The Best Chili Powder Substitute

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If you are out of chili powder, here are The Best Chili Powder Substitutes so you don’t ruin you recipe. Theses substitutions will help you put the spice back into your recipe.

Close up image of Chili Powder in a white dish.

Best Chili Powder Substitute:

If you have have ever been in a middle of a recipe and are out of chili powder than these helpful substitutions are for you. We use chili powder a lot. It is used for a chili recipe and included in a taco seasoning blend.

You can’t make a tex mex Food without a teaspoon or two of chili powder. The Best Chili Powder Substitute is Homemade Chili Powder. It is a combination of easy spices so you always have some available to you.

So if your recipes calls for chili powder and your out, here are so helpful substitutions.

What is Chili Powder?

Chili Powder is a blend of several different spices that adds flavor to your dish. Chili Powder is used to add a little heat to your food. Dried chiles and other staple seasoning make up this season.

Unlike cayenne pepper, chili powder can be added for the right level of kick to your recipe. It adds smoky balanced flavor and color to your favorite dishes.

Each blend is different. The heat can vary based on the recipe. When purchased chili powder at the store it can vary from mild to hot chili powder. Making chili powder you can control the level of heat that you like.

Best Substitute for Chili Powder:

If you are looking for the best substitute for chili powder, make your own. We love preparing our own season blends. It is budget friendly and we usually always have the spices available.

We add the seasoning blends to a spice jar or stored in an airtight container so that it is easy to use.

Other substitutions that we have tried is black pepper, cajun seasoning and ancho chili powder.

1. Homemade Chili Powder Mix:

Homemade Chili Powder Mix is the best substitute. It is easy to prepare with staple seasonings. Here are the ingredients and their measurements that are needed to prepare your own.

Paprika – 2 tablespoons
Cumin – ½ tablespoons
Garlic Powder – ½ tablespoons
Onion Powder – 1 teaspoon
Oregano – 1 teaspoon
Cayenne – ¾ teaspoon

2. Chili Flakes:

If you have red pepper flakes but no chili powder, it would be a good substitute. Use a grinder to break up the dried chili flakes. It becomes a powder consistency to easily be a good replacement.

3. Paprika, Cumin, and Cayenne:

Paprika, Cumin, Cayenne is the next best substitute if these spices are mixed together. If you don’t have the other spices to make homemade, then you can use these three spices and get very close to chili powder.

Substitute ration for 1 tablespoon of chili powder. Blend 2 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of cumin, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

4. Hot Sauce:

Hot sauce is a great substitute if that is all that you have available. It is ideal if you are making soups or stews. Add in a few drops to your dish to have it a little heat.

Can you substitute Paprika for Chili Powder?

Yes, you can substitute paprika for chili powder. Paprika is one of the many spices that are included when you make Homemade Chili Powder. Paprika is made from more mild, sweet chili peppers.

If you use paprika as a replacement, it mind find your dish to be a sweeter and not as spicy.

Can you substitute Cumin for Chili Powder?

Ground Cumin is part of the seasoning blend when you make chili powder. So you can definitely use cumin but won’t produce the heat that chili powder provides.

Cumin is a good substitute for Chili Powder. We have also used Ancho Powder for as a replacement as well.

Recipes to use Chili Powder in:

Chili powder is one of those seasoning that we use a lot. It is great in our chili recipes as well as many tex mex dishes. These are some of my favorite recipes to use chili powder in: