I bought a trio of ground Mexican chiles—ancho, guajillo, and chipotle—and decided to combine them into a homemade Mexican spice blend.
Each chile brings something different to the blend. Ancho adds a deep, slightly sweet chile flavor, guajillo brings a brighter fruity note, and chipotle adds smoky heat.
The result is a flavorful red chile seasoning that you can use for Mexican rice, tacos, beans, enchiladas, roasted vegetables, and more.
As a former professional chef, I like making spice blends this way because I can control the flavor and adjust the heat instead of relying on a premade seasoning packet.
I found a company who sells the three chile powders as a pack which is helpful because usually you have to buy these three separately, or as whole chiles. It’s made by El Molcajete, here’s what they look like:
Check price of the El Molcajete chile spice pack on Amazon >
What Is in This Mexican Spice Blend?
The base of this blend is three ground chiles:
- Ancho chile powder – deep, mildly sweet and fruity
- Guajillo chile powder – bright, slightly fruity chile flavor
- Chipotle chile powder – smoky and noticeably hotter
I also added tomato powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, and salt.
Homemade Mexican Spice Blend
- 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 2 tablespoons guajillo chile powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
Mix everything together thoroughly and store the blend in an airtight container.
This makes about ¾ cup of seasoning.
Why Use Three Different Chile Powders?
You could make a seasoning with just one chile powder, but combining different chiles gives you more complexity.
Ancho provides the foundation. It has a deep chile flavor with a mild sweetness.
Guajillo adds brightness and a fruity chile flavor without making the blend extremely hot.
Chipotle brings the smoky flavor. Because chipotle is made from smoked jalapeños, you don’t need much to make the smoky flavor noticeable.
Together, they create a blend that tastes much more interesting than simply adding chili powder.
How to Use Homemade Mexican Spice Blend
This blend isn’t just for one recipe. Try it in:
- Mexican rice
- Tacos
- Burrito bowls
- Black or pinto beans
- Enchilada sauce
- Chili
- Roasted potatoes
- Roasted cauliflower
- Sautéed vegetables
- Grilled or roasted corn
- Homemade salsa
- Pozole
Start with a small amount and add more to taste, especially if you’re sensitive to spicy foods.
Mexican Rice with the Spice Blend
I wanted to see what the blend actually tasted like in food, so I used it to make Mexican-style red rice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1½ tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons homemade Mexican spice blend
- 1¾ cups water or vegetable broth
Instructions
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and toast it for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until some of the grains become lightly golden.
Add 2 tablespoons of the Mexican spice blend and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add the water or vegetable broth and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low.
Cook for about 15–18 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 5–10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
How Does the Mexican Spice Blend Taste?
The ancho and guajillo provide most of the chile flavor, while the chipotle gives the rice a subtle smoky character.
If you want more heat and smoke, increase the chipotle the next time you make the blend. If you want a milder blend, reduce the chipotle and increase the ancho.
That’s one of my favorite things about making your own spice blend: you can make it taste the way you want.
Chef’s Tip
If you’re buying individual chile powders, don’t feel like you need to use each one in a completely different recipe.
Make a batch of this blend once and keep it in your pantry. Then you have a ready-to-use seasoning for quick meals throughout the week.
The same blend can take plain rice, beans, roasted vegetables, or tacos from basic to much more flavorful with very little effort.
The three chile powders I used: Check price of the El Molcajete chile spice pack on Amazon >
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