This Homemade Fajita Seasoning is quick and easy to stir together – a great replacement for a packet of spice mix if you happen to run out, or if you prefer to make your own from scratch!

homemade fajita seasoning in black metal dish with spoon

Fajita Spice Mix

This spice mix is quick and easy to make – and it is full of flavor!
Use it in your favorite recipes, or make a double batch to gift someone packed up in a pretty ½ cup-sized jar.
You can make this as spicy or as mild as you want – customize it to match your family’s needs!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for homemade fajita seasoning with text labels — Ingredients for Fajita Seasoning: Chili powder, ground cumin, ground paprika, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

Ingredient notes

Chili powder: For a mild seasoning, use more ground paprika in place of some of the chili powder, or replace all of the chili powder with ground paprika for an extra-mild and kid-friendly fajita seasoning mix.
Smoked paprika: I love smoked paprika in this recipe, because it adds that delicious fire-roasted taste to the fajitas. If you don’t have this on hand, just replace it with ground paprika. The mix will lack a little in depth, but it’s still good.
Cayenne pepper: This adds some extra kick. Feel free to leave it out if you don’t have it or if you need your seasoning mix to be extra mild.
Sugar: The sugar helps with caramelization once you use the seasoning mix for chicken, steak, shrimp… I like the result it yields, but if you need to leave it out for dietary reasons then just skip it.

How to make Fajita Seasoning

Just combine all of the spices in a bowl until thoroughly mixed! I use a fork or a small whisk (play-kitchen-aged kids for the win ?) to really break up any lumps and make sure the spices are fully blended.

female hands mixing fajita spices with a fork in a white bowl — combine spices thoroughly

fajita seasoning in white bowl with spoon — combine spices thoroughly

Then either store in an airtight jar or use in your favorite fajita recipes!

overhead view of homemade fajita seasoning in black bowl with spoon, surrounded by sliced peppers and onions

Storage tips

This doesn’t make an enormous amount, but it should be enough for 2-3 meals. Keep any leftover seasoning mix in a dry (very important!), well-closed jar.

You can also make a double or triple batch to last you a little longer. But it’s best to use it within 6 months or so, because ground spices start losing their flavor after a while.

Recipe ideas

Use your Fajita seasoning in sheet pan chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, regular chicken fajitas… Or use it to replace the taco mix in a batch of delicious chicken quesadillas!

overhead close up view of chicken fajita filling in black cast iron skillet

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.