How Chili Powder Is Made

It can be argued that chili powder is the most important part of a chili recipe, giving the dish its signature flavor. Chili powder is a spice mix made of ground herbs and chili peppers. There are a variety of chili powder mixes, and it’s even possible to create your own. Some include a lot of powdered garlic; others add some cumin and coriander or even oregano to the mix. What stays consistent is the presence of chili peppers. The ingredient mix is ground up finely to create chili powder.

What Chili Pepper Is in Chili Powder?

The most popular chilies to use in chili powder are:

• Ancho
• Cayenne
• Chipotle
• Aleppo
• Jalapeño
• Piri piri
• Pasilla

The most common way to buy many of these peppers at a grocery store is in dried form. Remove the stems and seeds, then place the dried chilies in a food processor to create chili powder.