How To Make Mexican Chili Paste

If you love spicy food, you need to make this smoky Mexican chili paste!

Ever since I made my own, I never got back to store bought. It’s easy, completely customisable, and it adds a fantastic flavor boost to any dishes like this Keto Chili where you can use it instead of all of the spices. This chili paste is also great for marinating meat and adding a flavour to veggie sides such as cauliflower rice.

You can easily adjust the heat by using different chilies. I used 2 Chipotle, 4 Ancho, 2 Arbol, 2 Guajillo, 1 Passila, 1 Cascabel and 1 Mulato Chilies. This combination results in mild-spicy Mexican chili paste. If you prefer your chili paste mild, avoid using Chipotle peppers. If you prefer more heat, add some Arbol chilies or more Chipotle chilies.

It's best if you wear gloves when handling hot peppers, especially if you are sensitive. Make sure to wash your hands afterwards and avoid touching your eyes at any cost.

Step-by-step

1. Depending on the desired heat, use a combination of your favourite chilies.

   

2. Meanwhile, dry-roast the peppers in a hot skillet for just a minute or two until fragrant.

3. Place the chilies in a pot and cover with boiling water. Place a lid on top and let them sit for 20-30 minutes.

4. Optionally, you can briefly dry-roast the cumin like I did the spices in my Homemade Harissa Paste (just use 2 tablespoons of whole seeds instead of 1 tablespoon of powder). Once roasted and fragrant, use a mortar and pestle to break into pieces.

   

5. Drain the chilies, remove the stems and seeds and place them in a food processor or blender.

   

6. Add soaked chilies, cumin, paprika, onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

   

7. Place the paste in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. Place any remaining chili paste in an ice-cube tray and freeze for up to 3 months.

   

Recipe

How To Make Mexican Chili Paste

★★★★★4.7 (264 ratings)

This easy homemade Mexican chili paste is packed with flavor. It's ideal for marinating meat & veggies and ...

Hands on

20m

Overall

1h

Servings

32

1.3 g

Net carbs

0.4 g

Protein

2.2 g

Fat

27

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings32 servings64 servings96 servings128 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes about 2 cups/ 480 g/ 17 oz

• 85 g dried Mexican chilies (3 oz) - any combination of Guajillo, New Mexico, Ancho, Chipotle, Arbol
• 1 tbsp ground cumin or 2 tbsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped (110 g/ 3.9 oz)
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced or ¹/₂ tsp garlic powder
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (15 ml)
• 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• ¹/₂ tsp black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

1. Depending on the desired heat, use a combination of your favourite chilies.

2. Meanwhile, dry-roast the peppers in a hot skillet for just a minute or two until fragrant.

3. Place the chilies in a pot and cover with boiling water. Place a lid on top and let them sit for 20-30 minutes.

4. Optionally, you can briefly dry-roast the cumin like I did the spices in my Homemade Harissa Paste (just use 2 tablespoons of whole seeds instead of 1 tablespoon of powder). Once roasted and fragrant, use a mortar and pestle to break into pieces.

5. Drain the chilies, remove the stems and seeds and place them in a food processor or blender.

6. Add soaked chilies, cumin, paprika, onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

7. Place the paste in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week. Place any remaining chili paste in an ice-cube tray and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

Carbs 19%Protein 6%Fat 75% of calories

Net carbs

1.3 g

Total carbs

2.2 g

Fiber

0.9 g

Sugars

0.6 g

Protein

0.4 g

Fat

2.2 g

Saturated fat

0.3 g

Calories

27 kcal

Sodium

74 mg · 3.23% RDA

Magnesium

2 mg · 0.38% RDA

Potassium

16 mg · 0.78% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Peppers, chile (chili), flaked and dried, spices	0.8 g	0.3 g	0.5 g	8
Cumin, ground	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Paprika, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Onion, brown (yellow), raw	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1
Garlic, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	1.7 g	15
Balsamic vinegar, dark (excludes sweet, syrupy vinegar)	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	1.3 g	0.4 g	2.2 g	27

Serving size 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Low FODMAP
• Vegetarian
• Vegan