Learn how to make ancho chili powder at home from dried ancho chiles for the freshest, most vibrant flavor, much better than store bought and lasts months.
Homemade Ancho Chili Powder Recipe
Looking to make your own ancho chili powder from scratch? It's very easy. All you need are dried ancho peppers and a spice grinder or food processor.
There are many reasons to make your own ancho powder from scratch. You may have run out of your favorite brand, or a recipe calls for ancho powder. The best reason to make it at home is for flavor.
When you grind anchos yourself, the result is much more pungent and powerful than anything from the grocery store.
What is Ancho Chili Powder?
Ancho chili powder is a pure chili powder made from ground ancho chilies, which are dried poblano peppers. It is used as a seasoning for many dishes, known for it's earthy, smoky flavor with a slight sweetness and very mild heat.
It's a popular ingredient for making pots of chili, soups, stews, salsas, and sauces, and also adding color to specific dishes.
Let's talk about how to make ancho chili powder, shall we?
Ancho Chili Powder Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Ancho Chili Peppers. Anchos are dried poblano peppers popular in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Learn more about ancho peppers.
How to Make Ancho Chili Powder - the Recipe Method
Remove the stems and seeds, then chop and process the anchos in spice grinder or strong food processor. See my recommended products below.
Strain out any larger bits, then process those bits and sift again. You can make a coarse or fine ancho powder, to your preference.
Store in a spice jar in a cool, dry place.
Boom! Done! Your homemade ancho chile powder is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? This is the freshest ancho powder you'll ever get.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Use ancho chili powder in any recipe that calls for dried ancho peppers. 1 average sized ancho pepper makes roughly 1.5-2 tablespoons of powder.
Storage
Store ancho powder in a sealed container in a cool, dry place, like a pantry. It will last 12 months or even longer, but it does begin to lose flavor and pungency after 6 months, so it is best to make smaller batches that you will use in that timeframe.
Below are a few frequently asked questions about homemade ancho powder.
What to Make with Ancho Powder?
Ancho powder is great for making sauces and flavoring soups, stews, and more. Try some of these recipes:
Ancho Chili Powder Vs Chili Powder
Ancho chili powder is a single ingredient seasoning, made specifically from dried ancho peppers.
"Chili Powder" typically refers to a blend of one or multiple chili powders made from dried chilies with other ingredients, such as cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs, and salt, mostly used for making pots of chili.
Ancho Chili Powder Substitutes
If you can't find or make ancho powder, consider other ground Mexican chilies such as guajillo, pasilla, or mulato. Or, try an American chili powder blend.
You can use crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for heat, but they won't give you the same flavor.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this homemade ancho powder recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
Are you interested in dehydrating your own peppers to make your own homemade chili powders and blends? Check out my cookbook below.
- The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Recommended Products
- Buy Ancho Chiles (affiliate link, my friends!)
- Ninja Magic Bullet Blender (affiliate link, my friends!) - I use this all the time for grinding my own powders.
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Homemade Ancho Chili Powder Recipe
Equipment
- Spice Grinder (or Food Processor or Blender)
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces dried ancho chili peppers (about 4 average sized anchos)
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from the ancho peppers.
- Cut the dried anchos into small pieces and process them in a spice grinder or strong food processor or blender into a powder.
- Sift the ground ancho powder to strain out the larger bits, then process those bits and sift again. You can make a coarse or fine ancho powder.
- Store in a spice jar in a cool, dry place.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Glenn says
Do you smoke the Plabano pepper before you dehydrate it?
Mike Hultquist says
Glenn, they are typically just dried, but you can smoke them for extra smoky flavor. Learn more about ancho peppers here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/sweet-mild-chili-peppers/ancho-chili-peppers/
Raymond Rivera says
have made it before (toast first on pan set in oven until hard than break apart no seeds grind in blender added tomatoes roasted or jalapenos pepper ️ chipotle in can garlic fresh make sauce for everything Mexican tacos there are other chili dry me buy 1bag each I cook a lot thanks
Mike H. says
Awesome. Have you tried my other chili powders yet? I bet you will enjoy those, too.
Brigitte Sterckx says
Hello dear,
Maybe you can define the Ancho, lots of people don't know that it is the dried version of the Poblano chili.
grtz from Belgium
Brigitte
Mike Hultquist says
Hello, Brigitte. There is a section in the post that discusses this - What Is Ancho Chili Powder? Thanks!
Lynn Munger says
I've got another one for you Mike. I make fermented pepper sauces, usually with 1/2 of the peppers heavily smoked and the remainder raw so they will ferment. After the ferment is done we strain off the brine and grind up the fermented peppers in a Vita-Mix with a little of the brine mixed back in. The sauce is then strained.
Now the new trick. I take the left over mash from the strainer, spread it out on the fruit leather tray of my dehydrator and dry it down. Then I grind that in the spice grinder for flakes and powder.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds perfect, Lynn. I love it and do this as well. I actually have a post on Making Seasonings From Strained Hot Sauce Pulp - https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/seasonings-from-hot-sauce-pulp/
Giles Peacock says
Another GREAT recipe as are many many others. You are my go to guy for every thing spicy. Thank You for this wonderful blog.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Giles! I appreciate it! YOU ROCK! =)
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had homemade ancho chili powder before perfect for snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike Hultquist says
It's great, Ramya.
Teresa General says
I love and appreciate all of your recipes. I might not be able to eat foods with all the spice you guys can handle but I tweak them. Thank you for them all.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Teresa. I appreciate it.