I started making my own chili powder about 15 years ago and it’s so easy with such a delicious and fragrant result, that I’ve never bought chili powder since. Making your own chili powder is one of those great lazy kitchen projects that can happen in a low oven while you work on other things, filling your home with a warm spicy aroma.

Ingredients:
– 5 large dried Guajillo chili peppers
– 1/3 cup whole cumin seeds

How I Make It:
– Preheat Oven to 250 degrees
– Remove the stems, seeds, and ribs from the dried peppers and cut them into 1 inch pieces.
– In a dry skillet (I like to use cast iron), add the seeds and dried chili pieces and give it a shake so that everything is evenly distributed and roast 30 minutes or until the cumin seeds are lightly browned and the chili pieces become dry enough to easily break when crushed.
– Allow the mixture to cool completely.
– Pour into a spice grinder and grind until the ingredients become mostly powder with some small pieces of guajillo chilis and fibers of the cumin seeds.
– Allow the mixture to sit 3 minutes before removing the lid and carefully transfer to a spice jar, so that you don’t weaponize the chili powder by sending it airborne.

Tips:
* Safey gear (goggles, mask, food handling gloves) may be advisable depending on your sensitivity, but since we’re not using anything too spicy here, some common sense measures taken to avoid breathing in any chili powder should suffice. I do like to wear gloves when removing the seeds and ribs from any chili, even those with mild heat to ensure that I don’t rub anything even a little spicy into my eye later in the day.
* Because it’s a mild chili powder, you can add heat to your dish in whatever way you choose; fresh hot peppers, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or leave the heat out altogether if that’s what suits your palate.
* Your roasting time may vary according to the moisture content of the dried guajillos; even though they are dehydrated, they can range from pliable to crackable. Roast for additional time, checking on it every 5 minutes.
* If you want to be extra lazy with this kitchen project, Roast the ingredients for 20 minutes and then turn off your oven and go to bed. You’ll awake to roasted and cooled ingredients, ready for grinding!

I hope you’ll try my method for homemade chili powder and see how much more flavor it will add to your chili as well as anything else you make with chili powder! Also, if you’re looking for a great chili recipe, check out my crowd-pleasing recipe for Spicy Turkey Chili!

Happy Eating!