Chili Powder substitutes

Per 1 tbsp: 2 tsp paprika + 1/2 tsp ground cumin + 1/4 tsp cayenne + 1/4 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp dried oregano

Keeps the flavour role.

Essentially the commercial formula. Most shop-bought tins also contain salt, so if you are replacing one that did, season the dish a little more.

1:1, and cut the salt in the recipe

Keeps the flavour role.

Nearly the same blend with salt and usually a starch thickener added, so it will slightly thicken a wet dish as well as season it.

Per 1 tbsp: 2 tsp ancho powder + 1 tsp ground cumin

Keeps the flavour role.

Fruitier and deeper than the standard blend, and a little milder. Missing the garlic and oregano, so add a pinch of each for an exact match.

Use about half, then taste

Keeps the flavour role.

Smoky and considerably hotter, so scale it right back. It suits a beef chilli well but overwhelms a mild taco filling.

Per 1 tbsp: 2 1/2 tsp paprika + 1/2 tsp cayenne

Keeps the flavour role.

Gets the colour and the heat but none of the cumin, garlic or oregano that make chilli powder taste the way it does.

Use about 3/4, and cut the salt

Keeps the flavour role.

Built on thyme, pepper and a lot of salt rather than cumin. Recognisably not chilli powder, but it fills the savoury-spicy slot in a pinch.

1 tbsp harissa per 1 tbsp chili powder, and reduce other liquid slightly

Keeps the flavour role.

A wet paste, so it shifts the moisture balance, and it brings caraway and garlic. Usually hotter than an American chilli powder.