Best Chili Lime Seasoning Rub
Are you ready? Are you ready for the best and easiest chili lime rub recipe that you have ever had? This really is the best and easiest chili lime rub recipe ever!
You can use this dry rub on so many things from potato chips, fresh fruit to chicken to pork chops to bloody marys! You can use this spice rub in savory dishes on tacos and in homemade guacamole.
It’s a very simple recipe with delicious flavor. This is not your store bought spice blend! It’s definitely not Tajin Spice or Tajin seasoning. Your friends are going to think you made this for a Mexican company and you didn’t even have to use a food processor!
This seasoning blend is going to knock your socks off!
I don’t mean from the heat! I’m talking flavor! Good old fashion flavor. Now don’t get me wrong, we can turn up the heat! However, you are also good with medium heat or very low heat too.
It’s OK to just have a hint of heat if your family doesn’t like a lot of spice. If you find that you made your homemade chili lime seasoning too hot, you can control the heat with the serving size by using less.
Spicy or Mild?
If your family is anything like mine, we have our spicy eaters and we have our don’t burn my taste buds eaters. Either way you’ll find this Mexican seasoning good enough to be a staple in your spice cupboard.
You may have what you need and may not need to go to the grocery store to grab the ingredients for the spice mix.
Keep in mind that this is your dry rub that you are making for the perfect snack or meal that you can eat at any time of day. This means that you can add or leave out any of the ingredients you want in order to make it perfect for you and your family! This should only take you 5-7 minutes to make.
Take a look in your spice cabinet
Grab the following items
1 TBL Chili powder or Chile powder
1 TBL Chipotle pepper powder
1/2 TBL Cayenne pepper
1 TSP Kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 TSP Garlic powder
1 TSP Onion powder
1 TBL of Lime zest
Grab some fresh lime juice, if you have it. If you don’t, you can also use dehydrated lime or dehydrated lime juice. This will give your rub a tangy lime flavor. If you use juice, add it when you are ready to use it. Keep the dry ingredients dry and at room temperature for storage purposes.
Grab a small bowl that will hold your final chilli mix. You may also want to grab an airtight container to store your new seasonings in a dry place in case you do not use all of the spice the first time.
Mix all of your dry ingredients together in a small bowl. If you chose to use dehydrated lime of lime zest, you can add it to the bowl. Do not add any wet ingredients to the bowl.
Pro Tips
Chili powder is a blend of chili peppers and other spices like cumin, peppercorn, oregano and salt. It is commonly used in Mexican cuisine that is made in the United States.
Whereas, chile powder is made of pure dried chile peppers. Chipotle powder is made of smoked chipotle peppers and is typically the mildest of the powders.
I like to mix the different types of chile powders that I have. Think ancho, chipotle and habanero. Do NOT use ghost pepper powder. While I love hot stuff, the slightest amount will over power the rub.
Some Info About Chili Powders
Chile powders will give you the best flavor. Chilli powder is fine to use if you do not have the other powders.
If you have Chiles de arbol powder, use it instead cayenne! It is a bit milder than cayenne pepper but is delicious!
If you do not have lime, use any citrus that you have!
Storage
If you’re going to be keeping this spice for a long time, some people like to add citric acid or silicon dioxide to prevent caking. I am not a fan.
My family uses this rub for a ton of things so it doesn’t last long in my house. Heck, Johnny Appleseed adds it to his hot sauce!
I like to keep my food supernatural, so caking doesn’t necessarily bother me. I know what’s in it because I made it. Now let’s get back to making the spice rub.
Store Bought vs. Homemade
The combination of salt with the spicy flavor really sets this apart. It will beat any store-bought seasoning that you’ve ever tried.
If you try the seasoning blend alone with no added preservatives, it will leave you wanting more and feeling refreshed like the fresh lime zest you’re going to throw in it.
Forget about going to the grocery store. Use what you have and turn on your outdoor grill so you can make the best meal ever!
All you need is right here. Keep your paper towels and paper towel near just in case you need to wipe your hands before grabbing something.