Making homemade Mexican Chorizo, is so much easier than you’d think—not to mention, incredibly delicious and healthier too. Made with simple ingredients like ground pork, chile peppers, vinegar, and spices, this fresh sausage is low-carb, keto, and gluten-free! Video included!
Recipe first posted on September 14, 2021. Last updated October 14, 2023 with updated text.
Are you a Mexican chorizo fan? My family loves chorizo. We stuff it into all kinds of Mexican dishes our breakfast tacos, add it to a pot of beans, as well as our fancy cocktail party mushrooms, oh and my favorite way—chorizo burgers. They are so, so good.
I know there are tons of different options for buying store-bought chorizo, especially if you live near a Latin grocery store that makes its own version, but I think you’ll really be surprised at how delicious (and easy) this chorizo recipe is to make it at home.
Today I’m sharing a new recipe for homemade chorizo sausage just in time for all those holiday brunch dates and cocktail parties.
what is chorizo?
There are two types of chorizo: Spanish and Mexican.
Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage, meaning a hard, sliceable sausage similar to salami that is made from chopped pork flavored with Spanish paprika, it can be spicy or mild. Spanish-style chorizos are typically eaten on a charcuterie board with cheeses and other cured meats and bread.
Mexican-style chorizo is a type of chorizo typically made from ground meat, usually pork although you will find some versions made with ground beef or even soy. It is a fresh chorizo that requires cooking before eating.
In Mexico and even here in the United States you can often find different types of chorizo within the fresh Mexican chorizo family. Look for green chorizo at your local Latin market that is flavored with poblano chiles instead of the dried red chiles.
ingredients for homemade chorizo
Making chorizo at home means you can control the fat content, heat level, and flavorings. This is my favorite recipe that is super flavorful without being too fatty or spicy. I recommend following the recipe closely the first time you make it then adjust your preferences the next time around. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground pork. The best ground pork for chorizo has a high fat content. I like to use one with a 70/30 ratio (70% meat to 30% fat). Some people add extra pork fat, but that’s a little too fatty for my tastes.
- Dried chiles. I used guajillo and ancho chiles, you could add dried chile like an arbol chile or chipotle for spicy sausage. If you really like spicy foods add a teaspoon of cayenne red pepper. The chiles are what gives it the red color.
- Kosher salt or sea salt
- Garlic or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- White onion
- Red wine vinegar
- Black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
how to make Mexican chorizo
You are going to flip at how simple this recipe is. In about 20 minutes you’ll have cooked Mexican sausage to add to everything from a side dish of refried beans to chorizo and eggs! Here’s how:
step one
Toast and soak the chiles. Remove the stems and the seeds from the dried chiles. Heat a comal or a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once it is hot but not smoking place the chiles in the pan and toast, turning frequently until the color has darkened and they become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.
Meanwhile bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Once chiles are toasted, add to the boiling water. Submerge them under the water then remove from the heat and let soak until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes.
step two
Blend the chile sauce. Blend the remaining ingredients (except the pork) together in a blender. You don’t need a high-powered blender to do this but if you don’t have one you will need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times to get everything blended well. Don’t add extra liquid or the chile sauce will be too runny.
step three
Mix with pork. Combine the chile sauce with the ground pork in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands to make sure it is well combined and evenly distributed.
step four
Cook and enjoy! Cook with a little oil in a hot pan over medium high heat, about 8-10 minutes and enjoy or save for later!
what to do with it
So you’ve made your very own pork sausage, now what should you do with it? One of the most popular ways to enjoy chorizo is in a breakfast taco with scrambled eggs.
Cook the chorizo in a skillet until starting to brown. Crack a few eggs in the skillet and break up with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir the eggs into the chorizo over medium heat until cooked all the way through. Check out my Chorizo and Eggs recipe for more details.
Aside from chorizo and eggs there are a variety of dishes that benefit from the addition of chorizo. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Crisp it in a pan and use it as a garnish for soups
- Used cooked chorizo as a topping for nachos
- Cook the chorizo and add it to your favorite rice dish
- Spoon on top of a dish of warm queso fundido
- Fill enchiladas with cooked chorizo
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chorizo at your fingertips
Now that you know how to make your own Mexican chorizo, you’ll never buy the store bought stuff again! When you make your first batch snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !
How To Make Mexican Chorizo From Scratch
Making homemade Mexican Chorizo, is so much easier than you'd think—not to mention, incredibly delicious and healthier too. Made with simple ingredients like ground pork, chile peppers, vinegar, and spices, this fresh sausage is low-carb, keto, and gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 4 dried ancho chiles (stemmed, seeded, and rinsed)
- 3 dried guajillo chiles (stemmed, seeded, and rinsed)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 large white onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 pounds ground pork (preferably 70/30 fat content)
Instructions
- Toast and soak the chiles. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil then remove from heat. Heat a comal or dry cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add chiles to the comal and toast, turning frequently, until fragrant and starting to change color (about 4 minutes). Submerge chiles in the hot water and let soak until very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Blend spice mixture. Drain chiles and place in the blender with remaining ingredients, except pork. Blend on high until smooth. You may have to stop and scrape down the blender to get everything blended evenly.
