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Get It NowThis easy Mexican chorizo is the zesty, spicy meat you’ve been missing from your Mexican dishes! While some of the spices resemble taco seasoning or fajita seasoning, Mexican chorizo recipes have a unique flavor all their own — and you can create it at home with simple ingredients.
Mexican Chorizo Recipe: Why You’ll Love It
- Spicy, warm chili flavors
- Tender, meaty texture
- 5 minutes prep
- Done in 20 minutes
- Naturally gluten-free and sugar-free
- No soaking chiles, meat grinder, or hog casings needed
- Tastes more fresh and flavorful than store-bought!
What Is Mexican Chorizo?
Unlike Spanish chorizo, which is partially or fully cooked, cured, and dried, Mexican chorizo sausage is a fresh cooked sausage. It’s traditionally made with ground pork (or a combination of ground pork and ground beef), guajillo or ancho chile pepper, and a variety of dried spices stuffed in animal casings. I use a shortcut for the peppers to make the recipe even faster.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for chorizo Mexican sausage, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Spices – Including paprika, cumin, chili powder, dried oregano (use Mexican oregano for most authentic flavor), coriander, sea salt, and cinnamon. Traditional chorizo rehydrates ancho and guajillo chiles, purees them, and mixes them directly into the meat, but this spice blend helps it come together faster.
- Ground Pork – Use plain ground pork, as we will season it ourselves. Ground sausage typically comes already seasoned, so is not recommended.
- Olive Oil – I used extra virgin olive oil, but any neutral cooking oil will work.
- Onion – White onion or yellow onion works best, both for flavor and appearance.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced cloves for best flavor.
- White Vinegar – Typically used in Mexican chorizo ingredients to help cure the sausage for longer-term storage, but also for flavor. White vinegar has the most authentic taste, but you could also use apple cider vinegar.
VARIATION: Use a different ground meat.
While ground pork is the most traditional choice, you can also substitute ground beef, ground turkey, or any other ground meat you prefer.
How To Make Mexican Chorizo
This section shows how to make the best Mexican chorizo recipe that’s easy, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Stir. In a small bowl, stir together all dry spices.
- Combine. Blend the pork and spice mixture together by hand in a large bowl, taking care not to over-mix.
- Cook aromatics. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, until shimmering. Add garlic and onions, and cook until onions are translucent and starting to brown on the edges.
- Add pork. Transfer spiced pork to the pan and fry, breaking apart with a spatula, until fully cooked.
- Finish. Stir in vinegar and adjust salt to taste.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Meal prep: You can make the raw chorizo Mexican recipe ahead of time and store for up to 2 days in the fridge (or 3 months in the freezer) before cooking and serving.
- Reheat: Warm up on the stovetop or in a microwave at low power, until heated through.
- Freeze: Let the homemade chorizo cool completely, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Ways To Use Mexican Chorizo In Recipes
There are so many chorizo Mexican recipes. Here are some classic uses for it:
- Breakfast – Make Mexican chorizo and eggs using scrambled eggs, cloud eggs, or egg and sausage muffins. Add diced white or sweet potatoes (or fried radishes) to your cooked meat to make an easy hash.
- Ground Meat Swap – Use in part or entirely in place of ground meats for Whole30 chili, cauliflower nachos, easy taco dip, or keto empanadas. You could also mix it with enchilada sauce and then follow my enchilada recipe.
- Dips – Make chorizo the meat of choice for queso dip, Rotel dip, or taco dip.
- Tacos – Serve it inside your favorite tortillas with homemade salsa, shredded cheese, avocado, and cilantro. You can also try it in taco stuffed peppers, stuffed into zucchini taco boats, or as the main protein in a taco salad.
More Easy Mexican Recipes
For a taste of Mexico any night of the week, look no further than these easy main dishes! (And find even more healthy Mexican recipes here.)
Recommended Tools
- Glass Bowls – A variety of easy-to-clean ones for mixing Mexican chorizo seasoning and meat.
- Skillet – An easy all-purpose pan for frying up just about anything!
Easy Mexican Chorizo
Mexican Chorizo Recipe (So Easy!)
Make a Mexican chorizo recipe in your very own kitchen with easy ingredients and spices — then pair with everything from eggs to tacos!
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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In a small jar or bowl, stir together the paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, coriander, salt, and cinnamon.
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In a large bowl, combine the pork and spice mixture. Mix well until just combined, but be careful not to over-mix.
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In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil, until shimmering. Add the garlic and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are translucent.
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Add the pork. Cook for 7-10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until cooked through.
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Stir in the vinegar. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 lb Mexican chorizo meat
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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5 Comments
Julie JOY
0Made it with ground turkey when visiting kids and grandkids. Everybody loved it! I’m about to make it again for my husband. Thanks!
Elena
0Hi Maya, this was absolutely delicious! My family loves Mexican, and this is such a great addition to our weekly routine. Thank you!
Wendy
0This was so good! Thanks so much for sharing.
Glenda
0Really tasty and the texture is so much better than any chorizo I’ve ever purchased. I was actually convinced I didn’t like chorizo before this recipe. The mushy, fine-grained, almost gritty texture was so off-putting in commercial brands. This was delicious! Thank you!
Mackenzie
0This was delicious and easy. I will definitely make this again.