Homemade Mexican Chorizo Recipe

Homemade Mexican Chorizo Recipe

We're making homemade Mexican chorizo in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends, and I make this one all the time. It takes about 5 minutes to mix, with no casings and no special equipment.

Store-bought chorizo works in a pinch, but making your own lets you control the fat, the salt and the heat. It's also one of my favorite recipes in my cookbook, Flavor Madness.

What is Chorizo?

Mexican chorizo is a fresh, raw sausage seasoned with chilies, spices and vinegar. Pork is the traditional meat. Beef chorizo (chorizo de res) is popular too, and you'll find chicken, turkey and soy versions in many stores.

Because it's raw, you always cook Mexican chorizo before eating it. It crumbles in the pan like ground meat and turns everything a deep, beautiful red.

It's an incredibly versatile ingredient. You'll find it in tacos, burritos, breakfast tacos, scrambled eggs, tostadas, soups and so much more.

Mexican Chorizo vs. Spanish Chorizo

These two share a name, but they are quite different, and you can't swap them in most recipes.

• Mexican chorizo is a fresh, raw, loose sausage seasoned with dried chilies, spices and vinegar. You cook it, then crumble it into dishes.
• Spanish chorizo is a cured, dried sausage seasoned mainly with smoked paprika (pimentón) and garlic. You can slice it and eat it as is, or cook with it.

If a recipe says to brown or crumble chorizo, it wants Mexican-style.

Let's talk about how to make Mexican chorizo, shall we?

Mexican Chorizo Ingredients

• Ground Pork. Fatty pork works best, like ground pork shoulder or a 70/30 blend. Ground beef works great too. See my beef chorizo notes below.
• Paprika. I like smoked paprika or hot paprika, though any paprika will work.
• Cayenne.
• Ancho Powder. You can use rehydrated anchos, pureed, or freshly ground whole pods.
• Guajillo Powder. You can use rehydrated guajillos, pureed, or freshly ground whole pods.
• Garlic Powder. Fresh minced garlic is great, too.
• Cumin. I prefer to toast and grind my own cumin seeds for more pronounced flavor.
• Oregano. Use Mexican oregano if you have it.
• Coriander.
• Mexican Cinnamon. Also called canela. It's softer and sweeter than the cassia cinnamon sold in most US stores.
• Ground Clove. Just a little adds warmth. The cinnamon and clove are a big part of what makes chorizo taste like chorizo.
• Red Wine Vinegar.
• Salt and Pepper.

How to Make Chorizo

Here's how to make chorizo at home. It really is this simple.

1. Add the meat. Add the ground pork (or beef) to a large bowl.
2. Add the seasonings. Add the paprika, cayenne, ancho and guajillo powders, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, clove, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
3. Mix by hand. Mix until the spices and vinegar spread evenly through the meat. It gets its deep red color from all those spices. Wear gloves, because the chilies will stain your hands.
4. Test it (optional). Fry a small pinch in a hot pan, taste it, and adjust the salt or heat before you cook or freeze the whole batch.
5. Cook or store. Cook it right away, or package it for the fridge or freezer.

Boom! Done! Your spicy Mexican sausage is ready to go! At this point you can package and freeze it, or you can cook it up and get to making all sorts of wonderful spicy recipes. What are you making?

Want a smoother texture? Pulse the mixed chorizo a few times in a food processor. It comes out closer to the texture of store-bought chorizo.

How to Cook Chorizo

Mexican chorizo cooks a lot like ground meat.

1. Heat the pan. Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fatty pork chorizo barely needs it, so use less if you like.
2. Add the chorizo. Break it apart with a wooden spoon or a meat masher.
3. Cook it through. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until it's browned, a little crispy at the edges and cooked through to 160°F.
4. Drain, or don't. Spoon off some of the red fat if you want it leaner. Or keep it and cook your eggs or potatoes right in it. That fat is pure flavor.

Garnish and serve. Perfect for making chorizo tacos, burritos, Mexican tortas, adding to soups, stews, stuffed peppers, just about any of your favorite spicy foods.

How do you know it's done? Chorizo stays red when it's cooked, so color won't tell you. Look for crumbly, slightly crisp bits with no glossy raw spots, or check for 160°F on a thermometer.

How to cook beef chorizo. Beef chorizo cooks the same way, in the same time. Leaner beef renders less fat, so keep the tablespoon of oil in the pan.

