Home-made Fajita Seasoning

Home-made Fajita Seasoning

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Last week when I made my Simple Steak Tacos, I mentioned I used Fajita seasoning to spice things up a bit. Actually I said I used my Home-made Fajita Seasoning. It’s super simple to make and you’ve probably got just about everything on hand to toss it together.

Home-made Fajita Seasoning

Home-made Fajita Seasoning

Stay away from those packets, which are more expensive than you’d think and can I just mention chemicals? Making your own means you can be in control of every ingredient. If you don’t want cornstarch (it helps keep everything free-flowing and helps it cling to whatever you’re cooking) don’t use it. Don’t like the added sugar or salt? Leave it out.

Tweak this however you’d like. It’s only very mildly spicy as is – so feel free to add more heat. If you’re like me, you’ll find all kinds of ways to use this Fajita Seasoning. Be sure to check out my growing list of Spice, Herb or Flavor Packet Substitutions.

Try drying the lime zest for this in the microwave. Super simple, done in a minute. See how here.

Home-made Fajita Seasoning

Home-made Fajita Seasoning

Home-made Fajita Seasoning

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried lime zest
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Mix together, store in a tightly lidded jar. Flavors will be best in the first six months.

May be used as a dry rub or added to a skillet of chicken, beef or pork for fajitas. Start with a tablespoon per pound.

If using this in a skillet with chicken, beef, pork or steak, heat to nearly desired doneness, add the desired amount of mix plus 1/4 cup of water & heat, stirring for a minute  two until mixture thickens and coats the meat.

from the kitchen of http://www.frugalhausfrau.com

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Click over to our latest Throwback Thursday post for links to their blogs and social media, rules and more info or, as always, to see all the links or add your own, click on the little blue frog, below.

As always, to view the links (there’s a photo of each post) or to add your own, click on the little blue frog, below!

And, as I do almost every Friday, I’ll be linking up to Angie’s Fiesta Friday  – this is Number 133 and Saucy Saturdays!!

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38 thoughts on “Home-made Fajita Seasoning”

  1. Pingback: Summer’s Most Requested Recipes! Home-made Fajita Seasoning — Frugal Hausfrau – Once Upon a Spice

  3. Rhonda Sittig

    Perfect Mollie! We go through so many of those little packets of fajita seasoning! Chicken fajitas is my go to. make it in 20 minutes dinner. This looks like something we would really use! Hope all’s well with you Blog-buddy! xo

    Reply
  9. Carlee

    I love buying single spices rather than mixes, but fajita packets are one of the things I have still been buying. No more! I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  10. Shari

    I love the idea of making your own fajita mix! I never would have thought of adding the lime zest, but I bet it is so good. I learned a lot from the comment section of this post, too! 🙂

    Reply
  11. anotherfoodieblogger

    Great idea to add the dried zest, Mollie. I make my own taco seasoning, and I need to make another batch STAT! I’m down to just a few tablespoons. (I make enough for a couple of pints so it lasts quite awhile).

    Reply
  13. A_Boleyn

    I often make my own seasoning mixes cause I don’t have things like poultry seasoning, Lawry’s seasoning salt etc in my pantry. And now I understand why you dry the citrus zest. I’ve always frozen it as it seems by the time I get around to my lemons and limes, the outside is a bit soft and won’t zest properly.

    I’m out of my fajita mix, I’ll have to give yours a try. How is your chili powder different from paprika?

    Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      Most chili powder is a blend of different chili and usually has some other ingredients in it, too. Usually a little oregano and salt. It’s rather a generic mix and it’s a little hotter than what most of the world calls sweet paprika, but what we in the states know as just paprika. It’s really only been the last decade or two in the States that one could buy any other paprika without ordering it or going to some kind of a specialty store.

      Probably the most common brand of chili powder is made by McCormick.

      Reply
      • A_Boleyn

        It’s the chili used in the bean dish ‘chili’? I’ve asked this question before though I can’t remember on whose blog. Some people are very particular and grind a specific type of dried chili pepper which they use in their cooking.

        Reply
        • FrugalHausfrau

          It sure is. Maybe I can clarify a bit. Chili powder is a blend of chile peppers and herbs & spices put out by the spice companies and the majority of us in the States use that in making Chili, the beany stew type concoction you’re talking about (unless you’re from Texas, where beans in Chili is reviled) especially every day type of Chili. Until the internet and Food Network, and a huge trendiness of Southwestern food in the ’90’s, probably most of the nation, unless one was in the Southwest ever even heard of the individual chiles that make up chili powder.

          Chili (the beany stew) has become a huge thing. There are Chili Contests and events and it’s kind of a thing to make a huge crockpot full of Chili for events like football games, tail gaiting events or food days at work. It seems to be acceptable for a lot of guys who are too manly to cook or guys who like to cook, too, to make Chili. (Kind of like it’s ok for guys to make Spaghetti sauce!) That might differ in your neck of the woods.

          So everyone wants to have the BEST Chili so they go far and beyond the generic “get dinner on the table” Chili and they get in to buying and toasting and grinding up their own chile peppers, and customizing the herb blend and using all kinds of different meats (pork, beef, sausages, bacon, and so on) and liquids (water, broths, beers, tequila, soda pop) etc. in their Chili. There are people who make their chili over a period of days. So it’s really morphed in to a thing over the last couple of decades.

          Anyway, I hope that helps!! It’s little crazy. But crazy good!

          Reply
          • A_Boleyn

            LOL

            Wow, that’s quite the response. I’ve been watching food shows for years so I know how obsessive people are about their chili … no beans, hand cut beef etc.

            My chili has beans, ground beef and the chili powder I buy in the grocery store. I think it IS McCormick. 🙂

            Reply
            • FrugalHausfrau

              Lol, then I retract my comment!!! Never mind, it took too long to write!! haha!! I think a simple YES would have sufficed…Here I thought maybe they didn’t have as much Chili in Canada! Well maybe my comment will help out someone else~!~

              Reply
              • A_Boleyn

                I love how enthusiastic you were about chili and all its intricacies. No need to retract your comment.

                There’s a Mexican grocery store I go to to restock on Mexican oregano … so much more flavourful than the generic stuff you generally get. I’ve grown Greek oregano and it’s amazing.

                I love using dried mulato, ancho and guajillo peppers to make enchilada sauce.

                http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/137452.html

                And the little dried red peppers you get in Indian grocery stores are lovely and hot and great in vindaloo.

                I get rhapsodic about cooking too. Which is why people roll their eyes when I start.

                Reply
              • anotherfoodieblogger

                A_Boylen, Mollie is spot-on with her descriptions I believe. Paprika is made from a very mild to benign chile pepper, and is used mostly for coloring and some flavor. True chile (with an ‘e’) powders are specific dried peppers ground up into the spice, and have all kinds of heat and taste levels depending on the chile pepper. Chili powder (with an “i”) are like Mollie said, it is a blend of different chile peppers and spices and is usually of mild to moderate heat depending the company brand you buy. I hope that helps!

                Reply

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