 19, 2015 at 8:54 PM

    Made Chili for supper tonight. Hubby said it was the best EVER!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Makes me feel good to make a great chili without using those “packets” of spices. 🙂

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      February 20, 2015 at 10:18 PM

      *high five* Awesome, Brooke!

      Reply
  2. Nikki says

    December 30, 2015 at 1:54 PM

    Thank you for all of your recipes and posts. I have learned so much from you! I have a question about chili powder. When I look at a jar of “chili powder” there is already a blend of spices in it. Do you just use this blend and then add additional cumin, etc. or is it possible to actually purchase plain chili powder that contains only chilis? Thanks for your help.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      January 1, 2016 at 3:57 AM

      I buy plain chili powder…just ground up chilis. 🙂 I wasn’t aware of blends, but they may work too so long as they only contain chilis.

      Reply
  3. Linda says

    October 2, 2016 at 9:17 AM

    I’m ready for chili and this is THE BEST! I have used it often and get rave reviews. Tonight it is off to a church potluck. Fall is here and I need to make sure to have plenty of seasoning mix made! Thank you Gwen

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      October 2, 2016 at 4:41 PM

      I’m SO glad you’re enjoying it, Linda! Thanks for taking time to leave me an encouraging comment. <3

      Reply

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