Chili Seasoning Recipe, Scaled to Your Batch

By , Ready Utilities

Budget Bytes' homemade chili seasoning mixes chili powder, ground cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and one batch replaces a store-bought chili seasoning packet.

Common batch sizes

Tap a batch size to load it into the calculator, and the exact amounts appear below.

Chili seasoning calculator

Scale by

Weight mode needs a USDA gram weight for every ingredient; ground cumin doesn't have one.

From 0.25 to 20. Use 0.5 for half a batch.

Salt

Grind changes how much salt fits in a spoon. Amounts match by weight.

Heat

Heat changes only the cayenne pepper. It's a taste preference, not part of the recipe.

Your batch

One batch seasons a pot of chili made with 1 pound of ground beef or turkey, so Per pound of meat is the quickest way to match your recipe. Budget Bytes notes that its recipes are tested in its Nashville test kitchen.

Salt and heat settings are preferences. Taste as you go.

The base recipe

Homemade Chili Seasoning

Adapted from Homemade Chili Seasoning, Budget Bytes

Yield: 1 recipe (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  1. Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Store airtight, away from heat and moisture, for up to six months.

Scale this recipe

On this page

Batch size chart

IngredientHalf batchBase batchDoubleTriple
chili powder1 1/2 tsp (4.1 g)1 tbsp (8.1 g)2 tbsp (16 g)3 tbsp (24 g)
ground cumin1/2 tsp1 tsp2 tsp1 tbsp
cayenne pepper1/8 tsp (0.2 g)1/4 tsp (0.5 g)1/2 tsp (0.9 g)3/4 tsp (1.4 g)
garlic powder1/8 tsp (0.4 g)1/4 tsp (0.8 g)1/2 tsp (1.6 g)3/4 tsp (2.3 g)
onion powder1/4 tsp (0.6 g)1/2 tsp (1.2 g)1 tsp (2.4 g)1 1/2 tsp (3.6 g)
salt1/2 tsp (3.0 g)1 tsp (6.0 g)2 tsp (12 g)1 tbsp (18 g)
pepper1/8 tsp (0.3 g)1/4 tsp (0.6 g)1/2 tsp (1.2 g)3/4 tsp (1.7 g)
Total volume1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp1/4 cup1/4 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp

Homemade Chili Seasoning from Budget Bytes, scaled with the site's kitchen rounding. Weights from USDA FoodData Central where USDA lists the exact form. Salt is shown as the recipe lists it.

Chili powder vs chili seasoning

Chili powder is one ingredient in this recipe. A Couple Cooks describes chili powder as a spice blend on its own, built on dried chiles and other spices. Chili seasoning goes further: Budget Bytes adds cumin, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, so the mix is ready to season a whole pot, the same job a seasoning packet does.

Out of chili powder? Make a stand-in with the chili powder substitute calculator, then use it for the tablespoon of chili powder here.

How the scaling works

Homemade Chili Seasoning totals 2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp as published, across 7 ingredients. Every one is multiplied by the same number, so chili powder stays 48% of the blend whatever size you make. Pick a multiplier directly, or enter the amount you want and the calculator works back to it from that 2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp total, or from the weight of meat you plan to season.

The salt and heat controls change only those lines. Turning the cayenne pepper down does not make the paprika go up. Amounts under 3 teaspoons round to the nearest 1/8 teaspoon, and larger amounts round to the nearest 1/4 teaspoon in tablespoons. Budget Bytes says to keep the seasoning airtight, away from heat and moisture, for up to six months.

Worked example: doubling the base recipe

IngredientBasex 2
chili powder1 Tbsp2 tbsp
ground cumin1 tsp2 tsp
cayenne pepper1/4 tsp1/2 tsp
garlic powder1/4 tsp1/2 tsp
onion powder1/2 tsp1 tsp
salt1 tsp2 tsp
pepper1/4 tsp1/2 tsp

How this was checked

Beth Moncel of Budget Bytes published the recipe this calculator scales. Cedrick Reese checked it on the Budget Bytes page for Ready Utilities, including the packet equivalence, the 1 pound use rate and the six-month storage note, all of which come from that page rather than from us. Gram weights come from USDA FoodData Central, and ground cumin, which USDA doesn't list, shows no weight. The recipe doesn't name its salt, so it's treated as table salt and converted to your salt by weight using each salt's own nutrition label.

Frequently asked questions

What is in chili seasoning?

Budget Bytes' recipe uses 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

How much should I make?

Budget Bytes says one batch equals one store-bought chili seasoning packet and seasons chili made with 1 pound of ground beef or turkey. Use Per pound of meat mode to match your pot.

How do I make chili seasoning with no chili powder?

Mix a chili powder stand-in first, such as 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne for each tablespoon, then use it in place of the chili powder in this recipe.

How long does homemade chili seasoning last?

Budget Bytes says to store it in an airtight container, away from heat and moisture, for up to six months.