Homemade fajita seasoning is perfect for chicken, shrimp, steak or vegetables! Whip it up with simple pantry spices and avoid unhealthy additives that you might find in store-bought seasoning.
The magic of simple pantry spices...it's unbelievable the flavor they can add to a recipe! Like my favorite homemade taco seasoning, this homemade fajita seasoning is 100x more flavorful than store bought, and takes minutes to mix together.
Traditionally, fajitas were made with skirt steak, but you can use this seasoning on so much more than that: chicken, pork, seafood, and even portobello mushrooms!
We love to use this recipe to add unbelievable flavor to strips of chicken, bell peppers and onions for our sheet pan chicken fajitas, but you could also cook them up on the stove top or on the grill.
And you can think beyond the traditional fajita, using this seasoning to add flavor to vinaigrettes, soups and more.
Reasons you'll ♡ this homemade fajita seasoning
- it's simple and ready in under 10 minutes
- it tastes better than store bought and is free from chemical additives
- it's delicious on chicken, shrimp, steak or vegetables
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How to prepare
To prep fajita seasoning, we will combine brown sugar (or coconut sugar), chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne. Stir to combine. Use the seasoning right away, or store in the pantry in an air tight container for up to a year.
Recipe tips
- sugar- most fajita seasoning recipes do not include sugar, but I found it to compliment the flavors really well. Leave it out if you'd prefer
- cayenne- as written this spice blend has a very mild spice to it. Feel free to increase the cayenne to make it spicier or leave it out entirely.
- marinade- turn this into a marinade by combining with lime juice and olive oil.
- salt- this seasoning blend includes salt, so you should not need to add salt to whatever you are putting it on.
- this recipe makes close to ½ cup but can easily be doubled or tripled and stored long term.
How to use this seasoning?
Before adding the seasoning, toss your protein or vegetables in some olive oil and lime juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning, and toss to coat.
There are many different ways you can cook your fajitas:
- slow cooker- see my Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
- sheet pan- see my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- skillet- works great for shimp! Sautee until protein is cooked through and onions + peppers are soft
- grill- works great for steak! Grill until protein is cooked through and onions + peppers are soft (you may want to invest in a veggie grilling plate to prevent them from falling through the grates)
- you can also make Chicken Fajita Skewers
How much seasoning to use?
Don't be afraid to use this seasoning aggressively. I advise using 2-3 tablespoons per pound of chicken, shrimp or steak.
(Pictured above: Fajita Chicken Skewers made with this seasoning recipe)
More seasoning blends
- 7 Easy Spice Blends
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Brown Sugar Chili Seasoning
- Homemade Indian Spice Blend
- Homemade Moroccan Spice Blend
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Homemade Fajita Seasoning (Chicken, Shrimp, Steak)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (increase for spicy!)
Instructions
- Stir together all ingredients and store in an airtight container for up to one year.
- Use 2 tablespoons per pound of meat along with olive oil and a squeeze of lime.
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We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Tips:
- use 2-3 tablespoons per pound of meat
- cayenne- as written this spice blend has a very mild spice to it. Adjust to suit your tastes
- marinade- turn this into a marinade by combining 2 tablespoons seasoning with 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil per pound of meat
- this recipe makes close to ½ cup but can easily be doubled or tripled and stored long term.
Nutrition Information
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Claudia Daniliuc says
I saw in your video the color of your chilli is a beautiful lighter red/ orange .Would you please share what brand are you using ?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Claudia! I believe I was using bulk store chili powder, so I'm not actually sure what the brand is. I've also used McKormick in the past and think it has a similar color?
Lynda E Boose says
I am from New Mexico--and therefore something of a food snob when it comes to Mexican food. So I was delighted not only to find this recipe, but to find that it makes really delicious fajitas! Thanks for creating it-- I will try it out on other dishes in the future! -- Lynda
Denise says
Lynda, thank you for making my day! Getting the stamp of approval from a Mexican food snob is high praise!
Hillary says
Perfect easy fajita seasoning! We leave out the sugar and it's still delish!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a review 🙂