A homemade chorizo recipe that’s easy to make and more flavorful than store bought! This highly-seasoned Mexican sausage is made from ground pork, spices and seasonings, and other kitchen staples like garlic and vinegar.
Mexican chorizo is one of the most flavorful sausages you can buy. Typically made from ground pork or a mixture of pork and beef, it’s used in many Mexican recipes to add a punch of flavor since it’s so highly seasoned!
Unlike Spanish chorizo, Mexican chorizo is uncured and must be cooked first. It can be found in many grocery stores either in the meat section or in the refrigerated aisles with the link sausages.
Depending on where you live, Mexican chorizo may not be easy to find.
Luckily, this chorizo recipe is easy to make, way more flavorful than store-bought, and also healthier!
Ingredients you’ll need
To make chorizo at home, here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground Pork: You can use regular, lean or extra-lean ground pork. I used extra-lean and the end results were delicious! If you want your chorizo very fatty (which is typically what store-bought chorizo is like), you can use regular.
- Chili Powders: Traditionally, chorizo is made from rehydrating dried chiles like ancho and guajillo and then pureeing them into a paste. However, I wanted to keep things extra simple so I used a mix of ancho chili powder and regular chili powder instead. Both are widely available in most grocery stores nowadays in the spice aisle.
- Paprika: In addition to chili powder, I used a good amount of paprika to give the chorizo that signature red color.
- Mexican Spices: You’ll also need some ground cumin, dried oregano (I recommend using Mexican oregano if you have it) and ground coriander.
- Garlic: 2 cloves of freshly minced garlic is all you need. You can mince it by hand or use a garlic press if you have one.
- Cinnamon and Cloves: Just a pinch of these ground spices goes a long way. They pair beautifully with the chili powders and Mexican spices, and rounds out all the flavors.
- Salt: Store-bought chorizo is often on the salty side, which is why I love it so much! I cut down on the salt a little bit since saltiness if often personal preference. Be sure to taste and add more salt if you need to once it’s cooked.
How to make homemade chorizo
First, mix together all the dried spices in a small bowl.
This will help make sure all the spices are evenly distributed so that you get the same flavor with each bite of chorizo.
Next, combine the ground pork, minced garlic, vinegar and the chorizo spices in a large mixing bowl.
Use your hands to really mix everything together. Every inch of ground pork should be seasoned.
That’s it! You can use it immediately just like you would any store-bought chorizo.
Cooking and storage
To cook chorizo, saute it in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes, until it’s fully cooked through. You can break it up into small pieces with your spatula while it’s cooking like other ground meat recipes, or you can form little chorizo patties instead.
If you don’t want to use it right away, it can be stored in an airtight container like a zip-top bag for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
Ways to use chorizo
Chorizo can be used in so many Mexican recipes and is a beloved ingredient in my house. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:
- Cooked with eggs: A classic Mexican breakfast is chorizo and eggs in which the chorizo is cooked, then whisked eggs are added and scrambled together with the sausage.
- Tacos: Use it as a filling in classic hard shell tacos or in these breakfast tacos alongside potatoes and eggs.
- Breakfast Hash: Combine with breakfast potatoes and fried eggs for an easy breakfast hash.
- Appetizers and party food: Chorizo makes the perfect topping for nachos, pizza, queso fundido or mixed into queso dip!
- Soups and stews: Use in chilis, stews and hearty soups to add a boost of flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add paprika, ground cumin, ancho chili powder, regular chili powder, dried oregano, dried coriander, coarse kosher salt, ground cinnamon and ground cloves. Mix together to combine.
- In a large bowl, add ground pork, the combined chorizo seasonings, white vinegar and minced garlic. Mix everything together with your hands until well combined.
- Use immediately in your favorite recipe or store for later.
Steven says
Really tasty. I substituted ground cayenne pepper for the chili powder and doubled the salt.
Dan says
I’ve made chorizo from other recipes but this is the best result yet.
Ancho chili powder isn’t commonly available here so I used New Mexico chili powder. The result was a little hotter than I’d prefer so next time I’ll reduce the amount of chili powder a bit. That was a problem with my substitution, not with the recipe. I’ll definitely make this again.
Jill says
Delicious will use it in my bahn mi sandwich. Iwould cut salt back by half, then add more if you like more salt.
A definite keeper.
Don’t be afraid of spices.
Marina says
Loved it!!!
Tim says
I just made this today with extra-lean ground turkey, and it was so delicious and flavorful! Next time, I might add a pinch of red chili flakes to give it a touch of heat.
Louise Fromuth says
I made this today with Beyond sausage meat (vegan) and it was out of this world. Will definitely do again.
JJ says
Good tip to know that ground turkey is a good sub! Have to try this!
Marlen says
Excellent recipe. This is a very good recipe. Taste almost as good as a certain brand I can’t seem to find since I’ve relocated to another state. I tried this recipe using ground venison to make breakfast egg and chorizo tacos. Will definitely keep this recipe.
Suzanne says
My stepdad used to make homemade chorizo in large amounts for his restaurant. He would form patties out of it and freeze them. When someone came in and ordered some chorizo he could whip out a bag or however many he needed, dice up And sauté some onion, add the chorizo patty cover and chop it up as it defrosted and cooked. Great way to make a big batch and use as needed.
Stephanie Dodds says
Ancho chili powder is not available where I live. I know! Heartbreaking. =( What do you suggest as a substitute?
Isabel says
If you can’t find ancho chili powder, I suggest using regular chili powder instead. I think that’s the closest you’ll be able to get.
Varun Sharma says
Made this today. Absolutely superb! Thanks for the recipe.
B Houle says
Great chorizo! I have from time to time lived in places where good fresh Mexican chorizo is not available, and have tried many, many recipes for a home-made version, with no luck. But this is it! I will never be out of chorizo again! Thank you!! Delicious!
Elliott says
I just made this chorizo for dinner tonight. It was really easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Minerva says
How many dry ancho & guajiro chiles would you use instead of powder? Once they’re rehydrates & seeds/stem removed would you just blend with a little water to make the paste?
Minerva says
Guajillo!
Isabel says
Hi Minerva, I haven’t tested the recipe using whole dried chiles so I’m not quite sure how many you would need. But yes, you would blend them once they’re rehydrated and make a paste.