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I’ve been making homemade spice blends my whole life, and this Fajita Seasoning recipe is the most popular one on the site. With nearly 500 5-star reviews, commenters can’t stop raving about how delicious this blend is!
As a classically-trained chef, I’ve perfected the art of creating spice blends that are full of flavor and properly-balanced. You always have the option to make them spicer if you love that, but they are family-friendly as written.
Put this Fajita Seasoning to work as a dry rub, a marinade, or even as a substitute for taco seasoning. Make a big batch and keep in the pantry because trust me, you’ll reach for it again and again!
Table of Contents
What is in Fajita Seasoning?
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Paprika: Both sweet and smoked paprika work here.
- Sugar: Leave this out if you want to.
- Cayenne pepper: Add more if you like spicy food, omit entirely if you don’t.
How to Make Fajita Seasoning
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store in an airtight container.
Should I use a spice grinder?
I HIGHLY recommend using a spice grinder if you want the freshest flavors for your spice blends. They’re not too expensive and make a tremendous difference in your cooking! The KRUPS Fast Touch Electric Grinder is my favorite one because it’s powerful and easy to clean. You can get it at Walmart for $19.98 but I recommend a few others in my best spice grinder roundup!
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes ¼ cup fajita seasoning which is enough to season 4 pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp.
- Storage: Store this spice blend covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
- Making chicken fajitas:
- In a plastic bag, add 2 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs), ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning. Mash until evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until crispy and browned on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet).
- Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add 3 bell peppers (sliced) and 1 red onion (sliced) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced chicken back to skillet for serving. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).
How to use Fajita Seasoning
Mexican Recipes
Chicken Fajitas
Mexican Recipes
Shrimp Fajitas
Mexican Recipes
Best Steak Fajita Recipe
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Fajita Veggies (Chipotle Copycat)
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Fajita Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- cayenne pepper to taste (see note 3)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Paprika: Both sweet and smoked paprika work here.
- Sugar: Leave this out if you want to.
- Cayenne pepper: Add more if you like spicy food, omit entirely if you don’t.
- Yield: This recipe makes ¼ cup fajita seasoning which is enough to season 4 pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp.
- Storage: Store this spice blend covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
- Making chicken fajitas:
- In a plastic bag, add 2 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs), ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning. Mash until evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until crispy and browned on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet).
- Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add 3 bell peppers (sliced) and 1 red onion (sliced) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced chicken back to skillet for serving. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
We absolutely love this seasoning. I need to make 2 cups, as we use this seasoning for all kinds of meat. I would love to see something on this site that allows me to increase the quantity of ingredients without having to convert the measurement on my own
Hi Lynne, thank you so much for writing! I’m so glad you love it! You can adjust the slider in the recipe, but unfortunately, it doesn’t go all the way up to 32 tablespoons (2 cups). Here are the measurements so you don’t have to:
10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons
5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons onion powder
cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
Take care! – Meggan
Looks amazing wil try this very soon
Hope you love it, Jennifer! – Meggan
Perfect. Absolutely perfect. In a hurry, I sautรฉd onions and green peppers, then added 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning. I added frozen Tyson grilled chicken strips and stirred until the chicken warmed and served in a low carb tortilla with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. I seldom get positive comments about dinner, but I did tonight!! This was so fast and easy. Iโll definitely be making this again!
So glad you loved it, Barbara! Thank you for taking the time to write! – Meggan
This is a great fajita mix recipe base for sure, I added a few extra things and a little more cayenne for heat but it’s pretty much zeroed in on the fajita flavor. I really appreciate how this recipe includes making chicken fajitas and how it goes into detail. Much thanks from Texas.
You’re so welcome, TJ! Thank you and take care! – Meggan
Excellent!!
Thank you, Laurie! – Meggan
Great recipe! I halved it b/c there was 2 of us and I had 2 chicken breasts, I added 1 Tbsp of Arrowroot to make a thicker sauce but otherwise I followed the recipe and it turned out great. I’ll definitely make this again thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Bridgitte! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! – Meggan
Love this mix! Itโs so simple to make and lasts for several meals. Once youโve assembled this and used it you wonโt buy the shop bought version again. My son is a chef and he thinks itโs excellent so thatโs good enough for me ๐
Thank you Meggan
You’re so welcome, Amanda! What a great complement, thank you! I’m glad you both enjoy this blend. – Meggan
Why do you buy chilli powder. Make that as well and just incorporate the ingredients into the recipe
Hi Jake, for convenience. Would you please share what chilies you prefer in yours? – Meggan
I want to make a big batch for several times Is the recommended ?
Hi Jacqueline, you can absolutely make this as a big batch. You can use the slider in the servings to adjust up to 20 tablespoons (5 times the recipe) to help with the math up to that amount. Make sure to store covered in the pantry and use within 6 months. – Meggan
This recipe worked perfectly, I have skills but I recommend it. I even didn’t have cumin available. But I pulled out my inner Mexican side and blew it out of the skillet. I used skirt steak ๐ฅฉ and carne.
So happy you loved it! Thanks for taking the time to write. – Meggan