Chorizo patties. Shape the mix into thin patties and pan-fry them until they reach 160°F inside. They're great on breakfast sandwiches and burgers.

How Spicy Is This Chorizo?

This chorizo has a real kick, mostly from a full tablespoon of cayenne. The ancho and guajillo bring deep chili flavor with only mild heat. Take it from mild to wild:

• Milder. Cut the cayenne to 1 teaspoon, or leave it out. You'll still get plenty of chili flavor from the ancho and guajillo.
• Hotter. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons chile de árbol powder, or a minced fresh habanero.
• Wild. Add 1/4 teaspoon ghost pepper powder. Just a little, my friends.

Beef Chorizo

To make beef chorizo (chorizo de res), use the same amount of ground beef in place of the pork. Fattier beef has the most flavor. Leaner beef works, but it cooks up drier. Everything else in the recipe stays the same.

Ground chicken or turkey work too. They're lean, so expect a drier chorizo, and cook them to 165°F.

Homemade Chorizo Seasoning

Want chorizo seasoning on hand? Mix all the dry spices from the recipe, everything except the meat and vinegar, and store it in an airtight jar.

One batch makes about 1/2 cup, enough for 1.5 pounds of meat, or about 1/3 cup per pound. When you're ready to cook, mix it into the meat with the 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar.

How Long Does Chorizo Last?

• Raw, in the fridge. Use within 1 to 2 days, like any raw ground meat.
• Cooked, in the fridge. It keeps 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
• In the freezer. Freeze raw chorizo in sealable freezer bags or containers for 3 to 4 months for the best quality. Thaw it overnight in the fridge.

I like to wrap mine in plastic in sausage shapes like they sell in stores. However, you can also flatten the meat into baggies to optimize your freezer space.

No casings are needed to enjoy it.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my recipe. Let me know if you make it and how you spiced it up. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. 

My Favorite Chorizo Recipes

• Queso Fundido
• Chorizo con Huevos (Mexican Chorizo and Eggs)
• Papas con Chorizo (great side dish!)
• Chorizo Stuffed Peppers
• Sopa de Fideo
• Charro Beans
• Migas
• Chilaquiles
• Chorizo Tacos
• Breakfast Burrito
• Spicy Breakfast Tacos
• Short Rib and Chorizo Chili
• Mexican Rice and Beans with Chorizo
• Get More Chorizo Recipes

Try Some of My Other Popular Mexican Recipes

• Rajas Poblanas
• Mexican Picadillo
• Beef Enchiladas
• Sofritas
• Mexican Rice
• See all of my Mexican Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

What meat is chorizo made of?

Mexican chorizo is traditionally made with ground pork. Beef chorizo is very popular too, and you can make it with chicken, turkey or even soy. My recipe works with pork or beef.

Is Mexican chorizo raw?

Yes. Mexican chorizo is a fresh, uncured sausage, so you need to cook it before eating. Cook pork or beef chorizo to 160°F, and chicken or turkey chorizo to 165°F.

What's the difference between Mexican and Spanish chorizo?

Mexican chorizo is fresh and raw, seasoned with dried chilies and vinegar, and you cook it before eating. Spanish chorizo is cured and dried, seasoned mainly with smoked paprika, and you can slice it and eat it as is.

Is chorizo spicy?

Most Mexican chorizo has some heat, but it varies a lot by brand and recipe. My version has a real kick from cayenne. Cut the cayenne for a milder chorizo, or add chile de árbol or habanero to push it hotter.

How do you cook chorizo?

Cook it in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it apart with a spoon, until it's browned and cooked through to 160°F. Drain some of the fat if you like.

Do I need sausage casings to make chorizo?

No. Mexican chorizo is usually cooked loose and crumbled, so no casings needed. You can shape it into patties, or wrap it in plastic in sausage shapes for the freezer.

Can I use whole dried chilies instead of chili powder?

Yes. Toast and grind whole ancho and guajillo pods into powder and use the same amounts. You can also rehydrate them and puree them into a paste, which gives you a wetter, smoother chorizo.

How long does homemade chorizo last?

Raw chorizo keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Cooked chorizo keeps 3 to 4 days. Frozen raw chorizo keeps its best quality for 3 to 4 months.

Is homemade chorizo greasy?

It depends on your meat. Fatty pork renders a good amount of red fat, which you can spoon off or use for cooking. Leaner pork or beef gives you a less greasy chorizo with a bit less flavor.