- Combine with pork. Mix ground pork with spice mixture in a large bowl. Use you hands to mix evenly and make sure all the pork is coated with the spice mixture.
- To cook chorizo. To cook the chorizo, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is cooked through and the color has changed from bright red to reddish-brown, about 5-8 minutes.
- To store the chorizo. If not cooking right away, store chorizo in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or place in freezer-safe plastic bags, seal tightly, and freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
Chorizo will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 6 months.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 29g
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thank you, love chorizo too, and always just buy one of those tubes, but sometimes wonder a little warily about what’s inside, so really love being able to make my own!
I hear you! You will love this recipe.
My meat-eating boyfriend loved this! And I loved that it was not a greasy mess like store-bought chorizo. I’ll admit I wasn’t completely true to the recipe: I added Mexican oregano, a bit of allspice, a couple of chiles de arbol, and a roasted serrano. But the best part was that I doubled the blender mix and used half (with a bit of EVOO added to it) on raw cauliflower bits. I have no idea whether “marinating” cauliflower makes a difference, but after marinating it all day I roasted it at night for dinner and made fabulous tacos! Then dumped the flavorful leftover cauliflower bits into tonight’s broccoli-cheddar soup! Arriba! Thank you for this
Thank you Lisa! You just made my day. So happy you loved the recipe and I might steal that cauliflower idea—sounds incredible!
You sure weren’t kidding about how easy this is, and the result is very flavorful. I made the chorizo yesterday and refrigerated it overnight to let the flavors meld. I had enough guajillo but was one ancho shy, so added a couple chipotle – the extra one for good luck. I too used a little Mexican oregano.
I cooked a half pound of chorizo for brunch today and we ate it with scrambled eggs and flour tortillas. We used shredded cheddar, chopped fresh jalapeno and Valentina for condiments, and washed everything down with cold Modelo and lime. The chorizo was the star, with the rest complementing it nicely.
I’m going to freeze a pound of the chorizo to save for another day and will make patties from the remaining half pound to grill with butterflied shrimp and jalapenos over a wood fire for tortas.
Thanks for another great recipe.
Delicious recipe so the best one I have made thanks for sharing this
Would ground turkey work well as a substitute?
Hey Amanda! I’ve never made it with ground turkey, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work. It won’t be as rich and fatty as the ground pork, but the flavor should still be good. Let me know how it goes!
Ugh. I apparently need a new blender. I tried making the pepper mixture in my blender and it didn’t go well at all. Had some pureed stuff at the bottom (in a gap between the base of the blade and the side of the jar) but the rest was just hanging out on top. I tried shoving the rehydrated peppers down towards the blade but it just pushed them back to the top again. Finally scraped it all out and got it in my little Magic Bullet and that worked a tad better, but my chorizo had some pretty big chunks of pepper and onion still. :/
I clicked the link on your post where it says “blender” and it took me to a $400 Vitamix model. Is that what is required to make this?
Hi Samantha, I’m sorry you had trouble, it sounds like your blender is not quite powerful enough. You can add the liquid you used to soak the chiles in (1/4 cup at a time) until the mixture starts to blend in your blender. It will be more watery than the recipe, but the extra liquid will evaporate when you cook it. You don’t have to use the Vitamix (although they work really well). This $60 Oster blender is awesome: https://amzn.to/3oT37uQ.
So easy and so delicious!
Had it with scrambled eggs and cheese on flour tortillas
Hi. This looks great. Would you have any suggestions for ways to store the chille sauce, if you made a large batch, so you could just add it to the ground meat when you wanted to??
Thanks.
Hey Crystal, the sauce will last up to a week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag. You could freeze it in smaller batches and just add to a little meat at a time.
Can tis be used in Feijoada ?
Hi Mike, I think Feijoada is usually made with smoked sausage. This recipe is for fresh sausage so it wouldn’t be the same but I”m sure it would still be delicious!
This was good, but I will double the salt and add heat next time because it was fairly bland.
It’s an amazing idea and very helpful for everyone. Thanks for share
Thank you for sharing this recipe. <3
I have no words to describe how much better homemade chorizo is than store bought here in the Midwest.
I didn't really know that ancho and guajillo chiles aren't that spicy.
I recommend adding in a dried chile de arbol or two if you like spicier chorizo.
Awesome Zach! I’m so excited you loved this recipe. And yes, add as many spicy chiles as you’d like to up the heat level.